Last letter of the year

Dear familia and this one is for everyone:

Today is my last Monday letter for this year since I don’t write while on vacation so I wanted to take this opportunity to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!!!

We just had the semiannual Director's Seminar. Daniel likes to do them in May and November right after he has been receiving new training from the Presiding Bishopric. He likes to share with everyone anything that he has learned so it was good for everyone to get together for three days away from the routine to focus on the new goals for 2018 and to wrap up any unfinished business.

All the directors from all the departments came with their spouses so it was a good way to get to know everybody who has collaborated directly or indirectly to the cause. You might ask what is the cause?

I learned in the training that the Presiding Bishopric together with the DTA all over the world are in charge of helping the poor and the needy. One of the main causes for the Church to even exist and that is a huge undertaking but little by little, donation by donation people are able to improve their lives one at a time and we love to know we can be part of it.

At the director’s seminar last week, Daniel got sick; the poor thing  had pushed his body way too hard the last few weeks preparing for the Seminar and getting everything caught up before we go on our trip to the U.S.

You see, a normal day for him starts at 4:00 a.m. and at times he goes to work after midnight because he has meetings late at night where is daytime in Utah. As you all know Daniel is always on time sometimes way before anyone else is in. He has an incredible work ethic. He is a man of integrity and puts so much effort into everything he does. He revises everything countless of times to make sure there are no errors. He is an optimist and sees the best in people so he delegates but checks to make sure everything is done correctly.

Last Friday he received a call from our dear neighbor Elder Bowen because water was licking in his apartment so Daniel got up and went to check it out. Anyone else would have called the Physical facilities guy but not Daniel. He is hands on even when he was feeling so ill. On Saturday, the only day when our alarms don’t ring, we get a call from the people working on Elder Bowens apartment around 7:30 a.m. so we both with almost no sleep at all continue our day and that is a recipe for getting sick but you wouldn’t even know it if you saw Daniel’s face. He has a happy attitude and always smiles and never complains. He is so dedicated to his work and ALWAYS goes the extra mile.

But as invincible as I thought I was I knew when I went to bed after we got back on Wednesday that I was in trouble. I woke up sick as a dog with fever running high and a bad cough. I feel like a caged animal when I am sick in bed and all I can do is think of everything I should be getting done but can’t. Being sick is something I don’t have time for.

 I was feeling sorry for myself when a friend send me this message saying: “Being sick is your body’s way of saying you’re awesome and you need to slow down so everyone else can catch up.” I love people who find a way to make us laugh when we are feeling down.

We are hoping for good health before we make our 30- hour journey back to Utah next Saturday but before we go, this are some things we must do so I am sharing in case you need a reminder too. Even at times when we feel under the weather we must continue doing the best we can with the energy we got. This thought came to mind:

“You have one month to finish the book of 2017. Make the last chapter a perfect one.” 

 I can’t believe we have less than one month left of this year! It is incredible how fast time can pass when you aren’t looking.  That’s why I had to make sure and point out to everyone that we are literally down to our last chapter in this year and then the year will be over, which means our chance to make sure that our last chapter ends perfect is NOW!

We have just under four weeks to do everything in our power to have this year end exactly how we want it to. So how will we spend those weeks?

I would suggest thinking through both practical matters you should probably do before the end of the year as well as the heartfelt matters you may want to consider.

A few practical things you may want to do before the year ends:

*Make sure you get any dental or doctor visits you need before the year ends and your deductible begins again.

*If you haven’t gotten your free annual credit report request it before the year ends.

*Make any charitable donations you plan to before the end of December so you can claim them on your 2017 tax returns. You also may want to make a trip to the Goodwill or Deseret Industries to donate old clothing or other items to help people in need while helping yourself save on your tax return…it’s a win/win!

*Gather your financial documents for the year so you can be ready to go when tax time hits you.

A few heartfelt matters we may want to think about before the year ends:

*Are there goals we want to complete? 

*Are there relationships we want to repair?

*Are there acts of service we want to complete?

*Are there mistakes we want to fix?

*Are there relatives, friends or loved ones we need to visit?

*Are there projects we want to wrap up?

These next four weeks are going to fly by in the blink of an eye. With all the holiday shopping and Christmas parties, and the gift wrapping to be done, and the decorating to do, and the cookies to bake…well this month is going to fly by before we even realize it’s gone. 

