I got to talk to Santa Clause on FaceTime!!

I love this time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior by giving gifts, decorating our homes, enjoying family (although in a very different way this year), singing carols and remembering Christmases past.  I’m still enjoying my poinsettias which is mostly all I’ve done to decorate but the feeling of joy fills my heart nonetheless.

Update on my vertigo:   I am improving.  I’m not 100% yet and I am still not driving but at least I can see that if I forget to hold my head level and bend my head forward or up, as soon as I return to level, the feeling that vertigo will begin goes away.  That is progress.  I can see that time and patience is the key.  

The good thing is that my leg muscles are getting a bit of a workout.  If I drop something and need to pick it up, I either hold my head level and squat (not an attractive picture) or get down on my knees so I am close to the floor.  Good exercise!!

There have been studies showing that caffeine can exacerbate dizziness or vertigo and since chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, contains a fair amount of caffeine, I have now gone almost 2 weeks without chocolate.  Before the vertigo began, I was eating WAY more Whittaker’s 72% dark chocolate than I am willing to admit.  This has been a REAL sacrifice.  I am willing to give it up though if it could be a factor in the healing process.

It was our mission Christmas Conference on Wednesday.  That was a treat.  We had a devotional/training in the morning, a delicious lunch, skits and talent by each zone, volleyball/basketball, and a movie with pizza and popcorn.   I left after the skits and talent show but I know that the missionaries who came from the entire mission had a fun-filled day.

I have been able to do my work and arrange for other missionaries to drive car-less missionaries to appointments when necessary.  I will be happy when I can once again do this part of my service.

We have been walking to the beach earlier in the morning this week (5:00-5:15) to avoid walking into the sun.  It is at such an angle when it first comes up that it is painful to the eyes.   The sunrises have been gorgeous though.  It has been dry and getting into the high 70’s during the day.  

Tuesday morning.  

Even just 2-3 minutes can make a completely different picture.

I didn’t get my camera out in time but when I first saw this man with his little dog,
they were nose to nose.  CUTE!      Notice the blooming pohutukawa trees.

Saturday morning

The flowers are still gorgeous along the path to the beach

Pohutukawa trees in the church car park

School is out for the summer here.  It is a time that many families travel so during the holidays, many businesses shut down.  School resumes mid-February.  

Saturday evening Sister Lucas and I were invited to dinner by Elder and Sister Romney.  We ate at D’s Ranch Steakhouse in Devenport.  It was rather busy and noisy but the company was great.  I didn’t get pictures though!  I am falling down on the job.  I had a margherita pizza that was pretty good.  I had some help to eat it so I only brought 3 slices home but I did get a picture of that.

After dinner we walked in the park at the end of the peninsula.  Devenport is a short 10 minute drive south of Takapuna on the southern end of a peninsula that is part of the North Head.   This promontory helps to form the mouth of the Auckland harbor.  

Saturday was the 2nd day of the America's Cup World Series regatta in Auckland.  It was 7:30ish as we walked.  The waterway was filled to capacity with boats returning to the harbor after watching the race.  It looked like rush hour on the motorway!   I must be off my game because I didn’t get one picture of the scene.  

In the park we saw this huge banyon tree.  On the net it says:  “The Moreton Bay fig tree in Windsor Reserve is fondly known as “Old Albert” (planted from a seeding via Albert Park in Auckland city).  It was planted in 1883 and is also known as an Australian Banyan tree.”

The tree is so huge I couldn’t get far enough away to capture the entire tree.

As we draw closer to Christmas Day, I think more about my family and friends.  Even though I am afar and I am not bringing you physical gifts, I send you my gift of love.  At this Christmas season, gift giving is a way to remember and think about the people we love.  We give gifts as the 3 Wise Men brought gifts to the baby Jesus. 

With his permission, I would like to share a poem written by my cousin, Steve Bailey, along with the photographic card he sent to me.  

The Celebration of Christmas (C)

Oh holy was the night in Bethlehem

with no room at the inn - for all was full.

Only a lonely manger was provided

to stage the awaited event.

The shepherds stirred with fearfulness

as a star lit up the dark night sky,

But fear was quickly subdued as the

angels announced the holy birth

of the Savior of the World, born that

holy night in a manger in Bethlehem.

