Tools for Joy

I like this picture!  The bird is raising his claw so he probably
has an opinion to share. ***

 This year my goal of the year was JOY.  I thought I would share some of the things that have helped me on my quest to find, create, and experience more joy.

I get a lot of joy out of communicating with people, especially those that I love.  I need to go out of my way to take time to visit, Marco Polo, call, text, write, or otherwise communicate with people I care about as often as I can.  I have had a good year spending more time talking to my sisters, friends, and family.  I have had some really good conversations with my sisters that were therapeutic and helpful!  I also have a counselor right now who has helped me recognize and change unhelpful thought patterns.  She is good at focusing on strengths and being encouraging!

Worship Service and time to think about the love of our Father in Heaven and our Savior is good at bringing my focus to what is important.  I have really enjoyed the chance to worship with my family on Sundays, and I have often been granted insight when I needed it if I took time to contemplate important things!

Projects!  I really have loved projects.  Organizing closets, the kitchen, the pile of boxes in the garage, or creating something new, or something improved from something used, gives me joy.

The beauty all around lifts my spirits when I take the time to notice.  I love time in the sunshine especially!  I am working on making myself go out even if it is stormy or cold.  I usually enjoy it if I do.

Gratitude is always important and helpful.  I do not know if I have been reminded of any fact more often than that being thankful is a key to joy.  A very important key.

Books.  When I want to do better at something I tend to try to find books that will give me ideas.  I prefer little ideas that make a big difference :-).  Here are some of the books that I have read and found helpful:

    Anxious For Nothing, How Happiness Happens, and Traveling Light by Max Lucado.

    9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life, and Changes that Heal by Henry Cloud

    Making it Through the Middle, and Grace Where You Are by Emily Freeman

    How to Human by Alice Connor

    Living on Purpose by Barry D. Ham PH.D

    Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, PH.D

    Primary Greatness by Stephen R. Covey

    Make Something Good Today by Erin and Ben Napier

It really helps me to focus on good things, and to choose to believe that good things can and will happen if I keep working towards them.  Thanks to all of you.  Your kindness and love makes a difference to those around you, including me.

***Photo by Bruce Jastrow on Unsplash

Extra Effort for Extra Enjoyment

Salem Pond

Thanks to Kayli and Derek we have been doing pretty well at getting in regular walks, even in the cold.  Kayli is a good dog owner who wants Teddy to get some exercise, and Derek is good at wanting to get in some walking for the exercise, and probably the change in scenery from the basement where he's been working.

We often do what we call the "Haskell Loop" because it goes down the road where a few of our Haskell friends live (On a road that actually has "Haskellville" on the sign).  We like this loop because it goes into county roads that have little farms, horses and cows.  We enjoy petting the horses which Teddy thinks they are big dogs he must attack (though he only ever gets to growl at them from afar).  The cows too.  

Over the holidays Derek would say, "Let's go for walkies" and I would moan because I didn't want to.  I had a headache and it was cold.  But we would bundle up and go, and I always was glad we did.  Yesterday we hadn't had a chance to walk in the sun and so Derek suggested we get in the car and go to Salem Pond to walk.  I enjoy the Haskell loop, but I was glad that we took a little extra effort to walk somewhere else.  Breaking out of routine made the walk seem more like a break, and the Christmas lights on the pond are beautiful.  I got to thinking that sometimes, when the things we like to do start seeming like chores, we could take a little extra effort to do them in a different way, and we might get a little extra enjoyment from the change, and more enjoyment out of the routine when we go back to it.

*Written Dec. 1st

Christensen Christmas Letter 2020

December 2020

Dear Friends and Family,

What a year! So many things have changed, and yet I find that I still have a lot to be grateful for, and I hope that you do too. My goal word of the year was “JOY” and I find joy best when I focus on what is good, and on the wonderful people I know! There’s a lot to cover--our last letter was 2 years ago!

Trisa is back to the last name of Christensen, and as always, is someone we all love to talk to and hang out with-- with her dog Chewy of course. She has awesome friends in Cedar City who have given her safe places to stay, babies to hold, children to play with, and adults to talk to. She is a good friend in return. Trisa is still teaching Kindergarten. She taught online at the end of the last school year. This year she is back in the classroom teaching kids who wear masks, argue over funny things, and have Trisa’s heart even when they’re naughty.

