I do not normally have anything positive to say about the President. However, after reading the
Parade article on Sunday, I have a new found respect for this man. The article is by Bill O'Reilly. The subject is titled,
What Pres. Obama can teach America's Kids.
* Lesson One: ForgivenessPres. O was just 2 when his father abandoned him. When he was 10 his mother shipped him off to live with his grandparents. This kind of situation can ruin a child. However, Obama states that even though his mother was somewhat, "reckless", the void left him motivated to succeed. He doesn't sit around wallowing in pain or harboring bitterness toward his parents. He forgave his parents and embraced a positive outlook.
*Lesson Two: RespectEven though his parents put their needs ahead of his, he speaks of them in affectionate tones and does not demean them. Patricia Saunders, a clinical psychologist in N.Y. says: "Barack dealt with his family situation by understanding it. He put his own ego aside and made a decision to act respectfully toward his folks. That
MATURITY has served him very well throughout his life."
*Lesson Three: PersistencePsychologist Ruth Peters, who counsels children in Clearwater Fla., believes that all the hard knocks Obama took in his young life prepared him for both victory and defeat. "Some people shrink when faced with adversity, others seem to gain momentum and are challenged when they fail. The President did not use his difficulties as an excuse to quit."
*Lesson Four: Hard WorkChildren need to understand that work is very important and will ultimately define their lives. Your life is determined by your choices and your own efforts.
*Lesson Five: Anything is possibleThe man had no fatherly guidance, is of mixed race, and had no family connections to guide him in the world of politics. Whatever dreams you may have can happen in your life. It all depends on lessons learned.
I thought that this was a great article and that we can all learn from this example. Dealing with other people is never easy. It takes time and patience and lots of effort. Showing kindess, brotherly love and more especially...living the gospel. People are usually very aware of their own shortcomings and don't need others to point them out. Christ is the supreme example of that. May we all be more Christlike in the coming months and years. My ward RS is having a Sisterly Love month. Random acts of kindess are to be performed. If everyone participates...just think what a difference it will make in my ward. Think of the difference it can make in a family. Try serving those you don't like (King Benjamin was a great example of this), maybe you will learn to love them. At the very least...try showing them some forgiveness and respect.
One picture can bring back the sick feeling I felt when I turned on the news...randomly...one early morning. May we never forget the innocent victims. I got the same sick feeling when I visited Pearl Harbor and when I see those images again.
We headed out on Saturday morning to Dalton's first football game. It got rained out...so we headed to the Paradise Bakery and all had breakfast amidst the pouring rain, thunder and lightning. Very exciting morning....
Sunday night...after Beck William Poulsen got blessed....we headed for the cabin. Dan, Keira and boys plus Kristin's girls all went along. Guess what? We now have a street name posted...finally....after almost a whole year! Sitting up on the hillside..we really do have a far view.
We hauled the new air hockey game up but Grandma couldn't get it up the stairs so Uncle Dan helped Grandpa. It is no longer sitting here in the great room....
Everyone enjoyed the storm and we sat out on the deck the whole time. The kids loved posing on Uncle Sherman's beautiful swing. Grandma showed him a pic from A.D. magazine with Diane Keaton sitting on one in front of her home...nice copy....with a few minor changes...now to buy a foam pad and make a cushion (this is where Grandma whips out the sewing machine.) Next project is to hang it up.
Grandpa helped entertain the grandchildren with card games...Old Maid, etc.... after a VERY short time...Chloe said, "I don't want to play anymore..this too hard."
I just happened to be browsing the web and discovered the Bella Fine blog. It talked about making the entryway to your home....inviting. It talked about picking a theme and color, lighting, etc...
Since the wood floors needed to be redone ...I chose the theme...Halloween.....
Since Kristin has been IN the hospital more than OUT of the hospital, it was an opportune time to redo the floors. Not able to cook for a week, bring the grandchildren over, or walk on the floor?...no problem.
Can you tell that I have been Bella Fined! It's all covered in dust right now....sawdust, that is...I should have bought TEN HUNDRED MILLION times the plastic sheeting...
What's all that crap on my dining room table, you say? Hey...that's EXPENSIVE crap! But...I did get it on sale....Thanks, Bella Fine for all the advice and especially for having great sales! Welcome home, everyone! Six days and still counting....fast food has gotten really boring....even the restaurants have lost their appeal...I can't believe I am saying this....fortunately, hubby does not read my blog.
Well here he is...after a very long day for his mother. He had some trouble, the cord was wrapped around his neck twice and he came out pretty blue in the face and not breathing. The Dr. worked on him for awhile and the nurses gave him oxygen. His heart had slowed considerably at the end. Another woman giving birth shortly before Kristin had her heart stop. Dad talked to Dr. H. in our stake, who delivered the baby. He was pretty shook up, he told Dad he couldn't get his own heart to stop racing. We met the grandfather in the waiting room. We are so blessed to have everything come out okay for us. Zander's face is bruised up and his forehead looks a little raw but he will be fine. This was a tough delivery for Kristin, she says she is done LOL!
Swings always entertain...no matter where or what kind...Thanks Uncle Sherman!
Our new road to the cabin....$3,500 later....just think of all the furniture I could have bought with that money. My bird headboard....MY BIRD HEADBOARD...gets trumped again!!!
Just taking a morning walk looking for bugs...okay we just found some ants...Mark just called from Heber...up golfing with friends. Apparently there was a note left on our front door. People are making an offer to buy the place....Hmmmmm.....if the price is right should I sell it?!!!!
We all couldn't wait for this week-end to get to the cabin and try out the new zip-line. We were excited for the fireworks as we haven't gone in years due to the heat in the valley. Here is Sutton (cowboy boots and all) trying out the line.
Grandpa had a brilliant idea. We have an old car seat just sitting around in the garage. He brought it along to provide a ride for the wee ones. Here is our "baby" (Ryder) trying it out. He just looked around like nothing was happening. I expected some screaming...or something. They all wore helmets...just to be safe.
The parade in Heber was the best. I have never been to a parade where people are just waiting with super-soakers to shoot the parade participants. Believe me, there was water coming both ways and from all sides. The fire trucks (of course) soaked everyone. Here are Ashton and her cousin, Macie ( hope I spelled that right) just waiting for things to get going.
Sunday...we painted cookies after church. I found some new recipes for sugar cookies and an icing that gets "painted" on with paint brushes. I found a sale on some really nice brushes at Hobby L.. I had been over to AJ's and their cookies were $2.50 each....not THIS Grandma...I don't pay that for a cookie. So we made our own. We used a cutter for the small ones and made a pattern of our own for the big ones. It kept everyone quiet for about 45 minutes. What a fun holiday! We ended the day by playing SARDINES....you know...hiding all over the cabin in the dark. There was a lot of screaming (thanks to Sherman.) The kids loved that mom and dad and grandma played too....
