I enjoyed a merry Christmas.

Christmas Day I was invited to lunch at the home of Beth McBride who is a member of my Takapuna Ward.  She is a single sister so she invited me and Sister Lucas to join her.  I was at her home last year as well, so it has become a New Zealand tradition for me to spend Christmas Day with Beth.

Beth McBride

Bumblebee in Beth’s garden

Some of my family members called me on my Christmas Day and then I got to celebrate again the next day with my almost all of my family on Christmas Day in the USA.  We had a Zoom call where we shared the events of the day with each other and played some games:  Bingo and Scattergories.  Fun times!

Monday morning, Sister Lucas couldn’t go walking so I decided to walk to Lake Pupuke. From Wikipedia:  

“Lake Pupuke is a heart-shaped freshwater lake occupying a volcanic crater (or maar) between the suburbs of Takapuna and Milford on the North Shore of Auckland, New Zealand. The heart shape is a result of its formation by the linking of two circular craters - a larger one forming most of the lake and a smaller one forming the arm in the northeast. Separated from the sea by less than 200 m at one point, it has a circumference of about 4.5 km and reaches 57 m in depth. It is popular for recreational activities and the lakefront property around it.”

 

As I walked to the lake I saw this gorgeous Monarch butterfly on a balloon plant (which is of the milkweed family) or Gomphocarpus physocarpus which is a food of the caterpillars of Danaus butterflies, including the monarch butterfly.
 

I had a meeting at the office Monday morning so I walked through the reserve.  I hadn’t walked there for a while.  It is greener than the last time I walked through.

Zoom in to see the bananas

Monday evening, the Pacific Area Office missionaries joined with some of the New Zealand Auckland senior missionaries to celebrate the season with dinner and games.  Then we sang carols.  The residents of the building where we live had been invited to join us along with some of the missionaries serving in the Takapuna area.  A few joined us in the common area but more joined the singing from their balconies.   After the carols, the elders entertained us with a haka.  Fun evening.

 

My vertigo is much better.  I am able to drive so on Wednesday I helped a sister without a car to pick up her glasses and then to enjoy lunch.

Sisters Beia and Sanchez

Thursday I spoiled myself and invited sisters to go for sushi with me. 

Christmas morning

Large castle with moat and bridges

As I look forward to the New Year, I think about the times I have set goals for myself and never really followed through.  There has always the goal of weight loss, better nutrition, exercise, study and read the scriptures more regularly, etc.  This year is no exception except I really want to be better at following through.   I read an article in the October New Era about goal setting titled Big Goals, Little Goals that has given me some food for thought.  

The authors, Nichole Eck, with LeAnn Hunt, say:  

“Good, useful goals come in all shapes and sizes, and they’re often smaller than we expect. It might be easy to pick a big goal like “I want to eat healthier.” If we look closer, we’ll be able to see less obvious goals that make achieving the bigger goal easier…  If we only focus on the big goals, we miss out on a lot of the smaller goals that help us achieve the bigger goals.”

The authors go on to discuss:  “seven types of goals you might not have considered before and some examples of how to use them as spiritual, physical, intellectual, and social goals.”

They list and discuss these goals:

1. Exploration Goals: Sometimes we want to explore new things to learn what we want or like.
2. Goals for Experimenting: Sometimes we want to test something out to see if it works for us.
3. Information-Gathering Goals: Sometimes we need to find out more information about a goal before we start.
4. Goals for Starting (or Stopping) a Habit: Sometimes we want to start a good habit or stop a bad one. (These don’t have to be daily habits.)
5. Practice Goals: Sometimes we want to practice something to improve it.
6. Problem Solving Goals: Sometimes we choose goals to solve a problem in our lives.
7. In-Progress Goals: Sometimes we set goals to improve the goals we are already doing.

I liked some of the ideas and examples presented in the article and will try implementing them.  If you would like to read the article, you may do so here:

Happy New Year

May you find beauty, joy and peace in this coming New Year

 
I’m grateful for this week dedicated to the birth and life of our Savior.  I have enjoyed the carols, the visits with family and friends, the greetings and thoughts sent to me through various technology and the gift giving and receiving but most of all I have grown to love my Savior even more for his willingness to come to this earth to teach and minister and to set an example for me.  I love Him for his Atonement and sacrifice.  I am blessed because of His death and resurrection.  I want to be more like Him in every way.

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

 

 

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.