Tia and Mike live in Provo. Tia keeps lots of people looking beautiful while Mike keeps Provo safe from the “bad guys”. Mike graduated from BYU last December and then promptly went off to be trained as a policeman. He works for the Provo police department and doesn’t always appreciate our prayers that his work will be safely boring :-). Mike and Tia travel as often as they can. This year they did a quick one to South Dakota when Tia was going stir crazy and saw Mount Rushmore. They went to Michigan twice (where Mike’s parents are). The second trip to Michigan was after going to Chicago to attend his brother Nick’s wedding to Lindsay. YAY! We love it when Tia and Mike come over. They make me smile. Teddy can’t decide whether to love Mike or bark at him. Mike said, “Teddy and I have a complicated relationship.”

Kayli is super awesome and I am really glad that she hangs out here with us when she isn’t working or hanging out with cousin Avery or other friends. She still works for Nutra Connection, and she is going to school on the computer via the Pathways program. She is Teddy’s dog momma and takes really good care of her cute doggie. She also became an honorary aunt this year when her friends Brittany and Kota had their much anticipated little girl. They gave their baby two middle names -- one of which is Marie after our Kayli Marie. Kayli loves that baby and her parents! So do we. We were blessed to be able to attend the Payson temple with Kayli in October.

Connor got home from his mission to Japan! Okay. So that was April of 2019. Eventually his fondest dreams came true and he was able to date Amanda Wilcox, get engaged, and then married! As of August 28, 2020 she is now Amanda Christensen! They were married in the Payson temple and they live in Cedar City. They helpfully visit Chewy sometimes when Trisa is teaching school. Connor works at Walmart and Amanda is a teacher’s aide. They both “attend” SUU (online). Due to their busy schedules we don’t see them as much as we’d like, but we love them!

Jake graduated from high school in 2020 and was pleased as punch not to have to attend graduation. He did miss going to school though. He had good friends there and misses seeing them still. This summer he went to volunteer at Agape, a food pantry / thrift store up the street from us and was given a job. It’s not a lot of hours, but they are thankful for him and can never say enough good things about him. Jake is great. He uses his muscles and good skills to help out, at AGAPE and at home, a LOT. One of his favorite things in the world is having his siblings home.

Dan has had a stressful year, but I’ve gotten to spend more time with him while trying to give him breaks from doing school by himself, and he’s gotten to spend a lot of time with his “twin” cousin Caleb who is doing online school in Idaho. I can hear them in the other room chatting away while playing some online game together. The bonus of him not really going anywhere is that he has had a healthier year than any I can remember.

Derek and I decided that the middle of a pandemic was a good time to sell the house we’d lived in for over 21 years and build a home on the land we’ve owned up in Elk Ridge for almost 16 years. Naturally, nothing went quite as planned. The house sold in 6 hours and we didn’t even have house plans yet! Thankfully our next door neighbor had a “spare” house he rented to us that is only about 3 blocks from our old house and in the same ward (church) boundaries. Our house is designed, water shares we didn’t know we needed are bought, and our builder (Zions Builders, owned by my friend Shannon’s husband Dave) has got the footings in and the foundation is coming soon!

The country shut down while Derek was in Orlando on a work trip. He came home and has worked from home ever since. In our old house there was an office. Here there is an unfinished basement (brrrr). I like having him home. His commute was kind of long and here he can occasionally go for a walk with us, or come up for lunch. He probably makes dinner more often than I do, and it’s kind of fun that he gives the kids and Teddy “the rock” and me a hug and a kiss (ewww says Dan) before heading to work.

I belatedly discovered Pinterest last year and have really enjoyed doing projects that I found on there. I love finding ways to make things better and organizing things in better ways! I have discovered a love for thrift shopping and I even bought a table at D.I. and turned it into a game table with a checker board on it! Fun! I am still over the children in our church congregation even though we are not meeting together as a group. I haven’t done a lot in this capacity, but I have done a puppet show or two and I miss seeing the kids! My health is mostly good. The pile of meds I take in the morning and evening fix the arrhythmia, make it less likely cancer will return, and keep me from spending lots of time crying in my room with depression. Yay for that!

This is last December (thus no Amanda) and also the reason we weren't wearing masks!

 

This is cute Amanda!

We love our good family, friends, and neighbors and do our best to love everyone we come across in our day to day existence. We love Christmas and the chance to focus on Christ and all that we have because of Him! May He bless us all as we move into a new year to be able to focus on the good, and find lots of joy in doing so.

Love from,
Sherie and Derek Christensen (and family)