New Year's 2009

Wow. It really seems like 2008 has FLOWN by! When you are a little kid time stands still. As I "get older" time flies!! I find myself at the end of another year wondering what i've accomplished and how i've changed. Have I matured? Have I accomplished goals I set at the beginning of the year? Have I grown spiritually?

Time. What an interesting thing that i've take for granted. A day comes and goes and I think nothing of it...there will always be a tomorrow. In President Monson's talk this last conference, Finding Joy in the Journey he quotes the Music Man. “'You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.' My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today."

He speaks of an inevitable aspect of life: change. "Nothing is as constant as change." And change there has been this year! It came in big changes at once, and changes over time, but this year was full of changes.

President Monson continues, "stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.
Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”

Things to continually work on in 2009:
-expressing my feelings of love and thanks.
-personal scripture study and acknowledging the Lord's hand in all things.
-taking care of myself physically and emotionally.

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family."