Search This Blog

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Letter

Sunday, January 29, 2017

The past few weeks have gone well.  I haven’t felt too busy, but thankfully I have had enough or created enough to do to keep from feeling bored, helping me feel like my life is worthwhile.

Thursday the 19th, Chad and I went out to dinner with Demetrious, one of Chad’s loan officers, and his wife Stefania.  Demetrious asked Chad if he and Stefania could take us out to dinner to thank Chad for hiring him a little over a year ago.  He is very grateful for the job, especially since he wasn’t super qualified for it.  He has been a great loan officer.  He works hard and has done very well.  They and their two kids went to church with us on Christmas day.  Demetrious also went to our ward meat fest that we hosted in our yard on the 21st and Stefani went with me to our RS activity on Thursday.  They are so nice and we plan to invite them to take lessons from the missionaries soon.  I’m glad that we have become friends.

Spencer had two basketball games this week.  Chad and I really enjoy watching him play.  He is developing into a quite a good player.  His team hasn’t won very many games, but they are a JV team made up of mostly freshman.  They only have 1 junior, who doesn’t play much, and 2 sophomores, who do play a lot.  They rest of the team is comprised of freshman.  Hopefully next year they will be able to win more games when they are an older team.

I got a Facebook message from my cousin Sterling Skouson--I wrote a little about him two weeks ago in my letter.  He asked if he could meet me and take me out to lunch.  (I know it is sad that as cousins we don’t really know much about each other, but he is 25-30 years older than me and so we don’t know each other well.)  I must have made an impression on him when I bore my testimony to him over Facebook.  I didn’t see his message with the lunch invitation until it was about 10 days old, but I accepted.  He hasn’t responded since then though.  I told Chad that I really feel like I need to have him go to lunch with us too, for a little backup, in case my cousin starts trying to get me to leave the church.  I’ve spoken to my Mom about it and she’s been worried for me too.  She called to warn me that we aren’t on the same side of the line.  I’ll have to set some boundaries in my mind and if he crosses them I’ll have to change the subject or something. 

Friday night Chad and I attended a fireside broadcast for parents of youth in our area.  Elder Ballard and Elder Rasband and a couple other general authorities spoke.  It was great.  There was some counsel given that was so simple, but so profound and made so much sense.  It was cool to see members of the quorum of the twelve in a less formal, very candid setting.  I learned so much about how to be a better parent to my teenagers.  If you’re interested, you can read my notes HERE.

Yesterday morning I got a haircut, just a little trim.  I enjoy getting my hair cut and having it styled.  It is so relaxing.  Yesterday late afternoon Chad and I went out to eat with our friends Jeff and Sunny Moody again.  They are sure fun and are great friends.  Sunny has to have major surgery tomorrow and I’ll be watching her 7 month old daughter for her all day.  She wanted to go out since she will have a long recovery and will be unable to get around for about a month or so.  We are praying for her. 

Last night Chad and the boys had a fireside broadcast for youth and leaders with Elder Ballard and Elder Rasband.  I kind of wish I could have gone.  Chad said it was kind of similar to the broadcast for the parents though.

Today I got to sub Bryant’s Sunday school class today.  I love the Come, Follow Me curriculum.  It fosters great discussions and allows the youth to participate in the lessons really well.  This evening I sang in a quartet for a fireside for the prison branch ministry--those who serve in the prison branch presidency and for the mentors, letter writers, etc.  I was glad to be asked to sing at it.  I really enjoy singing in quartets and/or trios.  We sang a nice arrangement of A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.  I feel like it went well and sounded beautiful.

My quote for today is from footnote #62 Brian K. Ashton's Oct. 2016 conference talk The Doctrine of Christ.  (His talk has a bazillion footnotes, and there are some really good quotes in those footnotes.)  “One might frequently bring the same sacrifice [to the sacrament table] for weeks at a time until, with the help of the Savior, and as Neal A. Maxwell taught, 'it [is] consumed'"  I love that. We just have to try to be a little better each day! No comparing ourselves to each other, just comparing our current-self to our past-self.  I can work on being a more patient mother every week as I take the sacrament.  It is ok to have the same problem week after week as long as I'm continually trying to improve with the Lord's help.
Love,

Mindy

No comments: