Christmas….. all year round

Firstly…. HaPpY nEw YeAr!!!!!!!!!! I hope that 2017 will be a year of faith, fun, family & friends for all! I honestly cannot believe that the brand new year is already 11 days old! Anyway, over the December period I had a wonderful time spent with family and those friends that feel like family (I will post all about it later), but in amongst all the busy-ness I had a very profound thought, to me it was so profound that I even made a note on my phone about it so that I would remember to write about it. Here it is then…. Your thoughts are welcome 🙂

It goes without saying that this season was going to be a very difficult one for me and my family because it was the first without my dad *tears welling up just thinking about it…*. I was busy cleaning my kitchen (this is usually when I do all my thinking) and wondering what my dad would’ve been doing that would be special for Christmas if he were with us. I thought about it, and thought some more and then, just for good measure, I thought about it even more and I was puzzled as to why I couldn’t think of a single Christmas tradition my dad had and then it hit me, like a ton of bricks!

My dad didn’t change, there was nothing that he did over the Christmas period that he didn’t do any other day of the year, Monday – Sunday, 01 January – 31 December he was the same, and that, my friends, is exactly why he was so loved by all those who knew him, and it made me love and miss him just that much more.  Let me explain…

During the festive season, there is an almost tangible sense of peace on earth and goodwill toward men that can be felt everywhere you go. Sure there is still the insanely busy shopping malls, choc-a-block parking lots, and jam-packed highways but people, in general, have a sense of consideration for their fellow man, we are more willing to share what we have, we greet tellers with a smile and friendly “hello” or “Merry Christmas” even after standing in a que that felt like it was never-ending etc. I’m sure you have experienced this yourself, even your social media pages are flooded with posts of cheer, best wishes, uplifting video clips and encouragement to do good and think of others.

All the said emotions are clumped together and referred to as “The Christmas Spirit”, and oh what a wonderful spirit it is!

For the most part, I am generalizing now, the Christmas spirit arrives on it’s own about the 2nd week into December (when the work year is coming to an end and holidays are approaching) and leaves just as quickly and unnoticed again during the first week of January (usually when the reality of back to work and school dawns). And so it repeats itself every year.

Well with my dad, as I mentioned earlier, there was no change, he was kind and thoughtful where ever he went, he always greeted people with a smile, he was generous no matter what day it was and he never waited for a “season” to think of others before himself. He was “Christmas” twenty-four/seven, 365.

Having this realization caused me to reflect on my own life and that perhaps I am guilty of waiting for Christmas to be better. It made me want to change and become a little more like my hero.

I love you Dad. You were always, and still are my biggest fan, my best friend, the one that encouraged me like no one else could, you loved me NO MATTER WHAT, and you are without a doubt the best teacher I ever had, and though there is a veil between us now and a period of physical separation you still find ways to teach me lessons, uplift me and push me to do better and be better. I am so grateful that families can continue into the eternities and that we have that blessing in our lives.

Words of Wise Men – 18 November 2016

On Friday, 18 November 2016 I had an opportunity to be in the presence of a wonderful man, an apostle of the Lord in fact, and listen to him speak to us.

What.?. Ok, let me explain….

Every year each area of the church has what is called an Area Review where a general authority will come from church headquarters and review certain things in the area to make sure the church is being operated in accordance  with the teachings and doctrines of the church. During the visit, the general authority also relays messages to the membership and we, as employees of the church, get a special employee devotional.

So, as I said before, on Friday, 18 November 2016 I had an opportunity to be in the presence of a wonderful man, an apostle of the Lord, in fact, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and listen to him speak to us, and these are four of the thoughts I had during the devotional.

1. Each person’s voice and opinions need to be heard and respected.

I love this statement!

I have seen first hand the impact something seemingly as small as allowing one to express their opinions has on the life of that person. I believe that this principle should be applied from as young as possible, this is how children develop and learn. Being able to express your opinions, speak your mind, and assert yourself is a skill that is so necessary in today’s world which will, unfortunately, not get any better. In  saying this while we are teaching our children to express themselves we need to teach them how to do it with respect and dignity. I do also believe that just as it is important to allow everyone to express their opinions, it is equally important to accept when people do not share your opinions and that you do not have to subscribe to the opinions of everyone else.

2. The Lord is hoping that you will give ALL that you can offer. 

This made me think…. ALOT!

The Lord has already given me (and you) His Only Begotten Son to atone for our sins and make it possible for us to return and live with Him in the life hereafter, He has given us the companionship of the Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead, to prompt and direct us in the things we should be doing and offer gentle correction when necessary. He has given us the scriptures, the Holy Bible which contains the teachings of the prophets of old and the earthly ministry of Christ, and The Book of Mormon which, like the Bible, contains teaching from prophets of old, it also records the Saviour’s teaching to the Nephites, and it was written for our day, and then, as if all the above wasn’t enough He, through the prophet Joseph Smith, restored the gospel to the earth as it was during ministry of Christ which includes living prophets and apostle of the Lord who further provide counsel and instruction for our eternal well-being.