So let’s get out in front of it NOW. Let’s get check lists made of the things we don’t want to forget to make time for because once it’s over it’s over…no going back…let’s make our last chapter of 2017 everything we dreamed it would be!

In our attempt to do some of these things, we are going to Orlando and while I am there visiting my mom, Daniel will fly to Miami to visit Ale, Lexi and the kiddos. We will also fly back to back to attend Charlotte's baptism and that process took a lot of negotiating to ask permission to be away from the area but we will worry about next year when it comes.

Feliz Navidad!

Con amor,

Vero

Sunday Sermons from Elder Hales

As Christmas time is soon approaching I want to share a talk taken from a talk given by Elder Hales on October 2016 

"… the Savior taught a new doctrine: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”³The disciples were taught to turn from the ways of the natural man to the loving and caring ways of the Savior by replacing contention with forgiveness, kindness, and compassion.

The “new commandment” to “love one another”⁴ was not always easy to keep. When the disciples worried about associating with sinners and certain classes of people, the Savior patiently taught, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”⁵ Or, as a Book of Mormon prophet explained, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.”⁶

As the Savior’s latter-day disciples, we come unto Him by loving and serving God’s children. As we do, we may not be able to avoid tribulation, affliction, and suffering in the flesh, but we will suffer less spiritually. Even in our trials we can experience joy and peace.

Our Christian love and service naturally begin in the home. Parents, you are called to be loving teachers and missionaries to your children and youth. They are your investigators. You bear the responsibility to help them become converted. In truth, all of us are seeking to be converted—which means being filled with our Savior’s love…When an opportunity comes to share your thoughts about the gospel and the lessons of life, stop everything, sit down, and talk with your children and grandchildren.

Youth, you are some of our most effective gospel teachers. You come to church to learn so that you can go home to teach and serve your family, neighbors, and friends. Don’t be afraid. Have faith to testify of what you know to be true. Think how full-time missionaries grow because they are faithfully living a consecrated life—using their time and talents and bearing testimony to serve and bless others. As you share your testimony of the gospel, your faith will grow and your confidence will increase!

Some of our most impactful Christian service is given by holding family scripture study, family prayer, and family council meetings. For more than a hundred years, Church leaders have called us to set aside uninterrupted time each week. But many of us are still missing the blessings. Family home evening is not a lecture from Mom and Dad. It is our family time to share simple spiritual concepts and experiences, to help our children learn to care and share, have fun together, bear testimony together, and grow and progress together. As we hold family home evening every week, our love for one another will grow stronger and we will suffer less.

Let us remember, the most important work we do in our families is through the power of the Holy Ghost. Whenever we raise our voices in anger, the Spirit leaves our companionships and families. When we speak in love, the Spirit can be with us. Let us remember that our children and grandchildren measure our love by how much devoted time we give them. Above all, don’t lose patience and don’t give up!

The scriptures tell us that when some of Heavenly Father’s spirit children chose not to follow His plan, the heavens wept.¹² Some parents who have loved and taught their children also weep when their grown children choose not to follow the Lord’s plan. What can parents do? We cannot pray away another’s agency. Remember the father of the prodigal son, who patiently waited for his son to “[come] to himself,” all the while watching for him.

Brothers and sisters, if we have not fully done so yet, let us turn more toward forgiveness, kindness, and love. Let us renounce the war that so often rages in the  heart of the natural man and proclaim Christ’s caring, love, and peace.^17"

 How much I love going back to Elder Hales talks now that he has passed. There is so much wisdom in what he said. 

Con amor,

Vero

Sick days

Today is day number three of running a fever and being really sick. I got a bad cough and fell so tired but with a lot of rest and plenty of liquids, I hope I get to be good as new when we get on that plane because that for me is like playtime during school days. So on a day like today, I think is appropriate to share with you a poem by the title "sick"

Sick 

“I cannot go to school today,”
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I’m going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox
And there’s one more–that’s seventeen,
And don’t you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut–my eyes are blue–
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I’m sure that my left leg is broke–
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button’s caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained,
My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow’s bent, my spine ain’t straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is–what?
What’s that? What’s that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G’bye, I’m going out to play!”

Yay, I sure hope soon I get to play! 

Con amor,

Vero