I skipped a week of Sunday Reflections. I figured it was okay because it WAS Christmas, and I really didn't feel like writing and I never get good Christmas pictures. I try to take too many of the kids opening the presents and they are never looking up at the Camera. So then my pictures are all of kids, looking down at whatever they are about to see and wrapping paper. Next year, if I can make the boys cooperate, I'll have to get some post opening the Christmas presents pictures.
Well, it is the new year. So I suppose I should do some reflecting on the past year and some writing of new lofty goals, but I've never been good at that. I'm a doer, not a goal setter. Not that goal setting doesn't have it's benefits. It does. But when I seem to write down a goal, and this is me, I never make a plan to get anywhere and then the next year I just feel guilty that I had all these goals that I never really thought about, or I did think about but never did anything with. I'm much better with plans and attitudes.
I loved the 1st presidency message by Pres. Monson in the Ensign entitled Living the Abundant Life. In the article he shared his Three ABC's to living the abundant life.
A is for attitude. Pres. Monson quoted William James saying, "human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." Pres. Monson says to do our best and then be happy about our circumstances, whatever they may be. When I look at people who have survived and are thriving through challenging times, it is their positive attitude and outlook on their personal situation that leads the way to their contentment with life as it is.
B is for believe. He encouraged us to believe in ourselves, others and eternal principles. He said, "Don't limit yourself and don't let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possiblilities." I don't like to talk much about when I ran my marathon, it makes me feel as if I'm bragging, but let me just share a little history about myself with you. When I was a teenage girl I HATED to run....HATED, HATED, HATED to run. This may have had to do with the fact that I was the youngest of three girls and my two older sisters loved to run. They would invite me with them and at times, I would agree to go. Have you seen the movie A League of Their Own with Gina Davis? You know the scene where the two sisters are walking back to the house and one of the sisters starts walking faster and then the other sister starts a slow jog and then the other sister joins in until they are in a dead sprint race with each other to see who'll make it back first? That's what it was like running with my two older sisters. They were so competitive with the other the nice run would always turn into a some sort of sprinting race with me lagging behind, almost passing out calling out pitifully to them to wait up. Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it seems like it was. In college, I started running on my own and found I enjoyed it. I usually ran around 3 miles, but never had a desire to enter a race. I kept this up into adulthood and running became a hobby, but I never thought I could run more than 3 miles. The 3 miles were hard enough. In fact, In Idaho Falls, I had a neighbor who had seen me running and asked me if I wanted to participate in a 25 mile team run where each person had to run a leg of 5 miles. I laughed at him and said, "Craig, I can barely run 3 miles. It hurts. I could NEVER run 5 miles." When 2006 rolled around I was FAT. Really, I was. I had just had Riley 4 months earlier and found myself weighing 46 more lbs. than what I should have. I was unhappy and for the new year I had made a goal to lose weight again. My husband was with me and I jokingly said to him, "Maybe I'll run a marathon too. That should help me shed a few pounds." He said to me, "Why not?" And for the first time I thought to myself, why not? Maybe I could do it. This change of mind, this belief in myself, was the first step in being able to accomplish a challenge of such great magnitude. Of course, I couldn't just believe in myself but I had to live in a way to reach my possibilities. I began to run to see how far I could go. One Saturday I ran 14 miles. I was stunned. I never thought I could do that. At this time, though, I decided I need to do a little more research to find out how I should train. I found a good training program (that lasted 4 months) that had me running anywhere 15-48 miles a week. I stuck to it. Brad stuck to it. There were serveral Saturday mornings he had to watch the kids while I ran. The day the race came I believed I was capable of running those 26 miles and I had confidence in knowing I had trained. Though tired and worn out at the end, I was ecstatic I had completed the race. From that experience I learned how amazing the human spirit is and what we can each accomplish if we only believe in ourselves.
C is for courage. Pres. Monson said, "Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently...Courage is required to make an initial thrust toward one's coveted goal, but even greater courage is called for when one stumbles and must make a second effort to achieve." Thinking of courage makes me think of Brad. It took courage to leave the fire department to go to dental school. It was not an easy four years for him or for us. I look back at the years he was in dental school and I cringe. However, the trial was not over there. We have been out almost 4 years now and our last four years have been in some ways, more difficult than the 4 years in dental school. After moving 4 times and having some of our dreams and goals shattered, it has taken courage to get up and piece together our new life. Sometimes, I still see Brad off balance reeling from the effects of the last eight years but I also see him courageously moving forward with his goals. And trust me, when you talk about the money it takes to buy into a practice and the trust you must place in your partners, it takes courage to move forward.
So, for this the new year I am going to focus on Pres. Monson's three ABCs for living the abundant life. Of course, I will personalize them, but I think they are three attributes worth working on.
Very well said. I have always admired you and how well you have handled everything you have been through.
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