It seems as if the year 2012 just got underway and we are already past the halfway mark with the end of the year not only in sight but, closing in on us quickly (WHEW). Our July visiting teaching message was entitled, Always in the Middle, by President Uchtdorf.
He said, "July marks the middle of the year and while beginnings and endings of things are celebrated and remembered, the middle of things often goes unnoticed. Beginnings are times for making resolutions, for creating plans, for bursts of energy. Endings are times for winding down and may involve feelings of completion or loss. But with the proper outlook, considering ourselves as in the middle of things can help us not only to understand life a little better but also to live it a little more meaningfully." "Being always in the middle means that the game is never over, hope is never lost, defeat is never final. For no matter where we are or what our circumstances, an eternity of beginnings and an eternity of endings stretch out before us. We are always in the middle."
So, why am I mentioning this you ask? well, we are right in the middle of the year and this is not the time for us to relax or become complacent but, as President Uchtdorf mentions, we need to continue to work hard. This is a good time to re-take our spiritual checklist and determine if there has been any improvement since the last time.
SPIRITUAL CHECKLIST 1. Do you have your daily personal prayers both morning and night? 2. Do you have daily family prayers both morning and night? 3. Do you have daily personal scripture study? 4. Do you have daily family scripture study? 5. Are you holding weekly family home evening? 6. If you are a temple member, do you have a current recommend? 7. If you are a temple member, have you gone to the temple at least once this year? 8. Do you hold a position in your ward? (Visiting teacher/Hometeacher) 9. Do you serve the Lord faithfully to the best of your ability? 10. Are you a full tithe payer? 11. Do you have a picture of the Savior in your home? 12. Do you have a picture of the temple in you home? 13. Do you keep the sabbath day holy? 14. Do you want your score to improve?
Well, how did you do?? If you've done better GREAT!! If you did some backsliding, that's alright just don't dwell on the past. Pick yourself up and do your best TODAY.
"Yes there will be moments of beginnings and moments of endings throughout our lives, these are only markers along the way of the great middle of our eternal lives. Wether we are at the beginning or the end, young or old, the Lord can use us for His purposes if we simply set aside whatever thoughts limit our ability to serve and allow His will to shape our lives.
I hope everyone is off to a wonderful NEW YEAR in 2012. Have you been thinking of some new goals to work on for the new year? It is a great way to develop and improve ourselves. If you haven't done so already, holding a goal setting FHE is a good place to start. Elder Russell M. Ballard has said:
"Often the lack of clear direction and goals can waste away our time and energy and contribute to imbalance in our lives. A life that gets out of balance is much like a car tire that is out of balance. It will make the operation of the car rough and unsafe. Tires in perfect balance can give a smooth and comfortable ride. So it is with life. The ride through mortality can be smoother for us when we strive to stay in balance. Our main goal should be to seek "immortality and eternal life" (Moses 1:39). With this as our goal, why not eliminate from our lives the things that clamor for and consume our thoughts, feelings, and energies without contributing to our reaching that goal?"
We can begin in Luke 2:52 which say's: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man." This scripture gives us 4 primary areas of focus to live a balanced life. This scripture mentions wisdom or intellectual, stature or physical, favour with God or spiritual, and with man or social. So, setting intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social goals will help us be better rounded sons and daughters of God.
Here are some helpful fundamental things to remember which I found about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals.
Specific- Setting a specific goal has a better chance of being accomplished than a general one. Example: A general goal would be, I want to get in shape. A specific goal would be, I will join a gym and work out 3 days a week.
Measurable- President Thomas S. Monson has said, "Where performance is measured, performance improves." Establish criteria for measuring your progress toward your goals. Writing in a journal daily or reporting to a family member or friend are some ways to keep track of your daily progress.
Achievable- Remember to set goals that are attainable, goals that we can realistically reach. We won't stick to those goals that seem out of our reach.
Relevant- Set goals based on their order of importance to you in your life. Also, make sure the goal is relevant to what you can control. For example, don't set a goal that William will go to the prom with you. You cannot control what William does. Instead, your goal can be, I will ask William to the prom.
