Monday Message 11/30/15

Hello girls:

I heard someone say the other day: “ You got one month to finish the Book of 2015.  Make the last chapter a perfect one.” We have about ten days to get ready for our trip to the US and three weeks to do everything in our power to have this year end exactly how we want it to. I got my list that I want to share with you. They are practical things as well as heartfelt matters you might want to consider.

The practical tangible stuff:

*Daniel and I are going to see our Dentist and other doctors in Salt Lake before our deductible begins again for the next year.

*I will request to get my free annual credit report before the year ends. Daniel already got his and I am curious to know what mine looks like. Daniel’s is the best.

*We paid our charitable contributions (Tithing) in advance but before the year ends we will make sure the number is 100% correct. Other donations to the Deseret Industries to help people in need have to get done before the year ends. It’s a win/win.

* That last project which it’s a secret and can’t disclosed needs to get done

*I am gathering all my financial documentation for the year so we can be ready when tax time hits us. It is always my least favorite thing to do and I dragged it too long each year.

*In addition lets not forget the Christmas cards, decorating, Christmas parties, cookies to bake, etc.

But there is one thing you never need to worry about doing and that is gift buying and gift wrapping and sending and exchanging between the siblings. I learned this when I went to Uruguay last year and saw no one exchanging gifts except for me. I had taken a huge suitcase full of gifts thinking that it was part of the tradition. Daniel’s mom commented: “The only people you need to worry about are your children and your spouse.” That doesn’t mean that if you really, really, want to give something to someone you of course can and should but remember that it is not expected. Christmas is a lot more relaxed and less commercialized this way and I love it! However, the following is what you should do to have a meaningful Christmas

The heartfelt intangible stuff:

I got this list from a seminar I attended with sister Renlund. She asked?

·      Are there goals we want to complete?

·      Are there relationships we want to repair?

·      Are there acts of service we want to do?

·      Are there mistakes we want to fix?

·      Are there friends or relatives we want to visit?

·      Are there projects we want to wrap up?

·      Are there things I can do to have an eternal family?

I can’t believe we only have one month left this year! It is incredible how fast time can pass when you are busy. That’s why I have to take a big breath today and point out to everyone that we are literally down to our last chapter of 2015 and then the year will be over which means that our last chance to make sure that our chapter ends perfect is now! Hope you take the time to do those intangible things that truly matter.

Don’t forget to visit Christmas.mormon.org or Navidad.mormon.org or Natal.mormon.org and share the video and the animation to help our Heavenly Father save some of His children.

Love,

Vero

American Girl

Bianca wrote a song tittle: American Girl:

"Diet pills and a Slim Fast drink,

all just to look like the girls in the magazine 

low carbs and a little plastic surgery,

it's the only way that one can be truly happy

And so they say in this American world,

And so they say to the American girl

You've gotta have perfect skin, wrinkle free;

beautiful hair and the perfect white teeth

And you're easy and you're breezy

beautiful girl...well at least in the eyes of 

the world.

And so they say in the American world,

And so they say to the American girl

And if you'd like to know how to dress,

you can find a page that lists the 20 best

And you can wear this,

But you can't wear that

The sad thing's we've all fallen into this trap

And so they said in the American world

and so they say to the American girl

But beauty comes from the inside

It's something money just can't buy

And beauty comes from the inside

It's something we all must realize 

It comes from the inside, from the inside"

That is a song she wrote as she was a camp director for girls and saw how girls were so concerned with looks. We live in a world full of peer pressure to look like this or act like that.  There is a constant bombardment of pressure to join the crowd or do what everyone else is doing.  It takes genuine courage to stay true to yourself – to stand strong and hold to your values.  Psychologists call this trait self-determination, which means acting in accordance with one’s core self and they rank this trait as one of the three basic psychological needs.  

The most important thing is to love yourself! 

See YOURSELF the way GOD SEES  YOU!!!

Con amor,

Vero

Living with integrity

Anytime we get visitors from Salt Lake headquarters I often think what is the most important message they came to give us? And each time I go back thinking, these are special men and women with integrity. They are all very confident and know who they are! 

Interestingly enough, I have found that a confidence level is directly correlated to living with integrity.  When you stay true to your values that you believe in and when you act in accordance with those values, your self-confidence and self-esteem rises.  

Whenever I falter from my values or do things in opposition to my core beliefs I find myself feeling a lack of self-worth and my confidence plummets.  I start feeling pulled to and from and my feelings of uncertainty create fear and anxiety.  

Conversely, if I stick to my integrity I have found that no matter what circumstances I find myself in, whether a situation succeeds or fails, my confidence and self-worth stay high.  I believe that comes from knowing that despite any circumstances I am living my life true to myself and that creates peace that no other person or circumstance can take away. 

