3 Keys and Me: 2010

When Keenan saw these dolls at the store and he had to get them. He knew his 'friend' Anela would love them. When Valu started to tease him about having a girlfriend he said, "Anela is just my good friend. I am too young to have a girlfriend. I will have lots of girlfriends after my mission." Looks like Ki's lectures, oops... I mean, wise counsel is working. :)

How cute are his slippahs!

Keenie and his pals like to wear their slippahs on the wrong feet.

It is the stylin' thing to do.

Keenan wanted to make sure that Anela's present was wrapped pretty.

When we got to school he put the gift in her cubby so that it would be a surprise when she found it. Too cute.

This thoughtful little boy has such a soft, sweet heart.

I can't stop smiling.

When I started this blog last year I wasn't sure that I could keep up with the commitment of taking a photo and recording our gratitude journal - EVERY SINGLE DAY. -- But, I did it! And I am so glad that I did. It wasn't as hard as I anticipated. In fact, it was pretty easy until school started this past Fall. Life just got extra busy and I simply slacked off. (I do have the photos and gratitudes on my hard drive from the missing weeks. I will record them soon. )

I plan on making our blog into a book. Having a daily record of 2009 will be a treasure. One I am sure we will love more as time marches on. But...we won't continue this tradition into 2010. Even good things must come to an end. I won't stop recording our lives. I just will not be recording it daily.

We are excited about our goals for 2010. As a family we decided that we are going to follow President Monson's counsel and focus on serving others this year. We are committing to doing a good deed everyday. We will be consciously looking for ways to serve others. Some activities will be planned but I am hoping that most of our service will occur as we become aware of the needs of those around us. We will share our stories of service before our evening prayer instead of sharing our gratitudes. I think it seems like a natural progression. Our year of gratitude made us all much more aware of the graciousness that encompasses our lives. It changed us. Spending a year deliberating looking for ways to serve and lift burdens will undoubtedly be life-changing and hopefully enlightening.

Yes, we are looking forward to Twenty Ten. A new decade. A clean slate. A year to dream. A year to grow and change. I have always been inspired by butterflies. The butterfly has become my mantra for 2010. Wikipedia defines mantra thusly; "A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of "creating transformation" . Yes, I like this definition especially pertaining to butterflies. :) I have also been inspired by this quote by Maya Angelo, "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." I also like this quote by Richard Bach, "What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly." And this, "If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies." ~Author Unknown

Interestingly, I think that this quote by Grandma Page/Thoreau was our underlying theme for 2009, " Happiness is like a butterfly: The more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder." As our family turned our attention to gratitude, we experienced great happiness. I would even claim that this past year was one of our happiest years--ever! We laughed more, argued less. I was not only content--but blissfully happy. The boylies and The Man proclaim the same. I really do believe in the concept that whatever we turn our attention to--will grow and flourish. --- John Milton wrote: "Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."

We have been forever changed. 2009 will always be known as the year that we became acutely aware of our bounteous blessings. We will always remember 2009 fondly. And as much as we loved this past year we are ready to stretch and grow some more.

Bring on TWENTY TEN!! We are ready and willing!!!

And just because every post needs a photo....