I had surgery yesterday on my gums in an effort to revise my gum line. According to my internal dialogue, I had quite the “gummy smile”. For quite some time now, it has been affecting my confidence at work and everywhere else in my life for that matter. That being said, I decided to treat myself to a new smile. This was the first step. It was a very surreal experience. I went in earlier that morning for a consultation. I was interested in what the gum specialist was capable of achieving and wanted to know how much it would cost me. As he described the procedure and outcome, I was quite interested in proceeding.
Unfortunately, the cost was set at $1000 which, for me, was just too much money during this time of year. I couldn’t justify spending that much money on myself when there are things my family could use that were far more important to me. Just as I had all but given up the dream for the time being, the good doctor continued by saying, “but, in the spirit of Christmas and considering the fact that I had a huge cancelation this morning that I would otherwise have to eat, I would be willing to do the job for you for $100.” I was instantly overcome with emotion and unable to speak for a moment. After composing myself, I relayed my appreciation and the fact that I considered this a true blessing from God. So, we booked an appointment for the same day and proceeded accordingly.
There is a reason I chose this experience as the topic of my entry today. I am a true believer in the concept of being blessed for doing the Lord’s work. The day before, my family and I committed ourselves to the service of our fellow man in a capacity to sacred for me to elaborate on in this setting. Nevertheless, we donated our time to the service of others with no expectations for reciprocation. In this day in age, we (society as a whole) are so overwhelmed with our own personal responsibilities and “burdens”, we very rarely find time to serve each other. This is an extremely unfortunate truth that few of us are exempt from. Whether work, finances or marital issues, we seem to focus on them and allow them to occupy our every thought. Well, as we continue through the holiday season, our thought should be focused on serving each other.
Serving others is a very interesting thing to me. I have found, as I strive to be of service to my family, friends, co-workers and neighbors, and to free them of their concerns and/or burdens, my problems seem to truly melt away. I have a testimony of the strength of service and the affects it has, not only on the recipients, but on us in the process. It’s a great concept that, if accepted and implemented by all, would solve so many problems and simultaneously. If I help you and those around me, and those around me do the same, the odds are that my problems and concerns will be addressed by someone else.
What a concept this is. I could go about my life, addressing my personal issues and minding my own business and most likely, I would be able to solve many of them. The satisfaction derived from solving my own problems is there but it is minimal at best. Conversely, if I focus on helping others, rather than myself, it gives them hope and brings me great satisfaction know that a friend has one less concern.
Charity, the unconditional love of Christ, is boundless. It is a love that is a verb. It’s an action. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, which is a lifestyle, this concept is inseparable. Give of your time. Give of your substance. Don’t just tell your family and friends that you love them, show them. We have the ability to inspire those around us by merely leading by example. It is the most effective way to affect change. In a time when we are so focused on the negative in our lives, let go, look to your neighbor, and give them something to smile about. Allow virtue and love to garnish your every waking thought and the blessing in your lives will grow exponentially.
“If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
Merry Christmas.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Giving Thanks
I took last week off of work for the Thanksgiving holiday, to prepare the house our guests (family) and spend time with my wife and kids. It turned out to be a great week. April made a huge Thanksgiving feast in which she cooked a 24lb turkey and all the trimmings. We had 14 people in our house for the occasion and had a blast. One of the things April did was design a game for us in which all the things we were happy for were written on construction paper turkey feathers and taped to a big fat turkey picture on the wall. After we all ate dinner, the children took turns plucking feathers from the turkey and reading someone’s thing that they were grateful for. Then, we all had to guess whose item it was. It was extremely entertaining! It got me thinking about all the things that I was eternally grateful for.
First and foremost, I am grateful for Christ’s unconditional love and atoning sacrifice for me. I know that it is through him and by keeping his commandments that we shall return to live with our Heavenly father some day. I know that, by abiding by the precepts within the gospel, I will stay free from all the things in the world that ensnare the hearts of men and keep them from true happiness.
Second only to the Lord, is my appreciation for my wife, April. I would not be the man I am today had it not been for her patience and persistence when it came to me. As cliché as it sounds, she is what makes me want to be a better man…..cuz if I don’t, shell make my life hell…ha-ha just kidding. She has helped me understand and realize my potential and has always held me to a higher standard than I was at, at any given time. For that, I am eternally indebted to her. I love her un conditionally.
My children are a huuuuuge source of happiness for me. Although they can be a handful at times, their happiness and successes in life bring me great joy.