The wisemen rejoiced with exceedingly

great joy as they came worshipping and

bearing the gifts of gratitude.

The joy of gift-giving to friends and family

simulates the Gift of the Son of God. He

brought light to the world: joy, happiness

and the gift of Eternal Life.

The gifts we give to others helps us to

remember Him and the gifts He gave to us.

May you have the gifts of a

Merry Christmas.

Steve Bailey

2020

I have a favorite thought that I always read at Christmas time.  I know that many of you have heard this from me before in choir programs and previous blogs, but it is a good reminder to me of why we give and receive gifts at this time and the reason behind the custom.  

Spencer W. Kimball on the proper spirit of Christmas giving  

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) was ordained an apostle in 1943 and served as President of the Church from 1973 to 1985.

Like the wise men who opened their treasury and presented to Jesus gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, we present to our loved ones things to eat and wear and enjoy.

"Though we make an effort to follow the pattern of gift giving, sometimes our program becomes an exchange—gift given for gift expected. Never did the Savior give in expectation. I know of no case in his life in which there was an exchange. He was always the giver, seldom the recipient. Never did he give shoes, hose, or a vehicle; never did he give perfume, a shirt, or a fur wrap. His gifts were of such a nature that the recipient could hardly exchange or return the value. His gifts were rare ones: eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and legs to the lame; cleanliness to the unclean, wholeness to the infirm, and breath to the lifeless. His gifts were opportunity to the downtrodden, freedom to the oppressed, light in the darkness, forgiveness to the repentant, hope to the despairing. His friends gave him shelter, food, and love. He gave them of himself, his love, his service, his life. The wise men brought him gold and frankincense. He gave them and all their fellow mortals resurrection, salvation, and eternal life. We should strive to give as he gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift."

- Spencer W. Kimball, "The Wondrous Gift," pamphlet, 1978; see also TSWK pp. 246-247

I pray that I may give more of myself to the service of the Lord and to try in every way to become more like Him.  

Have a blessed Christmas.  

I love my Savior.  I love you my family and friends.

I’m grateful for technology that allows me to join in family activities 7000 miles away.

My daughters (as you know my daughters by marriage are considered to be mine!) and most of my grandchildren had a zoom party on Saturday to make Christmas tree ornaments and I was invited.  I took pictures instead of creating ornaments but I had just as much fun and no mess to clean up. 

Katie made kits containing the supplies needed for the project and delivered them around so that everyone had the same supplies to work with.  I’m impressed with the creativity that I observed.  I am going to give you a few more pictures than you probably need but I am saving them for myself to look at in the future as I read about and remember my mission.

Jim and Jenna had made gingerbread houses
the night before so I got to see them as well.

It has been a most unusual week for me.  Tuesday early morning, I rolled over in bed and my world began to spin and didn’t stop for quite a while.  All day Tuesday, I walked carefully and held my head steady.  I have experienced vertigo before but not for several years and never like this.   

I diagnosed myself with BPPV - Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.  A couple of my children have this problem so I am familiar with the disorder.

From Wikipedia:  “Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder arising from a problem in the inner ear. Symptoms are repeated, brief periods of vertigo with movement, characterized by a spinning sensation upon changes in the position of the head. This can occur with turning in bed or changing position.

Within the labyrinth of the inner ear lie collections of calcium crystals known as otoconia or otoliths. In people with BPPV, the otoconia are dislodged from their usual position within the utricle, and migrate over time into one of the semicircular canals (the posterior canal is most commonly affected due to its anatomical position). When the head is reoriented relative to gravity, the gravity-dependent movement of the heavier otoconial debris (colloquially "ear rocks") within the affected semicircular canal causes abnormal (pathological) endolymph fluid displacement and a resultant sensation of vertigo.

BPPV can be triggered by any action which stimulates the posterior semi-circular canal including:

• Looking up or down
• Following head injury
• Sudden head movement
• Rolling over in bed
• Tilting the head

BPPV is one of the most common vestibular disorders in people presenting with dizziness.  Although BPPV can occur at any age, it is most often seen in people over the age of 60.   Besides aging, there are no major risk factors known for BPPV, although previous episodes of head trauma, or the inner ear infection labyrinthitis, may predispose to the future development of BPPV.^”

Since I fit well into the category of “over the age of 60”, I guess I can figure the cause. LOL

Tuesday evening I called our area doctor, Elder Mayberry, and he and his wife came to my flat and helped me with the Epley maneuver which is a series of rolls from side to side with head lowered over the edge of the bed.  This maneuver uses gravity to move the calcium crystal build-up back to where they belong.  The maneuver caused a LOT of vertigo during the procedure but since Tuesday evening, I have not experienced severe vertigo like I did on Tuesday.