All of the above were given to us freely, because of the great loves He has for each one of us. He has given us, and still promises to give us, ALL that He has. The question I asked myself is this..

Am I giving ALL that I can?

The answer has to be no.

I have resolved to put in a better effort in giving ALL that I can… because I love Him and He loved me first!

3. Revelation comes when we have the right question.

How often have I (or you) felt like the Lord is silent, or prayers are going unheard and unanswered? Many times…. I was wrong, and I was taught correctly today.

The Lord is never silent, our prayers are always heard and our prayers will always be answered when we align our prayers with the Lord’s will.

If you ever feel that the Lord has gone mum, look at the question, examine the prayer, trust that He who created you, loves you and always has your best interests on the very top of His priorities and perhaps what you are asking for so desperately is not what will bring you the happiness He desires for you.

4. He loves all His children but only trusts a few.

WOW! Feels harsh right? Perhaps, but so very true!

Regardless of what you think, say or do Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ love you! That has been true since before the foundation of the earth and will still be true long after the earth has come and gone. Nothing, no matter how bad, nothing can and will ever change that.

However, the Lord is wise and will not allow his beloved children to be lead astray by those that choose differently. He will entrust those that are living righteously, that are striving to keep the commandments and obey His teachings with responsibilities to carry out on earth that are necessary for the safe return of His precious children.

Thankfully we are not doomed if we make a mistake, we have the priceless gift of the Savior’s atonement and the opportunity to repent and be forgiven of our wrong doings.

Each one of us can be one of those the Father can trust, by doing the small and simple things on a daily basis striving each time to do better we can and will earn the Lord’s trust. We can be the instruments in His hands to bring about good.

By simply living close to the Spirit, abiding by His teachings and walking in the Saviours footsteps we will be called a “good and faithful servant” and in that perfect day we will be the son’s and daughter’s in whom the Lord will be well pleased.

It was a marvelous experience, I hope to be able to carry these impressions with me always. As part of the devotional, we also heard from Elder Kevin S. Hamilton and Elder Ulisses Soares, they also shared some insightful thoughts.

“You learn to hear the voice of the Lord by listening to the whisperings of the Spirit”    Elder Hamilton

“Gods work was to develop the plan, the Saviours work was to fulfill the plan through the atonement, and our work is to help others come to understand the plan and apply it in their lives” 

Elder Soares

      

Some photos from the day (not taken by me)

 

 

 

Bittersweet – October 2016

With October being over, and the rush it came with, I have had a few days to reflect on the past whirlwind of a month. What a whirlwind it was!!

There was alot of changes in our little family this month which brought with it a trail of emotions I wasn’t quite prepared for.

JP left one job and started another. The period in between the change (although short) was a very stressful one for me, but the stress was good for me, it taught me a lesson. JP was unemployed for a total of 4 days (2 of them being the weekend) and within those four days my stress levels skyrocketed and those that know me well will tell you that means my temper and mood go with it, I was short and impatient with everyone around me, I was worrying about bills to pay that were still months away, in a nutshell I was so wrapped up in my “needs” that I overlooked the effect I had on those around me. When JP started his new job (which he loves and is much better for him as a person than the old one) I was reminded of a scripture quote “Oh ye of little faith”. I was looking at this “mountain” of a problem in front of me and trying to solve it all on my own like I didn’t need any help from above. How mistaken I was! I learned a valuable lesson, one that I am still trying daily to apply. The bigger picture of our lives is there, grand, glorious and perfectly planned but it is not for us to see, we need to develop the faith of a child in our omnipotent Father.

We moved house….. not my favorite past time in the least! The adjustment has been far better than I was expecting taking into consideration that we went from a three bedroomed house with a massive garden and a large kitchen to a two bedroom flat with a not so massive garden and small kitchen….. I was foreseeing a couple of issues you could say…. I thought the kids were going to be so frustrated sharing a room and having restricted playing space…. I was convinced I would have to keep half my kitchen stuff in boxes and I was positive that the kid’s beds wouldn’t fit into the second bedroom. I am so grateful that none of these potential issues became problems! The kids are so happy in their new home, ALL of my kitchen stuff fits in my little kitchen like a glove and both beds fit perfectly in the second bedroom and the kids are only too content sharing a room. This little house has quickly become our home sweet home where the only adjustment we are still getting used to is having to wait in a mini que to use the toilet in the morning…..

We changed wards…… this one was probably the scariest….when we moved the new house fell into the Krugersdorp 2nd ward boundaries. I loved Krugersdorp 1st Ward, they were my extended family and the thought of “leaving them behind” was heartbreaking. Ok so maybe I am being a bit dramatic…. I still see the members of K1 in passing because we meet in the same building just at different times. We attended our first Sunday in K2 it was a fast and testimony meeting. I was very emotional for some reason but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The biggest change for me personally was attending Relief Society instead of Young Women, I really do miss my girls.  We had a thought-provoking lesson on being prepared. How prepared are you? Physically, Mentally, Financially, Spiritually, Emotionally? Answering these can be overwhelming for most of us and thinking of the possibilities are scary but we are given a promise by a loving Heavenly Father who ALWAYS keeps His promises “but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” Although I am by no means 100% prepared in all those aspects ( I don’t think one can ever be 100% prepared for the un-expectancies of life) I do take comfort in the fact that as long as I am working towards that goal my family and I will be protected and looked after.

