It's that time of year again--
another birthday celebration for the Nichols Family established
Friday, January 17, 1969, in Arvada, Colorado
I've already written in previous years what a great occasion that was, now 54 years ago.
Not much to add to those sentiments except...we will welcome our FIRST Great Grand baby to the mix in May.
Looking forward to that!
Life doesn't get much better than all we enjoy every day. We are a blessed and special family indeed!
A NEW YEAR......
I wrote a Newsletter—THE
NICHOLS FAMILY NEWS—for ten years after my kids were grown up and
gone. Just because I wanted to keep in
touch and feel closer to them, though I was the one who was doing the reaching
out.
I included notes from my
journals about family events like birthdays and experiences we had while we
were living away from home for extended periods with my husband’s work in
Europe and on the East Coast. There were
also snippets about them currently as they shared what was going on in their
lives at the time. Plus, I sprinkled
each issue with humorous or interesting items I had found in newspapers,
magazines and even the little TIDBITS rag I used to see at the carwash and at restaurants.
Each January, I wrote a
“State of the Family Address”.
At the beginning of 2007 I
wrote that I had recently read an article in the newspaper that suggested what
we need to keep our New Year’s resolutions was a phone that talked back to
us. But not in a nice way. If, for example, you had as one of your
resolutions to start a diet, the phone would come on just as you were opening
the refrigerator door and say something like, “You big fat slob! How do you
think you are going to lose weight if you are always eating?!?!?!” I guess that is one way to keep you on
track. But before long, I wouldn’t want
to be hearing that phone tell me anything!
Then I went on to write in
the 2007 “State of the Family Address” that I did kind of like the idea,
though, if the nudges and suggestions were more user-friendly.
My kids’ kids were all young
at the time, so I proposed in that Newsletter article that if they had a goal
to spend more time with their little people in a meaningful way, maybe they
needed a telephone that would give them a call as the evening was moving along
to suggest something like, “Only an hour or so more until bedtime. I’ll bet your kids would love to have you
play a short game with them. Why don’t
you turn off the TV and invite them to enjoy some quality time with you?”
I don’t know what my kids
thought of that idea—setting a reminder to spend more time with their kids or a
reminder to reach out to someone. As with most everything else, there was no
feedback. But I have often reflected
that THAT talking telephone is
something which might motivate me—reminder calls that didn’t make me feel like
scum for not doing anything toward improving myself physically, mentally,
socially, or spiritually. Some day…
One of the best things about
a clean slate at the beginning of each new year is the hope it brings with
it. It’s a great time to think about who
you want to be and how you can continue to grow.
Russell M. Nelson, Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, posted a message for the new year the other day with a
similar thought which invites us to stretch ourselves and make every day
count. He said:
I’m sure many of you are
setting aside time today to write down your resolutions for the coming year.
May I make a few suggestions?
First, resolve to strengthen
your spiritual foundation. This may involve setting a specific time and place
to study the scriptures, praying more often, making temple worship a bigger
priority, and letting God prevail in all aspects of your life.
Second, resolve to be kind to
others. When the Savior Jesus Christ visited the Americas, as recorded in the
Book of Mormon, one of the first things He taught was the need to eliminate
contention in our lives. So, please be compassionate, be understanding, be slow
to judge, and be quick to forgive.
Third, resolve to be resolute.
The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves
steadfastness. While we surely will come up short from time to time, our
persistent efforts to hear Him and follow the inspiration He gives us will help
us to “wax strong in the Spirit” (Mosiah 18:26).
May God bless you, my dear
friends, and may this be a wonderful year of purpose and possibilities for all
of us.
Whatever your goals may be, your
own resolutions or embracing one or all of President Nelson’s suggestions, my
hope is that this is the year you see
them come true! I invite you to make
that happen as I invite myself to do the same. We’re
in this together!
THIS is
the YEAR
· I will take charge of my life.
· I will focus on what matters most.