The doctor recommended that I should not look down or up, no bending over, no lying flat, and no driving until the possibility of dizziness is gone.   They asked me where I would sleep and I told them I would sit up on the couch to sleep.  I asked for a Priesthood blessing so Elder Mayberry went to get another Priesthood holder.

10 minutes later, I got a knock on my door and I opened it to find Elder and Sister Mayberry and Elder Poll with a recliner for me.  I received a Priesthood blessing and had a good night’s sleep in the recliner.

Elder Mayberry told me that it could take 2 weeks or longer for everything to settle back to normal.  So this week I fortunately had only 2 appointments scheduled and I was able to call upon other senior missionaries to come to my rescue and help with one appointment where the sisters didn’t have a car.  For the other appointment I took care of insurance/payment over the phone and email.  The missionaries had a car so I didn’t need to take them nor accompany them.

I am getting a stiff neck from not bending my head down or up. LOL   A few times I have forgotten and I am reminded that I need to “behave” myself.  I haven’t had the severe dizziness but just bending my head down gives me a sensation in my head (difficult to describe) that reminds me that I could get dizzy if I am not careful.  It is a slight spinning but stops immediately when my head is level again.

I was advised to take it easy and rest so my recliner and I have become close.  Fortunately, I can still take calls and work at my laptop at my desk because it doesn’t require me to move my head up or down.  

I did walk a couple of days to the beach but I was careful not to look up and down with my head – only with my eyes. 

Clouds are just the best!   Clouds come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

I like the wispy clouds and the big heavy clouds as well.

Several mornings a week, I see a group of people exercising.  There is an
exercise coach so maybe it is a health club that like the hill to run up and
down and the open space and fresh sea breeze

I have always thought of myself as a patient person but I have discovered that I don’t want to wait 2 weeks for this to be over.  I want the freedom of movement back YESTERDAY!!

While resting in my recliner (It is mine now as the Mayberrys don’t want it back.), I have had a lot of time to ponder and to be grateful for the many good things that I enjoy in my life.  This is my view from my recliner.   I have this family portrait to look at and I have pictures of my grandchildren all over the wall.  My family is means everything to me.  I so grateful for their love, encouragement and support in all I do.

I can admire and enjoy the poinsettias that I have.  A thoughtful and dear friend read my blog last week.  She heard that I was “chair sitting” and brought me this beautiful poinsettia.  Now I am surrounded with beauty!!

I went to my patio door which I like to have open during the day so I can enjoy the fresh air and breeze that comes into my flat and saw this myna bird in the flax blossoms.

Studying the Come Follow Me lesson this week has given me much to think about.  I particularly thought about hope.  It would be so easy to feel down and out, angry, frustrated and to feel sorry for myself right now if it were not for my Priesthood blessing and my faith and hope, and I am grateful for all, but I want to share a few thoughts about hope.

I read a BYU devotional talk a few months ago.  In fact I may have referred to it in an earlier blog but I can’t remember for sure.  However, I want to refer to it now.  It is titled “Hope As An Anchor of Our Souls” given in June 2016 by Alan R. Harker.

Brother Harker begins his speech by telling of a visit to an art museum where he viewed an exhibit of sixteenth-century engravings,   He says:  

“Series after series of engravings depicted the seven virtues and the seven deadly sins. Almost all contained precisely the same compositional elements derived from scripture.

There were commonalities in all of these portrayals of hope: There was always a young woman looking longingly toward heaven, perhaps envisioning a brighter future in this life or in the next.  There was always the symbolism of the anchor, which is referred to in scripture in numerous places, but none so directly as in Hebrews 6:19: “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast.”

I have always been curious about hope and how we obtain it. It is something we all desire. In scripture it is always sandwiched between faith and charity. What is this hope, how does it act as an anchor of our souls, and how do we obtain this hope that we all seem to so desire? I will endeavor to address, if not answer, some of those questions today.

