Why Vote?

It's Election Day next Tuesday, so I want to suggest a few reasons to vote:
1.  It's a responsibility inherent in our form of government.
2.  It's a right that a lot of people in the world don't have, so we should treasure it.
3.  If only a small minority vote, that small minority will determine the outcome.  Do we really want that?
4.  Maybe most important--even if no one I voted for gets elected, the fact that I voted gives me the right to complain about the government.  Why would I give that up?
GET OUT AND VOTE!!

More To Be Thankful For

This morning several army helicopters flew over my house. Whenever that happens, I think of how many places there are where that sight brings fear, and how grateful I am to live where it's just interesting to watch. Hooray for America!

Gratitude

     It's a while until Thanksgiving, but I was thinking of all the things I'm grateful for.  I'm so glad fall is here--for a while I thought we might go straight from summer to winter.  The yard looks better than it ever has (thanks Larry), in fact Tyler said the back lawn looks like it's been spray-painted green.  The roses are stupendous, and nearly all the plants in the front have taken root and look great.  The mountains are full of color, and I love watching the cloud variations.
   I'm also very grateful for my wonderful family.  Larry has to be the most thoughtful husband on the planet, and I have five amazing children and thirteen incredible grandchildren.  I'll just briefly mention some great things about my kids.  Cori is so patient.  When they were her for two months this summer, I don't think I heard her raise her voice once.  She's the YW President in her ward, and I love playing word games with her across the miles.  Tyler can learn how to do anything by reading and experimenting, and it's great fun watching him sing with the Tabernacle Choir.  Andrea is creativity personified.  She truly does make trash into treasures, and her blog is gaining new followers daily.  Sarah is the most Christ-like person I know.  People with problems seem to be drawn to her because she really listens and cares.  Kristen is our performer--she sings and dances, and she touches countless lives in her youth theater work.  
  In the beginning of The Book of Mormon,  Nephi says that though he has seen much adversity, yet he has been highly favored of the Lord.  I can echo his sentiments without reservation.

Toys

   Thanks to my husband's great generosity, I am now one of those selfish elitists (according to the internet) who own an iPad.  So far, so fun!  I've played word games with Cori and Tyler, looked at my house on Google Earth, read my scriptures, won several levels on Angry Birds, and spent $1.98 on unnecessary apps.  My hip leg (as opposed to my knee leg) has been giving me fits the last few days, so I love having something to occupy my mind.  Thanks again, Larry!  You're a saint among men.

Fall in Utah

    Larry and I took a drive up to Park City today.  It was incredibly beautiful.  The sky was deep blue, fading to light blue at the horizon, with cotton-batting clouds making ever-changing shadows on the hills.  There were patches of dark green evergreen trees, surrounded by the light green deciduous trees that haven't changed yet, forming intricate quilt patterns.  Some hillsides were covered with the russets and golds of fall colors, others were still almost entirely green, with an occasional bright-orange tree in the spotlight.  Bridle Veil Falls looked gorgeous, surrounded by terraced gardens crafted by nature.  Deer Creek Reservoir's slate-gray waters were livened by dancing diamonds on the surface where the sunlight hit.  Bright yellow wild daisies lined the roads, and there were fields of acid green-yellow grasses, which provided contrast to the more sedate colors on the mountain slopes.  I could have kicked myself for not bringing my camera, although I think stopping every five minutes to take pictures is frowned on anyway.  We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place.  We are also very blessed to have good roads on which to travel our beautiful canyons.  Every time I take a drive like this, I imagine what I would be feeling as a Pioneer, and give thanks that I'm not one.

Getting Old

  I was pondering the pros and cons of getting older.  Start with the cons:
1.  I'm falling to pieces, one bit at a time.
2.  I have hair where I don't want it, and I don't have hair where I do want it.
3.  I'm running out of time to do some of the things I want to do.
4.  Time has flown by too quickly.  I didn't take the time to savor every moment when my children were young.
5.  People who I loved dearly are gone, and I'm not ready to be the oldest generation.
6.  I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up.
   I guess that's enough to start with.  But there are some pros as well:
1.  The maple trees we planted thirty years ago are huge now, so we have lots of shade.
2.  Larry has retired, so he has time to work in the yard.  It's never looked better!
3.  I don't care as much about what people think of me.
4.  I've overcome some of my compulsions--I don't have to finish every book I start, and I can turn off the car in the middle of a song on the radio.
5.  I've lived to see my children become awesome adults.
6.  My awesome children have produced awesome children of their own, who are the light of my life.
7.  My brain still works, even if my body doesn't.
All in all, I guess getting older isn't so bad.  Especially considering the alternative.

It's Not Fair!

  One of the first full sentences a child learns is:  "It's not fair!"  Think about it.  It's not fair that I look more like my dad than my mom.  It's not fair that the only place I have thick hair is my eyebrows.  It's not fair that I was born without a hip, which made me klutzy, which makes me fall down a lot, which makes me break things, which makes me have to sit around eating bonbons and watching TV.  Life isn't fair!
  On the other hand:  If I look at the larger view, it isn't fair that I live in a comfortable home, with plenty of food and clothes.  It isn't fair that I have the world's best husband, five amazing children and thirteen incredible grandchildren.  It isn't fair that I live in a free country where I can say what I please and worship how I please.  It isn't fair that I have access to good medical care.  It isn't fair that I can look out my window and see beautiful mountains and clear blue skies (most days.)  The list goes on and on and on.
  No, life isn't fair.  Thank goodness!