A great Sunday

It was a good day today. No snow, we have been having snow quite a bit. It sure is beautiful though. I heard a great quote about snow from one of my favorite book serieries (Mitford series by Jan Karon). "Snow makes everything innocent again, a winter's Eden". I love people that can and like to find silver linings in life. I feel a great need for that and place great value in this characteristic and am very grateful to find people with this attribute. I have been listening to the Jan Karon books on my Ipod and now am taking a small break and listening to "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe". I love innocence and the magic and hope that always goes with innocence. I love C.S. Lewis. I love so much about him. I love that he loves words, he and another of my favorite authors, Jan Karon, loves words and you can tell. They love to talk about possibilities and people, and the help they can give them and see the best in them. Much like a character from the Harry Potter books, Albus Dumbledor, if they have a strenghth that could be also be a weakness would be looking for the best in others, giving others second chances. I had the kids write a letter to their cousin, Elder Christopher Badger today. I have been writing him for a while now but I have been trying to be better about having them be more directly involved with the writing process by having them write their own letters to him rather than just sign the letters that I have been writing. I had the kids take notes during the Conference sessions last weekend for a couple of reasons. Some obvious ones, but also so that they could remember some key things that meant a lot to them to share with their cousin on his mission. I also had them write a letter/card to their Grandpa Ely for his upcoming birthday. This has been something that I have tried to incorporate into my life over the last couple of years. I observed a woman on one of my flights that was in first class. She was writing thank you cards during flight with post cards she had bought in Salt Lake. She was kind enough to write one to me as her flight attendant. This touched me quite a bit. I had already been loving giving cards on a regular basis to my kids and my parents. I also love saving/collecting appropriate jokes and quotes to put on my cards to my kids and my parents. (They LOVE this and it makes it easy and quite rewarding to give them to my kids as they let me know how much they love them). I got to thinking that I should get small blank cards and put them in my purse also to be able to send cards or give them as the spirit promps as this woman on the plane was a very good example to me. I have enjoyed doing this for people in the ward and some passengers on my flights. Some of the times I have gotten cards back expressing that they have really needed the words that I sent to them and sometimes a wonderful smile and "thank you" and some I will never hear from because of circumstance as them being a stranger on a plane. But, I know how much a kind word means to me and how much I value words and compassion, kindness, motivating words etc. I am watching Derek play baseball on the Wii right now. We sure do enjoy spending time together. I sure am glad that I do not have any hobbies/interests that take me away from my kids and that in fact my hobbies and interests bring me closer to and allow me to spend more time with my family. Ok, I have to brag, I, the "old lady" just beat my young and vibrant son at Wii bowling. Although, I have to keep my strength cause I am going to go on a walk with Hannah and our dog Koda. She will get a good walk in today, Derek and his friend Sam took her 3 times this afternoon and David took her 2 times and Hannah and I will hopefully take her another 2 times. We have read that Labs NEED lots of exercise.