Always do the right thing! Always!! No matter what the consequences of doing the right thing will be. At the end of the day there is nothing more valuable than your integrity, both in life and in business. There will be times in your life when you will have the opportunity to cut corners and take short cuts into the gray areas that may very well help you get what you want more quickly or more easily. You may even tell  yourself that everyone else does it so why not? The reality is that no matter how tempting those short cuts may appear they will never lead you to where you ultimately want to go. Success might come and go but integrity is forever. If you always choose to do the right thing, it won't matter what the outcome is because you will be successful as a human being in the areas that matter most. And there is just no better feeling than knowing you did the right thing, in the right way. That is true success. 

 Here is another brilliant poem:

 I have to live with myself, and so

I want to be fit for myself to know.

 I want to go out with my head erect.

 I want to demand all men’s respect.

 I never can hide myself from me;

 I see what others may never see.

 I can never fool myself, and so,

Whatever happens, I want to be

 Self-respecting and conscience free!

Con amor,

Vero 

Directors Seminar

So first of all let me say that I had a fabulous time. Today we ended the director's seminar. It was held at the Shan Gri la hotel. Our favorite hotel in Manila. All of the directors had a chance to get feedback for the work they are doing. It was also a time to meet the people who works with Daniel and their wives. 

My husband is hands down the best! He is a good leader! I know because I believe the key to being a good leader is to value and care for the people that you lead. Great leader, like my husband,  believe in the people that they lead, they help each person to see the potential that exists inside of them and they believe in their people's ability to achieve amazing things. It's their belief in you that inspires you to go the extra mile and to reach beyond what you thought you were capable of doing. " A lot of people have gone further then they could because someone else thought they could. " Unknown.

Seeing your potential through their eyes helps you to get a glimpse of everything you can achieve in your life. The employees who work for Daniel are truly blessed to have him as their leader.  My husband also had many great leaders throughout his life. They inspired him  to accomplish all that they thought he was capable of.  Even I got to experience stretching my abilities to do things when I didn't feel  confident on my own. He  trusted that I could and  what I could do better than I did, and if he thought I could be fabulous then I was going to believe and go for it. That its how great leaders lead. I hope that they are living up to that legacy of leadership that Daniel has crated for them. 

I am a firm believer that the best thing a leader can do for their people is to help them to become the best they can be personally because that will reflect into every aspect of their persons's life. But it starts by helping people on a personal level. Daniel would like to help all of his employees to believe in themselves more, to set goals and be the best they can be. 

The sun was shining but people were wishing they had snow. How bizarre! They even had fake snow coming down as their display. We all took pictures and went to a museum where we took a lot of pictures and acted silly. There is something inside of all us that wants to enjoy life and have fun and that is exactly what we did as a group. 

I found this great article written by a fellow who is in his 90's where he wrote his own instructions for people on  how to live their lives. It really made me think of the thoughts I had this past two days because these are things we could have told the employees as well. We want happy employees working for us. 

Life’s Little Instructions (given by 95 year old William Snell in 1993)

Sing in the shower.

Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.

Watch the sunrise at least once a year.

Never refuse homemade brownies.

Strive for excellence not perfection.

Plant a tree on your birthday.

Learn three clean jokes.

Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full.

Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Leave everything a little better then you found them.

Keep it simple.

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.

Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

Be forgiving of yourself and others.

Say “thank you” a lot.   

Say “please” a lot.

Avoid negative people.

Wear polished shoes.

Remember other people’s birthdays.

Commit yourself to constant improvement.

Have a firm handshake.

Send lots of Valentine cards, sign them.

Look people in the eye.

Be the first to say “hello”

Return all things you borrow.

Make new friends but cherish old ones.

Keep secrets.

Plant flowers every spring.

Have a dog.

Always accept an outstretched hand.

Stop blaming others.

Take responsibility for every area of your life.

Wave at kids on school buses.

Be there when people need you.

Don’t expect life to be fair.

Never underestimate the power of love.

Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation.

Don’t be afraid to say “I made a mistake.”

Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know.”

Compliment even small improvements.

Keep your promises no matter what.

Marry only in the temple.

Rekindle old friendships.

Count your blessings.

Call your mother.

And your dad too, if they happen to be alive.

What I love about those ideas is that they reflect what Daniel himself would be saying to people, especially the one that says: Don't be afraid to say " I don't know" or " I made a mistake." 

Con amor,

Vero

A day to give thanks!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the US but it will be an ordinary day here in the Philippines. However we are going to a directors seminar with the people Daniel works with and that should be fun. I love learning new things. Tomorrow also is Mandy's birthday so I decided to tell her the things I am so thankful for. 

