48 Memories

Sweet memories nourish my life. A smell or a song can take me back to another time and place. I took my kids on a cross country trip that became a special memory for all five of us. We went to meaningful places and visited family and friends, but the best part of it all was the closeness we felt with each other. We spent so much time in the car, it was home. I have joyful memories of penny surfing in Northern Missouri, sailing over hill and dale with fireflies in the roadside grasses. In Illinois, we dodged a tornado. There are icky memories of a fleabag motel in Indiana, and a sleepless night fighting off mosquitoes at a campground in Virginia. Each is a precious memory because it was shared with people who matter in my life. Although memories are really a thing of the past, the memory book is not finished and I look forward to making more with the people who matter most.

49 Warm Spring Days

Tulips and apple blossoms are beautiful, but there is more to it than flowers. Spring is renewing. It it optimistic and hopeful. In winter, I have almost forgotten that feeling of inspiration and the joy of being alive. I know there is some scientific explanation to the euphoria that comes with spring, but who cares what it is? I am just glad to feel the joy that comes with it. Today is a mildly warm spring day, but I see the promise of warmer days and have big hopes and dreams....and plans, and feel younger than I am. Spring brings with it a miracle.

50 Wisdom

In a small town where I once lived, the marquee at an insurance office displayed the saying: A smart man learns from his mistakes; a wise man learns from other’s mistakes. I like to think I’m smart, but after reading that, I would rather be wise. It’s a quality I have hoped to instill in my children, but I think the folly of youth trumps the concept. I have no excuse; I am far from young.

In the Book of Mormon, Nephi teaches a great folly to which men are susceptible: O the vainness…and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the council of God…

Mortality is a delicate thing. We must be wise with the time we are given and learn from the mistakes of others and fail not to hearken to the council of God. Eternity depends on it.

Things that matter

Recently, in a store, I leafed through the pages of a book titled 50 Things that Really Matter. It pointed out that we spend much of our time and energy today acquiring stuff—houses, cars, designer labels, jewelry--and that there are things, other than stuff, that are far more important in the grand scheme. With that, I will embark on a journey to write my own thoughts and observations of 50 things that matter.

Resignation

I'd post a blog, but after the exhaustive search for a URL that would be easy to spell and communicate, I'm burned-out. I think I'll go mow the lawn.