So those were my major changes that October brought and through all of that we had our annual audit done at work (no audit it pleasant) and I wrote my final FM finance exam. Like I said a whirlwind month of note… but most of all the emotion that rattled me the most the that of missing my Dad, not being able to talk to him about my fears, hopes, and dreams and  not having his calm reassuring unconditional love around me. I missed you, dad, I still miss you, every single day, it’s been 3 and half months and still not even slightly easier.

 

Granny’s Rule: If you don’t ask, you’ll never know

Granny made sure Billy was listening and said that she was so proud of Billy for asking his question about how did Granny know it was going to rain, because if you never ask a question, you’ll never find an answer.

She asked Billy if he understood and he said yes because even though he was only 6 years old, it was a really easy question.

If you don’t ask; you’ll never know.

“You’re a good boy, Billy”

“Thanks, Granny; but how do you know if it’s going to rain?”

“Before I tell you, I need you to make me a promise”

“Okay, Granny”

“This is the first time Granny is asking you to make a promise. A promise should never be asked or made lightly. Granny promises to only ask you to make a promise on the most important things, and you must promise to only make a promise if you are absolutely determined to keep that promise with everything inside of you. A promise needs to be an unbreakable vow, a resolute determination, a total commitment, a solemn oath to completely and utterly keep your word.”

Billy understood the seriousness of what he was about to agree to and with chest swelling, heart pounding, eyes misting, voice breaking but mind resolving; he promised.

“Well then Billy… I want you to promise me to learn.”

“I don’t understand Granny”

“Why did you ask me how I knew it was going to rain?”

“I wanted to know. It was mysterious and intriguing to see you get it right every day and I wanted to find out how you did it.”

“That’s my good boy, Billy. Do that. Every day, all the time, for the rest of your life; do that. Ask, find out, be inquisitive, look for answers, read. Learn, LEARN, LEARN!! If you don’t know, find out. Once you know; find something new, but learn. Do you promise, Billy?”

“I promise, Granny”

“Do you absolutely, solemnly, unconditionally promise to learn… every day, all the time?”

Once again, the tone of Granny’s voice stirred a realization in Billy of how serious this was and he looked into Granny’s blue eyes and promised.

Granny hugged Billy and told him that he was her favourite person in the whole world and she loved him so much and she was so proud of him.

The combination of the importance of the event, together with the effusive expressions of love and pride and joy, cemented Billy’s resolve and from that day he kept his promise and began a lifelong quest of learning.

“Can I give you your first bit of learning to do?”

“Okay, Granny”

You asked how I knew it was going to rain; so now you go and found how the rain works. What makes it rain, Billy?”

“The clouds, Granny”

“How does the water get into the clouds?”

“I don’t know, Granny”

“Go find out.”

“Okay, Granny; but how do know when it’s going to rain?”

Granny looked into Billy’s eyes. She was smiling in a way that expressed a combination of love, tenderness, anticipation but also a hint of knowing that she was about to give Billy an answer that would start them on a journey that would allow Granny to teach Billy all of her rules but most of all a smile of joy, because she knew that Billy was ready to receive them.

Granny paused for a while, just smiling, until she knew that Billy was about to break the silence.

“I have a magic donkey.”

“What??”

“A magic donkey.” Granny could hardly smile any bigger by now.

She pointed out the donkey on the window sill and said that every morning she looked at the donkey and he told her if it was going to rain or not.

“How does HE know, Granny?”

“Ah, it’s magic, Billy.”

Most 6-year-old children have not yet lost their capacity for wonder and Billy was no exception.

“Wow, Granny; that is so cool! A magic donkey”

“Do you want to know a secret, Billy?”

Well, that was it for poor little Billy. Granny was a master teacher. Solemn vows, assignments to learn, magic donkey and now a secret. Billy was so enraptured that his heart and mind were forever ready to receive instruction. He thought Granny was amazing, wonderful, incredible, fascinating and every other word that a 6-year-old didn’t even know yet and it this sense of adoration that made all her future lessons so easy to accept, remember and apply.

“What’s the secret Granny?”

“You have to know, that no matter how much you know, there will always be something that you will never know. You don’t know how the water gets in the clouds and you don’t know how the donkey can tell when it’s going to rain. The first one, you can find out by going to the library, but let the second one remain a mystery. Learning can either be fun or boring and the thing that makes the difference is what’s inside of you. If you can keep some magic in your heart and feel that sense of “Wow, that is so cool, Granny”. If you can keep a sense of wonder and excitement, then learning will be a joy and  a journey.”

“Okay, Granny”

“Are you sure you understand, Billy?”

“I’m sure, Granny”

“You’re a good boy, Billy. Off you go.”

“Bye Granny…. I love you!”

 

*As written by William (Billy) Andrews – shared with his permission

*All based on true stories