Some Thoughts for the New Year

Well, it is now the middle of February...and the last time I wrote was in December--so much for writing more in my blog. I have been inspired this week by the story of Stefanie Nielsen. She is the mother who was burned like over 80% of her body in a plane crash...and it is the story of her recovery and painful coming back to a very different style of life. She had 4 children at the time of the crash. It is heart wrenching to read of the tremendous pain she went through...and the very difficult task of trying to recover just basic skills. I haven't finished the book, but the thing that has touched me the most is her realization that there was purpose in her having this experience and that she was to share her journey with others. She has kept a blog for years, and it has been the source of inspiring MANY others. It made me realize that there is a purpose for all of us in this life...and that as we go through difficulties and personal adversity, that as we learn from those things, we can be a light to others to help them through their own personal challenges. It made me think of the great blessing that I received to be healed of cancer and to continue living. I need to be more grateful--I also need to realize that for whatever reason Heavenly Father spared my life--I need to be reminded of that often, and seek to know what He would have me do for Him to repay Him for His amazing mercy to me. How can I best serve Him? Who do I need to reach out to to bless the lives of others? It is pretty humbling to think of all I need to do to thank Him for sparing my life, and allowing me to be here with my family and many dear friends. I am able to serve in the Church, and spend time, hopefully helping others along their life paths. I am able to work out, and go on walks...and make cookies with my grandchildren. I am able to laugh and have fun...and have tender, spiritual experiences as well. Maybe we all can take a little time today, and ponder our purposes here on earth--whom we can bless, whose lives we can touch...and ponder the great gift of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and how we can best follow Him. I am thankful for this new day, and for new days every day that give me a chance to try again, to be better, and to love more deeply. I am thankful for countless people, whose faith has been a beacon for me...and whose love carries me through, when life seems too hard. Happy Day to all of us!

The true meaning of Christmas

Well, I must say I am probably even more behind than usual this Christmas--still shopping, haven't really started baking, and done very little wrapping. However, this morning as I was kind of in that in-between sleep and wakefulness mode, I felt very grateful for the things that have been happening in our lives. I may not have everything DONE by Christmas morning--however, some of the things that have been going on are more important than those things.

Yesterday my husband spent over an hour talking to his cousin, and catching up with him. Yes, he could have been writing Christmas cards or been out shopping, but he felt so good just spending time with someone who is one of his very best friends. What a great use of time!

At the same time, I  was having so much fun, making sugar cookies with my grandson. It has been quite a while since I made sugar cookies--my children outgrew the "fun" of doing that, and so it had been a tradition that had been  stopped for a while. But now I have this very active 3-year-old who LOVES to make sugar cookies. We had so much fun. Even my own son got into it...and helped roll and cut those cookies out. It was so much fun! And it didn't even matter one bit that we cut cookies out of the very middle part of the dough!!

Tonight we had the great opportunity to take a friend to see the temple lights at the Mesa Arizona Temple. They are absolutely breath-taking, and it was a beautiful night (a little chilly for us desert rats) to walk around the grounds. We also got to hear some of our favorite men sing in a men's quartet...and they were so good!! What a fun night. NO, we weren't home, wrapping gifts...but we were enjoying time together, and deepening a friendship. It was an awesome evening.

Last night some of our kids were over--after eating dinner and making cookies, we just talked and laughed. It was good to be together. These are the things that I need to focus on. Yes, I know I'll get frazzled in the next few days, and feel overwhelmed and under accomplished...but hopefully I can remember the sweet feelings of some of these very simple experiences, and find joy in them...and realize those memories are what really make Christmas. Good luck to all of you in your preparations--may you feel peace and joy and may you have time with loved ones.

Fabulous Weekend for Phoenix, Arizona

Wow--can't believe it's been since May when I wrote! That is pretty bad...but this weekend was so memorable that I needed to write about it. I know that many of my posts are about my feelings about the Gospel and my religion--but I guess those are some of the most meaningful things to me...so I guess that is what I SHOULD write about! My family is doing pretty well. Since May we have added a new member to our family--cute little Ruby Johnson, born to our daughter, Emily, and her husband, Michael. She is just precious--there is nothing like a baby to help you "reconnect" to heaven--there is something so sweet about a newborn...and now, as she is starting to smile and respond, it is even more fun to have her around. We are so grateful she arrived here safe and sound. :) We love our precious grandchildren. :)

Well, now let me write about the events of this weekend. The Phoenix Arizona temple was dedicated this weekend, and is now ready to be opened and to be used. It has been an amazing fall for us--we went to the open house several times, with several different people. Each time was very meaningful and special to us. We are so thankful we could share that experience with people not of our same faith--the temple means so much to us, and it is so nice to share it with people who don't get to normally go into it. We loved doing that. After 3 weeks of open houses there, it was ready for a final cleaning and then to be dedicated. That is what this weekend was about.