I wish to dismiss rather quickly two worldly notions regarding both hope and anchors. Hope in the scriptural sense is not wishing. We use the word hope far too often in that shallow context and thereby confuse ourselves into believing that hope is a transitory state that can be achieved in times of duress through mere desire or anxious longing. This is not the hope that is “both sure and stedfast.”

Just as hope is not the same as wishing, neither are anchors dead weight meant to slow us down or impede our progress. The proper use of an anchor is paramount to safety on the water. Having hoisted a few anchors myself, I can fully appreciate that one of the young ladies in an engraving depicting hope, although still gazing into heaven—perhaps waiting for that elusive answer to that last final exam ­question—had chosen to use the anchor for support rather than to hold it forever.

I am sure it is apparent where my metaphor is taking us. Real hope, based on eternal principles and spiritual experiences, is an anchor to our souls, intended to have and capable of having precisely the same effects as a sea anchor. In the storms that will descend on our seemingly safe harbor of home, family, church, and career, real hope grants us stability, affirms our orientation, and allows us to steer through troubled waters with measured progress.

So where can I procure one of these anchors against the storms of life?

In Romans 5:3–4, Paul described the process by which we gain that hope that is real and eternal:

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope.

The first thing we notice is that this is just a normal learning cycle.”

Brother Harker describes some of his learning cycles and then goes on to say:

“In my learning cycles, personally, patience is always the hardest part. Patience is the long, hard slog through data. It is experiencing misguided assumptions and repeated failures. It is the careful attention to nuance and detail. It is a matter of great and continual effort.

And we repeat this cycle over and over and over again, adding to our knowledge, understanding, and confidence. Confidence, by the way, is merely the worldly version of hope.

But Paul was not speaking of worldly or secular knowledge here. He was speaking in a spiritual sense, which is clearly taught in the foundation that he laid for verses 3 and 4, which I have not yet shared with you. In verses 1 and 2 he gave us a clear understanding of the critical element that makes this learning cycle not just a worldly endeavor but a spiritual one:

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope.

Paul, speaking spiritually, affirmed that my hope, real hope—that anchor of my soul, both sure and steadfast—is only to be found when it has its genesis in my faith in the Savior.

Paul also told me something that I did not necessarily want to hear: that the storms in this life are a necessary part of our progression. They represent a progression in our spiritual knowledge and understanding that is just as sure as our acquisition of academic knowledge. The cycle is the same. Why should we think that it would require any less effort? Why do some—or many in our day—propose that if God were real, if Christ had been His Son, and if the Restoration was all that important, then all of this would be self-evident, rendered to our full vision without effort on our part?

That is not how it works—in any aspect of our lives. When confronted with tribulation and trials, we rely upon our faith to keep us in the path facing the right direction. We then call upon the Lord for assistance and succor. We wait patiently for the hand of the Lord to be revealed. We recognize that promises have been kept and that we have been sustained, even when that sustenance comes in a form or at a time that is remarkably different from that which we have envisioned, requested, or expected.”

Brother Harker shares more insights and very personal examples of trial, faith and hope.  He draws toward a conclusion:

“I am most grateful that my children have made the necessary efforts to forge anchors of their own—anchors made through years of experience with the Atonement and our Savior’s love. My daughter’s expressions of desperation and comfort, grief and hope, are universal. They are mirrored perfectly in Paul’s exhortation to the Romans. The individual circumstances will change, but we will all experience this spiritual learning cycle over and over again so that we might know the good from evil and experience joy and sorrow, sickness and health—all that we might seek solace in the Atonement offered by our Savior and Redeemer. Our tribulations come in various forms: death, chronic pain, financial hardship, infidelity, divorce, prodigal children, or addiction. The sources are innumerable.”

I would invite you to read/listen to the entire message.  You may do so here.

I am grateful for the trials that are my “learning cycles.”   I am grateful that I have been able to learn more about hope.  It has helped my testimony of the Savior and his redeeming Atonement to grow stronger.  My Savior is my Anchor. 

I pray that you will have hope and peace as you enjoy the celebration of the Savior’s birth though the days ahead.

I love my Savior and I love you my family and friends.