Danny and I have had many conversations about how difficult it is going to be to raise children in this crazy world and what kind of approach we are going to take. Mostly we are worried about the school years when peers are sharing ideas and pressures regarding what is right and moral. Some things we see around us are so discouraging, so we are really excited when we find reminders that there are still good, wholesome things going on in the world. This week there have been quite a few:
- The movie "Blind Side". If you haven't seen it, you must. We loved it so, so much. It's so great when people make movies that aren't sleazy, that uplift you and make you feel better about yourself and the world and motivate you to be good.
- Sissel- she's a singer from Norway and she is adorable. I haven't done a lot of research on her, I just know she's a pop singer from Norway who was invited to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for Christmas a while ago. I do know that while she could have every excuse to be sleazy, she's just a sweet little mom who was really touched by being with the members of the Church in Utah. It you get a chance, watch the interview with her and listen what she has to say about the experience.
- Last night when we got home we found a beautiful hand crafted bookcase in our living room with a note from our landlord that said, "Merry Christmas! I'll come install this when we're both home". We love him and we love our house.
- Our car has been very persnickety lately. It's always annoying to spend money fixing cars, they are such money suckers. This an orange light saying we needed maintenance changed to red, so we figured we'd better take it in. We took it to the funny little place south of BYU campus, we'd had them fix a few things before and they were very kind and reasonably priced. This time they called us the next day and said that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the car other than the light had come on, and said we didn't even owe them for their time. Merry Christmas to us! We were so happy, especially considering they could have fabricated any number of things and charged us for it.
- We have been really impressed with the care Danny's brother has been getting since he's been ill. All of his nurses and doctors have been so attentive and kind. They are truly dedicated to their work and really go the extra mile to make him comfortable. They also have a branch presidency at the hospital who come around to give blessings and the sacrament. He is being very well taken care of.
We're grateful for this beautiful season and for the many good things that people do, and for the blessings of the gospel and family.