I love the friends that I’ve made throughout my life, which I am still in contact with. The memories that I have of them are cause for laughter and celebration.
I am also grateful for a steady job and a warm home to reside in. The two are very important to my family’s survival. The quality of which, is very important to my happiness.
Lastly, I am grateful for music and the inspiration I draw from the lyrics and harmonies within.
These are the things I am grateful for in my life at the young age of 32. I wonder how much they will change throughout the next year. We shall see.
First and foremost, I am grateful for Christ’s unconditional love and atoning sacrifice for me. I know that it is through him and by keeping his commandments that we shall return to live with our Heavenly father some day. I know that, by abiding by the precepts within the gospel, I will stay free from all the things in the world that ensnare the hearts of men and keep them from true happiness.
Second only to the Lord, is my appreciation for my wife, April. I would not be the man I am today had it not been for her patience and persistence when it came to me. As cliché as it sounds, she is what makes me want to be a better man…..cuz if I don’t, shell make my life hell…ha-ha just kidding. She has helped me understand and realize my potential and has always held me to a higher standard than I was at, at any given time. For that, I am eternally indebted to her. I love her un conditionally.
My children are a huuuuuge source of happiness for me. Although they can be a handful at times, their happiness and successes in life bring me great joy.
I love the friends that I’ve made throughout my life, which I am still in contact with. The memories that I have of them are cause for laughter and celebration.
I am also grateful for a steady job and a warm home to reside in. The two are very important to my family’s survival. The quality of which, is very important to my happiness.
Lastly, I am grateful for music and the inspiration I draw from the lyrics and harmonies within.
These are the things I am grateful for in my life at the young age of 32. I wonder how much they will change throughout the next year. We shall see.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Long Time, No Type
I know it’s been a while since my last entry but, for some reason, this has become less of a priority. So, that being said, I am going to try harder to write more frequently.
We have been here in Colorado now for a little over a year and still love it! I have been working for a commercial satellite corporation called DigitalGlobe as an imagery analyst and graphic designer. It truly has been the dream job. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to San Diego California and Colorado Springs for trade shows, where I learned even more about satellite imagery innovation. Anyways, I hope I can stay here at DG for a long time to come.
Family life here in Northern Colorado has been nothing but a dream. The people here are soooo family oriented and make plans with children in mind. April and take the kids swimming at our gym’s pool on the weekends. They spend the entire time we are there jumping on my back, trying to drag me to the bottom of the pool. They have a blast and I get a great neck workout. We had a great harvest corn festival here in Erie and spend loads of time at my brother’s property in the mountains, camping and catching up on lost time.
Joe Joe is going to be 9 yrs old in February and is truly one of my best buds. He has participated in everything from karate and scouts to basketball and coach pitch baseball. He is coming into his own these days. He is starting to find his own style and has a little swagger to his step. I have to admit though; the two of us butt heads quite a bit. I think it’s because we are so much alike. I love him dearly and want him to be happy. At the same time, I am trying to instill a sense of obligation and work ethic in him. Man-oh-man is that a hard act to balance! I think I could calm down a bit and be more patient with him. I guess I’m just so excited about watching him grow that I forget he is “only” 8 yrs old. He has the personality of an older child and so that’s how I treat him. Something for me to work on I suppose.
Little Emma…..She is truly my princess and is growing up way too fast. I can’t believe she is going to 7 yrs old in February. She is becoming such a beautiful girl and embracing the girly girl within. She loves going to her dance classes and putting on mama’s make-up. She spends quite a bit of time playing dress-up with her girlfriends when they come over for play dates. She is a loving girl who has to have a huge hug and kiss before I go anywhere. I really hope she doesn’t ask me for anything expensive or unattainable cuz…..I don’t know how I’m going to say “no’.
Ryan is our little bruiser. He reminds of my little brother Jared, who is the strong opinionated type, who would give you the shirt of his back if you asked him to. Ry Ry is 3 yrs old and has to be included in everything his older siblings are doing. If they are playing video games, he has to be holding a controller and acting like he is playing right along. He is on the verge of being completely potty trained and talks up a storm. Although, he had an accident the other day in which he proceeded to empty his butt on our carpet. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then took one of my video game disks and dipped it into the “baby leavings”. After which, he brought the soiled disk into my office and placed it in our brand new computer!!!!!!!! Ya gotta love him and hug him, cuz if ya didn’t, ya might do something more sinister. Ha, just kidding. He is a great child though.