For weeks, even months before a temple is dedicated, the teenagers in that temple district participate in learning dances and songs for a big cultural celebration that is held the Saturday night before a temple is dedicated. So many people are involved--and thousands of hours of service are given to teach dances, to coordinate huge numbers of youth and to make costumes for all the youth involved. It is a huge undertaking--and the final result was last night, where 4300 youth between the ages of 12 and 18 performed in a football stadium. There were songs and narrations about the history of Phoenix, and the Church's influence in that history--and it was all coordinated. It was an amazing show--and the enthusiasm and love of the youth was evident as you watched their faces as they performed. It was spectacular. I believe it is shown on U-Tube--if you want, you should watch part or all of it--it was great! After the performance, many of the performers gathered around where our church leaders were sitting--our president, whom we revere as a prophet of God, was right there, and it was wonderful to see how the youth just wanted to be where he was. It was so heartwarming. :)

Then today in 3 different sessions the temple was dedicated. As part of each service, there were probably 4 or 5 speakers--different ones at each session, beautiful music performed by 3 different choirs, composed of people chosen from the different areas in the temple district. One of those choirs was led by our dear cousin, Becky Allen, which made it even more special for us. A dedicatory prayer was read in each session, dedicating the temple to the work that it is designed to do. The Spirit was so strong in each session--I went to 2 of the 3 sessions. Each speaker talked about something different, but each talk had to do with the blessing of having this temple here and how we need to rededicate ourselves to going to the temple...just as the temple was dedicated for the work that goes on within its walls. It was an amazing experience, and I was just so grateful to be there.

I have a very special feeling towards this Phoenix Temple. We lived for our first 5 years of marriage on the west side, so many of the people who have been involved in all the activities getting ready for it are very close and dear friends and family to us. Plus Spence's family has been in Phoenix for several generations, and his granddad, JR Price, was one of the first leaders of the church here in Phoenix. He was very instrumental in its growth and progress...and so this temple is very dear to the hearts of our Price family. I felt quite emotional as I listened to some of the talks, and thought of what this all means to us--it makes me very grateful for the tremendous heritage I inherited when I married into this Price family...and just so very grateful for SO MANY good people who have sacrificed so much of their time and energy and talents to making this temple a reality. I am especially thankful to my Father in Heaven for blessing us here in the Valley with another temple--and I hope to rededicate MY life to serving in the temple, and doing all I can to build the kingdom of God here in the Phoenix area. I am so grateful for my membership in the Church, and for the blessings it has brought into my life, ever since I joined so many years ago.

Losing my "other" mother

Yesterday my mom's best friend and "sister" (since my mom had no siblings), Beverly Bennett, passed away. We have been getting emails from her niece, who has been extremely good about letting us know how Bev was doing. This is a huge loss in my life, and has caused me lots of time to reflect about the impact of people in our lives. Bev was truly a wonderful person in our life. We called her "Aunt Bev," and loved her like she was family. When we had family reunions or weddings or any big celebrations, she was there, sharing with us. When my mother was unable to talk much, due to several mini-strokes, it was Bev who I could go to, and discuss family problems or issues. I appreciated her listening ear and her very caring heart. She would always express her love to me, and her concern for my siblings.

In 2008, I went back to Boston to be with Bev. I didn't really know much about my mother's life, and her growing-up years. Since Bev was there in so many of those times, she shared with me several places where my mom lived her early life. She also shared several stories, and even helped me label some pictures that my mom had taken. We went to schools she had been to, and saw many places in the Tewksbury area outside of Boston, where my mom had grown up. We even went to Wellesley where my mom went to college, and saw the dorms where she lived. It was a wonderful trip--so great to learn more about my mom, and so good to be able to spend time with Bev.

When I was going through my sickness, Bev was so good to check in with me, and make sure that I was doing all right. She was so loving. I will miss her a lot, even though I didn't get to see her much or talk to her much.

