Chopin at 90 years old

My Dad turns 90 in a few weeks and he is my hero. 

We went to visit my parents today and after a while Dad announces that he is going to play us something on the piano.  He proceeds to play a beautiful piece by Chopin.  It literally brought tears to my eyes.  Dad has always played piano but has never considered himself a pianist.  He always said he knew just enough to get by but doubted his ability to be really good at piano.  He is really just being modest - he is the organist at church and has been for the past 20+ years.  It doesn't come easy for him and requires a lot of practice but he is good at it. 

Apparently last week he decided that the beautiful grand piano in his house shouldn't go to waste and should be played every day.  He wants to develop his talents and not just be satisfied with his abilities as they currently are.  So at the age of 90 he has started playing beautiful music by Chopin and who knows who else.  At an age when most people really start to slow down he just never seems to stop.  He has finally started to age a bit but what that man manages to do each day inspires me. 

If at 90 years old he can decided to play Chopin and further his musical talents what should I at only 35 be doing each day to further my talents? 

My Dad taught me an important lesson today that I hope to never forget. 

What Motivates Me

I am always coming up with a mile long list of things I need to change in my life and while
I could ignore that list it gets a little hard because every time I turn around I see one of my kids.

I have Tim who when I announce what is for dinner (if he is excited about it) give me a hug and tells me he loves me - food is the way to that boys heart.

Then there is Andrew who although a total goof ball can be so sweet and loves to snuggle.

Allison is full of creativity and is learning to sew.  A small compliment and she is beaming for the rest of the day.

Kathryn wants so much to participate in whatever I am doing.  She wants to be helpful and takes joy in being of service.   I am hard pressed to start working in the kitchen and she is not there asking to help.

Then there are the little boys - Peter and Jacob.  They are just a bundle of trouble and yet I can't help but smile every time I see them.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about my health.  I have come to the point in my life where I realize clearly that I am not getting any younger.  Not that I am old but I am squarely in my mid 30's.  I am about 50 lbs overweight and I need to loose those extra pounds.  I need to do it for my children so they can have a healthy and active mother who can keep up with them for years and years to come.  Yeah and I want to be thin so I can feel good about myself and look great in the latest fashions but really it is about my kids. 

My children are my motivation.  I need to put a photo of them on my fridge and pantry so when I am tempted to make a not so healthy food choice I will remember why I shouldn't. 

What motivates you?

Good, Better, Best

One of the things that keeps coming to me is the importance for me personally to write.  I have always known that I need to write of my thoughts, feelings, and day to day life.  I know that my children will be blessed because of it and yet I struggle to do it on a regular basis.  I started this blog with the hope that putting my writing out in a public arena would be motivation and that worked for a while but I struggle to know at times what to write about. 

So here I go again with a slightly new format.   Each day of the week will have a different assignment. On Sunday my task will be to write about something to think about and ponder on.  More info on what each day will be coming soon.

So here goes my first something to think about post -

I am always trying to decide what to do with my time.  It is not that I have too much free time ­– quite the opposite.  I worry about if what I am spending my time on is the best use of my time.  Some things are easy to figure out like should I really be wasting away time browsing the internet – no or should I play with my children – yes.

I often think about a talk by Dallin H. Oaks entitled Good, Better, Best.  It causes me to reflect on what might be a good use of my time versus what would be better or even the best use of my time.  

“We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.”

Dallin H. Oaks

Time is such a limited resource as a parent that I need to try my best to make the most of it.  I need to be finding/making more time to spend engaging my children - Not just being in the same room with them while they watch TV and I read a book.  I know that I have a limited amount of time to be with them while they are young and I need to make better use of that time.  In this talk Elder Oaks quotes President Gordon B. Hinckley as pleading that we “work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it.”

My jumbo sized white board in the kitchen this week will have

GOOD, BETTER, BEST ? 

written across the top to help me to remember to think about this all week long.

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