We gathered on Sunday to celebrate my mom and Sam’s birthdays! Ellie and Sam were in town. It was the perfect excuse to have Dede and her family here, nieces and nephews-and friends Kate brought over. After we ate we handed a guitar to one of Kate’s friends. He serenaded my mom-“Hey good lookin’”, sang a song he wrote and accepted suggestions from the rest of us. We love sharing a meal with family and friends, especially on Sundays. The performance was unique for that day but after the music stopped we stayed gathered and had our “Sunday chat.” It is my favorite part of the week. Sometimes our chat is just Danny, Sophie and I…there are other times where we have nieces and nephews, grand parents and friends. This past Sunday we had family and friends. We go around the room and everyone shares the following:
- 3 challenges
- 3 wins
- a goal
- a miracle
Every single time I feel inspired to do better. My heart softens-sometimes completely melts, at the sweetness of open hearts and striving. It is a reminder, no matter the age, we all have things to work on and improve AND we all have wins to celebrate. There are also miracles all around us- a healthy body, having a friend (one of life’s greatest gifts), answers to prayer, opportunities of growth, and family members to love. This past Sunday Kate had another friend stop by toward the end of the chat. She listened to us finishing up and then took a turn- “I love this game!” she said. I smiled with a heart full of gratitude. I am grateful for family members open to sharing and friends to join us.
President Nelson’s teaching from the Time Magazine article for is 101st birthday wraps up my hopes (especially in this week),
“Love your neighbor and treat them with compassion and respect. A century of experience has taught me this with certainty: anger never persuades, hostility never heals, and contention never leads to lasting solutions. Too much of today’s public discourse, especially online, fosters enmity instead of empathy. Imagine how different our world could be if more of us were peacemakers—building bridges of understanding rather than walls of prejudice—especially with those who may see the world differently than we do.”
I hope we have many more Sunday chats to come and that they are filled with family and friends. I pray that they will be converstations that bridge understanding and foster more love and friendship as we support each person’s thoughts, struggles and triumphs.
carin + danny 