First and foremost I am thankful for my faith in God.  My faith and love for my Heavenly Father is at the very core of who I am and it helps me know that I am the daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me and who believes in the very best of what I can become in my life.  I am so grateful for my faith because it guides me in all of my values and it provides a solid foundation for me to build my life upon.  I am also thankful that I believe in God enough to trust him to take my life where he wants it to go if I just put forth my very best effort to do the right things each day.  Most of all I am grateful that my Heavenly Father sees the masterpiece that I can become with my life, even when I can’t always see it myself.

Second I am thankful for my immediate family.  I feel like the luckiest woman in the world to be married to a husband like Daniel.  He is an incredible man and he always treats me with so much kindness, patience and respect.  I can truly say that he has never called me an unkind name or said harsh words to me.  That in and of itself is pretty amazing as I am certain I have tried his patience many a time over the last six years of our marriage.  I am also the luckiest woman in the world to be the mother of three amazing daughters and step mother of seven plus one a in heaven.  They are such good human beings.  They have a testimony of who they are and they live by their values.  They are amazing children and I am humbled daily that I get the blessing of being their mother. 

Third I am thankful for my extended family. I have an incredible mother in the world and has taught me so much in my life. She is intelligent, brave, talented and loving.  She has sacrificed so much for her daughters and she has always set a phenomenal example of living by her values.  In addition she gave birth to my three sisters: Liz, Vane and Mari and provided us a very fun upbringing.  I love my sisters very much.  We are all as different in personalities as the day is long but similar in looks.  But one of them has  amazing talents and I have learned so much from each of my sisters.  I loved growing up with them and I love forming friendships with them as adults with our own families.  I am thankful for everyone in my family.

Fourth I am thankful for my friends. I have been blessed to be surrounded with great friends in my life.  My friends are as loyal and true as can be and I love them as much as I love my family.   They have stood by me, they have mentored me, they have picked me up when I have down days, they have set me straight when I am in the wrong, and they have loved me through my failures as well as my successes and I am forever grateful to have them in my life.

Fifth, I am grateful for the opportunity to give back in my life.  I have spent the last 45 years of my life working hard and helping my community, the hispanic community. At this time in my life I get to spend time at home spending each and every day doing something I absolutely love, reading and doing family history.  I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to do that.  I can’t even describe how humbling and grateful I feel. 

My life has been more than I ever dreamed it could be to this point and I can’t even begin to imagine what God still has in store for me and my family in the coming years, but I know that try to be a better person every day and to do the right things that the future will be nothing short of a true masterpiece…and the same holds true for all of you…thank heavens for my faith that let’s me know that to be true!

 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday this week. Enjoy your time with your loved ones. Feel thankful for every wonderful second of your time together and for every one of the blessings you have in your life. Use those blessings to make the world a better place.

“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” -W.T. Purkiser

Thank you Mandy for sharing your 24 years of life with me. Thank you for taking the time to read my blogs and to care about the life lessons I am learning and sharing. Thank you for your amazing talents as a biologist that motivate me to do better with nature in my life so I can make you proud. Thank you for the contribution you make to this world and to my life.

Have a happy birthday Mandy and a happy thanksgiving!

love,

Vero

Sharing Cristi's blog

I like to re-post Cristi's blog entry exactly the way she has it on her blog to keep a log of all her amazing ideas. This is one I  want to share as I am getting ready to go away for  Three weeks in December and have so much to do still. Enjoy!!

MINDFUL MONDAY: SLOWING DOWN

WRITTEN BY: Cristi Dame POSTED: August 17, 2015

Lately I feel like I have been running nonstop for the past few weeks- and as a result have not been taking care of a cold that I thought I completely had under control. Sadly, with a few late nights and stressful days- my guard was down and it snuck in making it’s way into my lungs and transforming into a huge. horrible. hacking. beast. of a cough. The irony of it all is that I was so worried about taking care of my kid’s colds and coughs that I completely neglected my own needs.  Now I have a beast living and linguring in my lungs.

How often as a mother or a nurturing women do we put the needs of others before our own essential needs? It feels conflicting because I know how happy I am when I take the time to love and to serve others. But I think that is where people- especially women go wrong. We forget that the caring and nurturing ourselves is just as much a gift of love and by doing so it only enhances the caring and nurturing we can emotionally, physically, and mentally do for others. In the end we are all happy.

Now, as a consequence of my neglect and over extending- my non-stop violent coughing has caused some pre-term labor contractions on a few occasions and has given me a real huge scare and wake-up call. I am 33 weeks and still need to keep this baby cooking. They have been a great reminder to SLOW down a bit and take care of me. I have to set aside a few things to rest- including writing here in this blog and that’s the reason I haven’t been as consistent as I would like around here.

On one hand it feels great to give myself the gift of relaxing, but on the other it has caused me to feel a bit more angst about the piles and piles of things left undone before this baby arrives. But when I really stop to think about what those “things” truly are that are left undone- they don’t seem really that important in the large scheme of things.