Thanks, Bev, for being there for me--for loving me and for being such a wonderful friend to my dear mother. You have blessed so many lives. Bev has been very active in her church and in many things in her community. She was a travel agent years ago, and arranged many trips for my mom and dad. She just went about doing good, and because of that she was deeply loved. Thank you, Bev, for being such a special person in my life. I love you and will miss you deeply.

He Lives--the Savior Lives!

Last night I did the best thing ever to celebrate Easter--I went to the Easter pageant at the Mesa Arizona Temple grounds. It was a great experience. My sweet daughter, Kelsey, who happens to be one of the most thoughtful people I know, went with me. She had already gone this week with her singles ward, but she knew that I didn't want to go alone, so she went with me...just because she is a super nice person. It was SOOO crowded there. we got there about 7:30 (I usually get there a couple of hours early--and the performance starts at 8:00), and we drove around for quite a while, just looking for a parking place. Kelsey finally dropped me off so I could find us some seats, and she parked the car. People sitting next to us, held one of their children on their lap, just so we could have two seats together--pretty nice. The pageant goes through the Savior's life, quite quickly, with script and music. There were several times I wiped tears from my eyes--seeing the love of the Savior for little children portrayed so well, when he was whipped and scourged, when He appears to Mary in the garden, when He suffered so much when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane--so many times my heart was touched by His sacrifices, and the love He demonstrated so many times for us during His life. I am so thankful for the Savior. I know He is the Son of God, that He came to earth so He could show us he way to live. I am thankful that He suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross for us so that we could return to live with our Heavenly Father if we will repent of the things we do wrong, and try in all ways, to be like Him. I am thankful for inspiring music and the spoken word when it helps us feel closer to our Heavenly Father and to our Savior. I am so thankful for this time of year--what Christ did for us in unfathomable. I am just so thankful. The last song that all the cast sing is "He Lives--My Savior Lives." That touched my heart so much, and I felt like singing along with all of them--yes, I too, know that my Redeemer lives.

Happy Birthday Eve!

This is the night before my birthday. Not that anyone really will be reading this, so it won't really matter to anyone...but I thought I would write it anyway! A few years ago, I wondered if I would see many more birthdays--it has been an amazing journey to see that Heavenly Father, for whatever reason, still wanted to prolong my life here on earth. There are days that I really wonder why, and other days that I'm very grateful--it's funny how we go through such a variety of emotions. It is awesome how many people write mission statements for their lives--laying out their purpose and goals for life. They have a focus in their life that I seem to be lacking in my own.  I have always been a goal-setter, and tried to set goals at the beginning of each new year. However, like many of you, it is hard to remember what goals you've set, and to actually try to achieve them. Some days I am amazed at my lack of motivation to really get anything done. One time one of the leaders of our church talked about how we use our "discretionary" time. That phrase has stayed with me...and at times, HAUNTED me, because I see so much of my time being wasted. I am not always a very good steward of my time.

In the last couple of weeks I have had family visiting me. My daughter, Katie, and her precious daughter, Brooklyn (my first granddaughter) were here for a week. Katie is an amazing mother. She has always been a very unique person, and certainly marched to the beat of her own drummer...and she is an incredibly relaxed mother. It is fun to watch her mother, and I am very proud of the way she is handling her new responsibilities. She has become a very close friend to me. During her teenage years, I could never have anticipated this happening. She was a challenge, and I know I was a challenge to her. We rarely saw eye to eye, and life was pretty much a roller coaster...and VERY challenging. However, now we love to talk and share thoughts and feelings. I am grateful for her. I am especially grateful that she tries so hard to keep in touch with me. She knows that is important to me, so she really makes an effort since she knows it makes me happy. She cares deeply about every member of our family.

While she was still here, my sister, Kathy, came to visit also. It was great, because it meant that all my girls got to spend time with their aunt. She is very interested in them, and enjoyed being with them very much. We visited a lot, ate out a lot, and just had a good time. She is a gift-giver, and so she always comes with gifts for everyone. She is very thoughtful. She is a huge San Francisco Giants fan, and we took her to a baseball game where the Diamondbacks were playing the Giants. She really was in seventh heaven, and loved being there. She let all her friends in the Bay Area know she was there, by posting pictures and messages on her Facebook page.

Then last weekend was General Conference. It was the BEST. I love it--love the inspiration I feel from my leaders. It is easy to get caught up in the world's ideas and philosophies...but when you listen to Conference, you get the clear call that comes from men who are called of God. It is always such an uplift, and carries me for a long time after it is through. However, I wish I could feel as good always as I do when I'm listening to Conference--it is awesome!