April has made quite a few girlfriends over the past year. She is part of a cooking club that meets about every other week and shares recipes and taste tests each of them. They have about 20 girls that attend regularly. I love it, because I get to test all the new recipes when she cooks them for dinner. She is an extremely hard worker around the house of which, I am eternally grateful. I come home to a clean house and dinner on the table on a regular basis, which I never imagined would be my reality. She has truly become a dream wife and consistently held me to a higher standard that I am at at any given moment. She is sincerely the reason I have been successful in my life and for that, I owe her dearly.
So that’s what we are up to these days. Life is great. We are filled with happiness and gratitude for all the friends and family that we have. It is nice to finally live near family and get to spend time with them on a regular basis. The kids love there cousins and get along with them so well. They look forward to the weekends when they can hang out with them. Its been fun catching up with my brothers and parents and getting to know my sisters-in-law. I truly feel like this is where we are meant to be. It is truly a wonderful community and will bring us happiness for years to come. Til next time.
Joe
We have been here in Colorado now for a little over a year and still love it! I have been working for a commercial satellite corporation called DigitalGlobe as an imagery analyst and graphic designer. It truly has been the dream job. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to San Diego California and Colorado Springs for trade shows, where I learned even more about satellite imagery innovation. Anyways, I hope I can stay here at DG for a long time to come.
Family life here in Northern Colorado has been nothing but a dream. The people here are soooo family oriented and make plans with children in mind. April and take the kids swimming at our gym’s pool on the weekends. They spend the entire time we are there jumping on my back, trying to drag me to the bottom of the pool. They have a blast and I get a great neck workout. We had a great harvest corn festival here in Erie and spend loads of time at my brother’s property in the mountains, camping and catching up on lost time.
Joe Joe is going to be 9 yrs old in February and is truly one of my best buds. He has participated in everything from karate and scouts to basketball and coach pitch baseball. He is coming into his own these days. He is starting to find his own style and has a little swagger to his step. I have to admit though; the two of us butt heads quite a bit. I think it’s because we are so much alike. I love him dearly and want him to be happy. At the same time, I am trying to instill a sense of obligation and work ethic in him. Man-oh-man is that a hard act to balance! I think I could calm down a bit and be more patient with him. I guess I’m just so excited about watching him grow that I forget he is “only” 8 yrs old. He has the personality of an older child and so that’s how I treat him. Something for me to work on I suppose.
Little Emma…..She is truly my princess and is growing up way too fast. I can’t believe she is going to 7 yrs old in February. She is becoming such a beautiful girl and embracing the girly girl within. She loves going to her dance classes and putting on mama’s make-up. She spends quite a bit of time playing dress-up with her girlfriends when they come over for play dates. She is a loving girl who has to have a huge hug and kiss before I go anywhere. I really hope she doesn’t ask me for anything expensive or unattainable cuz…..I don’t know how I’m going to say “no’.
Ryan is our little bruiser. He reminds of my little brother Jared, who is the strong opinionated type, who would give you the shirt of his back if you asked him to. Ry Ry is 3 yrs old and has to be included in everything his older siblings are doing. If they are playing video games, he has to be holding a controller and acting like he is playing right along. He is on the verge of being completely potty trained and talks up a storm. Although, he had an accident the other day in which he proceeded to empty his butt on our carpet. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then took one of my video game disks and dipped it into the “baby leavings”. After which, he brought the soiled disk into my office and placed it in our brand new computer!!!!!!!! Ya gotta love him and hug him, cuz if ya didn’t, ya might do something more sinister. Ha, just kidding. He is a great child though.
April has made quite a few girlfriends over the past year. She is part of a cooking club that meets about every other week and shares recipes and taste tests each of them. They have about 20 girls that attend regularly. I love it, because I get to test all the new recipes when she cooks them for dinner. She is an extremely hard worker around the house of which, I am eternally grateful. I come home to a clean house and dinner on the table on a regular basis, which I never imagined would be my reality. She has truly become a dream wife and consistently held me to a higher standard that I am at at any given moment. She is sincerely the reason I have been successful in my life and for that, I owe her dearly.So that’s what we are up to these days. Life is great. We are filled with happiness and gratitude for all the friends and family that we have. It is nice to finally live near family and get to spend time with them on a regular basis. The kids love there cousins and get along with them so well. They look forward to the weekends when they can hang out with them. Its been fun catching up with my brothers and parents and getting to know my sisters-in-law. I truly feel like this is where we are meant to be. It is truly a wonderful community and will bring us happiness for years to come. Til next time.
Joe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)