Life and Death: Portals of Heaven

Live.
Life is short. Too short to waste a minute in bitterness or anger. Too short to hold grudges or spend any time reliving bad memories. Too short to do anything but love, serve and grow in faith, in testimony and in spirit.

Dave's mom, my mother-in-law, and grandmother to our children, passed away peacefully in her daughter's arms on January 7th. Ironically, Dave's mother's death-day was the same as my mother's birthday.

Life and death: portals of heaven.

It was wonderful to see so many of our children and Dave's sisters, though. Even Barbie and Yilka came from Kosovo. What a treat!

Here are some of the pictures:

Okay. So it's the new year. . .

Okay, so it's the new year, and I am sitting here thinking about things; you know, like you are supposed to do this time of year.
I am looking back on all of the great moments, and not-so-great moments of 2009. I am remembering the four new grandbabies, two new sons-in-law and one new daughter-in-law. I am thinking of the foreign friends we have made and how they have changed our lives. I am remembering all of our efforts to prepare the house to sell. . . (It is still for sale.) I am feeling some regrets for the lost moments which I could have lived the gospel a little better, loved my family a little deeper, and shared my heart a little more often.

Stephen Covey said we should pattern our lives after the following five areas:
Live
Laugh
Love
Learn
Leave a Legacy.

Live ~ I plan to spend more time and effort improving my health. Yes, that means exercise, healthy eating, etc. I plan to take better care of my physical, spiritual, mental and emotional self. I want to really live!

Laugh ~ I don't usually have trouble smiling or chuckling at life's situations. Sometimes things are so rediculous that you have to laugh or cry. I usually choose to laugh. What I will try to improve is that perpetual smile that comes from being happy; inwardly cheerful. I would rather have laugh lines, than a furrowed brow from frowning.

Love ~ I feel love freely. I need to show it more often. Not only that, but I would like to be filled with the Pure Love of Christ.

Learn ~ I don't know if pursuing a B.S. Degree in Business/Marketing counts as learning. So often, I am simply "getting through the class." The things I would really like to learn are found in the scriptures. That is the topic of my true interest. I plan to study more the words of the Lord.

Leave a Legacy ~ Someday I will not be able to sing, write music, or play musical instruments. Dave and I will be recording what we can. We will be preserving memories for the future. I have more poetry and music to write! I have a legacy to leave.

Okay, So it's the new year and I'm sitting here thinking about things. . .