Well, lately I've been thinking about the economy and how people are doing with losing their jobs, crime on the rise, and those who have so much vs. those who have so little. My prayers and fasts lately have focused on asking Heavenly Father to touch the lives of those who have so much, that they will be willing to give to those who have very little or nothing, and that as a nation, we will become more righteous, less prideful, and more willing to serve and give to others. Just the other day in class, we talked about who was worried about the economy and why. Some comments given by my class members were focused on how this was actually good for us because now prices were lower on commodities and homes, that stock markets were down at the right time so they could begin to invest at lower prices, and that they were going to have good paying jobs. This economy was actually better for them! I was shocked and totally disappointed. Everyone seemed to be focused only on how this financial crisis affected them. I began to be really discouraged and thought, "If this is how some of the best and brightest and most righteous young people think, where is our nation headed? We don't have a chance of making it through these hard times as a people." I cried in class, and thought about what I could do to help others.
Then today, we got a package in the mail from Jason and Kristen. They had sent us some Christmas presents, just because. We were amazed that they did this for us even though everyone agreed not to do presents for siblings this year to cut back on costs. They are such a good example of being willing to share and give to others. They have always been this way. They have taught us so much. We also got a check in the mail from the Robisons. Jill had told me that she wanted to pay for us to go see Twilight because she knew how much I wanted to see it...so she and Aaron gave up a date night to go see it and sent us the money instead. For something that might not seem to be a big deal, it sure was to me. This gesture of kindness showed me how much her family cares about my family and how unselfish and kindhearted they are. I hope someday, I am half the woman Jill is.
Then tonight, we got a loud knock on our door. Jaren opened it briefly, then closed it again. Then I heard him call my name. I went into the other room and he said that someone had left presents for us. He called J.J. and Ryan to get out of bed. When we were all gathered, the kids opened the door. There was a large basket of presents and two smaller gift baskets filled with gift certificates, candies, and other items. I won't go into too much detail, but it was obvious that a lot of thought, money, and effort went into these presents. Someone had gone WAY out of their way to do something very incredible for us. We both couldn't stop crying. I cannot even begin to express what we feel about what has happened today. I went from feeling discouraged and disappointed in society, to feeling overwhelmed by the amazing generosity of others close to us. My intentions for praying that people would feel inclined to help others was not for us to receive that help. But, as always, Heavenly Father answered my prayers in ways that I did not foresee in order to help our family as well as restore my faith in humanity. If by some chance, the people who did this for us ever read this blog, I hope they know just how much they touched our little family. It's not so much the money that they spent on us (although goodness knows it was a lot), it's that someone wanted to share the blessing that our Father in Heaven had given to them, and I'm sure were guided by the Spirit in doing so. We will remember this great kindess for the rest of our lives, and they have provided us with a sterling example of service. As Jaren and I talked about it, we have decided that these are the people we want to emulate. We are trying to rededicate ourselves to service...whether that be with our time, money, talents, or anything else. We want to be the people who give liberally to all and do it with a happy heart. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that if you have, you will also feel touched to help someone else this season, and for the rest of your lives as well.
I believe Great Grandma Blank is the last remaining widow of President Monson's. He had a good visit with her this Christmas Eve. He was even nice enough to let us get a picture with him. He told some great stories and why he decided to visit the widows he had as a bishop even after he was released. He is one great man. But I guess everyone else knew that! :)
No, I did not photoshop this!!!
Well, lately I've been thinking about the economy and how people are doing with losing their jobs, crime on the rise, and those who have so much vs. those who have so little. My prayers and fasts lately have focused on asking Heavenly Father to touch the lives of those who have so much, that they will be willing to give to those who have very little or nothing, and that as a nation, we will become more righteous, less prideful, and more willing to serve and give to others. Just the other day in class, we talked about who was worried about the economy and why. Some comments given by my class members were focused on how this was actually good for us because now prices were lower on commodities and homes, that stock markets were down at the right time so they could begin to invest at lower prices, and that they were going to have good paying jobs. This economy was actually better for them! I was shocked and totally disappointed. Everyone seemed to be focused only on how this financial crisis affected them. I began to be really discouraged and thought, "If this is how some of the best and brightest and most righteous young people think, where is our nation headed? We don't have a chance of making it through these hard times as a people." I cried in class, and thought about what I could do to help others.
Jaren's birthday was fun. He joked that now it took all of the members of our family (that could hold fingers up anyway) to show how old he is. Jaren and I got to go to Red Robing, as is our tradition, thanks to Dad and Mom Ford's gift certificate and Jordan, who babysat our children for us. Thank you, thank you!! J.J., Ryan, and Chase got their Daddy his favorite treats for his birthday, and then proceeded to eat a good portion of them! We love you Jaren! Hope your day was great.
Thank you Grandma Ford for the gingerbread surprises!!! The boys had fun putting together their own gingerbread houses and playing puppets. Ryan immediately loved the puppets. J.J. took a little convincing, but I've seen him covertly playing with them. I wonder if he thinks that he has to be a really big boy and not like stuffed type animals. He has never really bonded with any, but I think he could enjoy them if he gave them a chance! I put on a little puppet show for them and pretended to give them candy and stuff. That opened the door for J.J. to start thinking they were fun. What a silly boy I have. As you can tell, Ryan thought these were the best things ever. He keeps bringing me one and telling me to make it cry or have it open his presents.
One of the things my children like the most about the holidays is how much they get to eat and the kinds of food they get to eat. They are sugar and chocoholics. I made pumpkin chocolate chip bread the other day (because we had no food so I had to cook), and they were so excited. J.J. got mad at me for taking a picture of him while he was eating...it starts already. I think I have Jaren to thank for that! :) Ryan was pretty upset about finishing his beater until I showed him that he had spilled a little on the chair. He proceeded to lick it clean. That's my boy!