Take a little break from whatever mundane task that has you captivated today for one moment and force yourself to take a minute to do something for yourself. Later this week I will give you some of my secrets for organizing those mundane tasks. Until then- enjoy the ones you love. And that includes YOURSELF!!

Just a few thoughts for the day…

Besitos,

Thank You!

Thank You! Two simple words that are said to be the most powerful words in the universe. “Thank You” is an acknowledgement that you appreciate the other person’s time, kindness, and talents they devoted to doing something. Saying “Thank You” is an expression to of love and kind thoughts. It`s the best way to say “I appreciate you”, and who doesn’t love to be appreciated?!

Hearing the words “Thank You” is reinforcement that what you have done has been valued, acknowledged and is appreciated, and hearing it makes you feel FANTASTIC!

But, how often do we say the words “Thank You”?

Sometimes we take people for granted and we just expect them to help us, or listen to us, or just be there for us.

Now think about how you feel when someone tells you how much they appreciate you. Doesn’t it make you want to do even more?? Yes, because you know they really noticed what you did.  Hearing “Thank You” really motivates people to do even more good things for you in the future!

Why is it that we wait until Thanksgiving to share with others all that we are grateful for?  Why not make every day Thanksgiving?  How would our lives be enriched if we told at least one person a day how much we value and appreciate them?  And what if we sent out at least one thank you card a week?   How would that make us feel?  Not to mention how the receiver of our thanks would feel.  It’s not enough to feel grateful – we have to EXPRESS our gratitude!

If we spend our day looking for ways we can say “Thank You” it will keep us focused on noticing the good things other people do that we are thankful for.  It will keep us constantly reminded of the good in the world around us.

I think we should all try harder to use the words “Thank You” every single day.  We should all put a note on our car dashboards and on our mirrors and on our desk that say “Thank You” so that those words are always front and center in our minds.  We should use those words all day long.  We should use them when we talk to people at work, when we talk to friends, when we talk to strangers, and when we talk to each other in our homes.

So I’ll be the first to say THANK YOU to all of you for just being you, and for being awesome, and for making the world a better place because you’re in it. Thank you!

con amor,

Vero

A thankful heart!

On this week that we celebrate Thanksgiving, I cannot think of a better way to honor this holiday than to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.

When I stop and really think about all the people who have made a difference in my life I am overwhelmed with how blessed I have been. From my ancestors who established a legacy for me to try and live up to, to my parents who brought me into this world and raised me with good values, to my family members, to my husband, to my children, to my mentors, to our business associates, to my neighbors, and to my friends…my life has been blessed tremendously by these people and I am forever grateful to have you in my life. 

I am grateful for the example you set for me and for the things you teach me. I am grateful for your patience and forgiveness you extend to me when I fall short. I am grateful for your support and kindness when I need someone to lean on. I am grateful for your laughter and the happiness you help bring into my life. I am grateful to call each of you my friend.

 I am grateful for strangers that come into my life and teach me things through their example and who make me feel accepted, cared for, appreciated, understood, and loved. I am grateful for the person who smiled at me as they passed me on the street because they made me feel accepted and valued. I am grateful for the man who helped lift my suitcase into the overhead bin on my flight when it was too heavy for me to do alone because he made me feel cared for. I am grateful for the email I received from a stranger letting me know my daily writing had made a difference in their life because they made me feel appreciated. I am grateful for the person at the intersection who paused so I could get in front of their car when I about to miss my turn off because they made me feel like I was understood.  I am grateful for the stranger who put their hand out to help me when I had stumbled to the ground because they made me feel loved. Yes, I am thankful for every stranger who has impacted my life for the better because not only did you make me feel special, but you served as a reminder for me of the person I wanted to be to others.

 Most of all, I am thankful for God, my Heavenly Father and for His son, my brother, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for their unconditional love and endless mercy. I am thankful for the challenges they have helped me get through and I am thankful for the blessings they have bestowed on my life. I am thankful to know that they are always there for me, even when I fall short and don’t deserve them, they are always still there, wanting the best for me and eager to bless me with the things I stand in need of in my life.

Life is fragile and we never know just how long our own time on this earth will extend. It is my hope that we would each take the opportunity this week to thank each person who makes a difference in our lives. But then it is my hope that we won’t wait another year to extend that thanks, but that we will all make an effort to do it on a regular basis so that if our own time on this earth were to come to an unexpected end, that we would be at peace knowing that we had expressed our gratitude and thanks to all of those who have made a difference in our lives.

Thank you so much to all of you for being a part of my life and for all you have done for me. God bless each of you.

Gracias, Merci, Shukran, Danke, Mahalo, Dhanyayad, Grazie, Domo, Thank you!

Con amor,

Vero