Hope for the Future! Live for the Future! Welcome 2011!

What a Christmas this year was.  It was great being with family.  I'm glad that my blog for this month was to focus on the Savior, except the Pearl Harbor one, and his birth that we remember at this time of year. 

This year of 2010 has been a great year and looking forward to New Years Day! The day to celebrate the New Year of 2011. 

I was watching an episode of "Lois and Clark The Adventures of Superman" and it was about this time of year that we celebrate Christmas and the New Year.  At the beginning of the episode Lois and Clark walk into the Daily Planet and we notice

• The two countries want to sign a peace treaty from the news report on TV.
• A huge Christmas tree in the middle of the room with decorations and lights.
• Clark's parents are in town and enjoying themselves.
• Lois's mother is in town and feels good.
• Jimmy is excited to have a girlfriend to come over to the work party.
• Mr. White is happy
• Lois is glad to turn in her news story for the newspaper.
• A multi millionaire who thanks Superman for saving his life.
• Superman stopping a family man, who robs a bank.

During this time the magical being, not from our world, has followed Superman and meets him in one of the elevator of the Daily Planet and decide to play a game.  We notice that the hours of 12:00pm-4:00pm repeat over and over several times and that Clark Kent is in this loop of repeating time.  As the story goes along we notice changes to occur

• The Christmas tree keeps getting smaller and smaller till its like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree with little life to it and only one ornament on it.
• The peace treaty goes good peace to full blown war to who cares.
• The parents of Clark get heated up between the two into arguing and Jonathan just about has a heart attack.
• The mother of Lois starts drinking and doesn't give a care in the world.
• The date of Jimmy looks more like a gangster of the street.
• The multi millionaire gets angry at Superman for saving his life and wishes to be left alone.
• The police give up on taking the guy who robbed the bank, into custody.
• Mr. White is depressed that he didn't get to be Santa Claus for his two boys.
• Lois gives up turning in her great news story for the newspaper.

Clark doesn't understand what is happening, that things are going good and head to being worse and awful. He realizes that Clark needs to change something and fast.  Clark Kent then talks to Lois and tells her what has been happening.  The magical being is loving this for he realizes that he wants to rule the planet and have Superman leave.  Clark Kent doesn't leave and Lois realizes the same thing for hope to be alive.  So then the next loop Lois and Clark fix the right and give hope again to everyone and at the end of the episode the magical being realizes he can't stay any longer and leaves. 

If we as humans don't have hope then what is life then?

• Gloom
• Doom
• Despair
• Sad
• Miserable
• Hate
• Death
• Lifeless
• No color just blah.

Whereas if we do have hope:

• Color
• Life
• Happiness
• Joy
• Love
• Laughter
• Fun

Ever heard the phrase, "Live for the Future"? If we have no hope what is there to live for? We would be in a state of mind that is not the mind to live.  Especially not the one that the Savior would want us to live.  The Savior knew that life would be hard but would be worth it.  That we would have hard times, challenges, trials, etc.  The idea of hope is a good thing to have. 

2011 is a year of opportunity, learning, growing, loving, caring, serving, etc.  If we have hope we can conquer the evil that face us, able to endure the trial, overcome the challenge, be a better person. 

Hope for the future!
Live for the future!
Welcome 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Holiday Greeting/Message

                                             MERRY CHRISTMAS
                                  
                           TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS AND
                                            FAMILY
                               WHO READ MY BLOG

MAY WE REMEMBER THE REASON FOR THE SEASON OF CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF THE SAVIOR, HIS LIFE, HIS DEATH, HIS RESURRECTION AND HIM COMING TO EARTH AGAIN!
                            

Two phrases that are used during this holiday season.

Its amazing that at this time of year we here these phrases in song or just in greeting.

"Peace on Earth, goodwill to Men"

 "God Bless us Everyone"

What do these phrases have in common?  They talk about

• Love
• Sharing 
• Not excluding anyone
• No war or hate. 
• That there is a God 
• Look forward to the coming of Christ.
• Peace of mind

These two phrases were written in a book and song so many years ago that they still hold true today.  Amazing that we only think of these two phrases at this time of year.  That for example, during the middle of the summer we aren't thinking of these two phrases at all.  Let us hope that we take into heart of what these two phrases mean to us and everyone around us.

My family Christmas tradititon.

At this time of year and especially for this holiday, we usually have traditions that as a family we use to remember the holiday and make it more fun.  For after the presents are unwrapped and the day is coming to an end.  What are you going to remember a year later, 5, 10 or 30 years later? Are you going to remember what you gave to someone as a present or what you got as a present or remember what tradition you had that year that you still carry out to this day. 

One tradition that has started in my immediate family (parents and siblings) is about the presents underneath the tree.  As we were young and looked under the Christmas tree and see how many presents did I get, it got crazy.  For one of us would say,"Oh I got 10 presents and someone else got 3 presents." It took the fun out of it and realized there has to be a better way of concealing of how many presents one person received.  So to change that we have made up fake names

• Disney Princess (Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, etc.)
• Sounds (Pow, Bang, Zing, etc.)
• Animals ( Cat, Dog, Zebra, etc.)
• Numbers (1,3,4, etc.)
• Harry Potter (Harry, Ron, Draco, etc.)
• School Subjects (Math, Science, History, etc.)

You get the point.  We would make sure that in each category that we used that we have enough names in to cover everyone so no one would feel left out.  It also throws off from thinking that you may be that present but then you realize that its someone else. 

This year we are using names of Book Authors.  So we have a total of 13 names to sort out.  My mom and my sister is in control and makes a list of who is who so we keep everyone straight and don't open the wrong present for someone else.  We have done it for so many years now I don't remember when we first started it.  We try to not repeat a topic that we have already done in the past. 

You may post your comments on your favorite Christmas tradition to this post or by way of email.

Remembering Pearl Harbor.

Aside from Christmas messages, this post is about Pearl Harbor.

It was a war that made the USA get involved in WWII but didn't want to get involved.  Japan attacked the USA in Hawaii on a Sunday morning.  The military clearly weren't ready for the attack on that day.  We lost a lot of great men and women on that day in the ships. 

There is a memorial in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.  You go there by boat and you get off the boat and walk to the small memorial that they have.  Inside there is a big plaque of names listed of who has died in that war.  You can also overlook and see the USS Arizona ship laying in its grave.  You can feel the reverence of being there just like you can know that its a memorial to those who have died there on that day.

Just as of 9/11 the attack in NYC it was a devastating blow to the USA and so was the attack on Pearl Harbor.  These two attacks have been awake to us to realize that we can still be attacked from our enemies.  That lives can be lost.  We must not forget those who have gave up their lives so we can still be free. 

Remember Pearl Harbor!

Don't be shy to say "Merry Christmas"

There are two posts from earlier in the earlier that I have done Christmas theme.  One is Christmas Carol posted September 28 and the other one is It's A Wonderful Life posted July 30.

As we go out this month celebrating Christmas let us not be shy or cowered of celebrating this holiday.  There are some groups of people that would like to take away this holiday and make it less intrusive from hurting other religions.  Sad to say some of it has happened.  Choirs are not allowed to sing carols that have the word, "Lord", "Christ", no Christmas tree instead calling it a holiday tree, no manager scenes, store banners that call it holiday season, etc. 

The Savior was born and it was a wonderful event to behold in our time of the world.  We should not be afraid to say, "Merry Christmas" to our friends and loved ones.  We should stand up for what the holiday is about and not shy away from what the Savior would do.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!