Timely- A goal must have a definitive time frame to be accomplished. A good example of this is when President Hinckley challenged the Church in August of 2005 to read the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the year. That gave many people the motivation to up their scripture study performance because of it. If President Hinckley had just said, read the Book of Mormon, it would not have had the same effect.
It is said that to make something a habit we need to do it 21 days straight without missing a day.Hereare a few book marks, and calendars that may be useful to you in setting and keeping track of your goals for the new year. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!
One quick story.......On Fast Sunday there was a brother that bore his testimony in our ward that had a good message that I took to heart and I thought I would share it with everyone. This brother said that he had been diagnosed with diabetes about 10 years ago and had been taking insulin everyday since then. One day he was outside and stopped to pray about his health. All of a sudden he said that he heard an audible voice say to him, "What are you willing to do!" From that day on he began to make little changes and before he knew it the doctor needed to cut his medicine in half. Today he is completely off his insulin and does not need to take it any longer.
This made me think of the many times I ask Heavenly Father for things and drop the ball by not doing my part in meeting Him halfway. May we all take this message to heart as we prayerfully set goals for the new year. Remember the Lord's promise in Ether 12:27,
"And if men come unto me I willshow unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
I heard this story for the first time in my elders quorum meeting.A missionary by the name of Elder Stoeher shared this story with us.After he was done with the story there wasn't a dry eye in the room.Then I heard it again earlier this year in our gospel doctorine class.And the same thing happend again there wasn't a dry eye in the room.This story is one of my favorite stories of all time.I forgot that Elder Stoeher gave us copies of the story.I found it while I was cleaning out my scriptures.And this story just shows how much the savior suffered and it also shows how much he loves us.My testimony has grown much more since I heard this story.You guys might have heard this story but it goes like this
This story begins in the year nineteen hundred and ninety seven in the seminary class of brother Mac. Bro. Mac had a bunch of donuts that he had gotten a hold of.As to be expected the kids hit him up for donuts. "Bro. Mac. Can we have a donut?"
"Yes as soon as we get class started." So they began to start class. They sang the song and gave the thought and then Bro. Mac read the scripture. It was John chapter 3 verse 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Brother Mac started to give donuts out. He started in the back corner of the room with the window next to a desk occupied by John. (now John was not an out going person, plus he was really skinny and not that popular.) Bro. Mac said "John would you like a donut?" Yea he replied. Would you do 10 push-ups for it? "Ok" so he drops and dose 10 push-ups.
Cindy would you like a donut? Yes
John would you do 10 push-ups so Cindy can have a donut. Not expecting this John says umm... yea so he dose 10 push-ups
Mary would you like a donut? Yes
John would you do 10 push-ups so Mary can have a donut
Dave would you like a donut? Yes
John would you do 10 push-ups so Dave could have a donut
Jared woud you like a donut? Yes
John would you do 10 push-ups so Jared can have a donut
Brody would You like a donut? No thinking that if he answered no John wouldn't need to do push-ups.
John would you do 10 push-ups for a donut that Brody doesn't want. Bro. Mac placed the donut on the corner of his desk.
Jennifer would you like a donut? No
John would you do 10 push-ups for a donut that Jennifer doesn't want. Bro. Mac placed the donut on the corner of his desk.
Then brother Mac got to Jason. Now Jason was the captain of the football team popular and all that.
Jason would you like a donut? Yea but I'll do the push-ups. Bro. Mac said Ok you have a 1,000 to do. Jason looked at him and said "I can't do that many push-ups" John, will you do 10 push-ups so Jason can have a donut?
Sena would you like a donut? No, but he doesn't need to do the push-ups. John would you do 10 push-ups for a donut that Sena doesn't want. By now John was struggling on the push-ups beads of sweat started to form on his face. His skin color had changed from white to bright red.
Bro. Mac continued on.
Crystal yes
Lisa no
Misty yes
Rob yes
Clint yes
Nick no
As John continued to do push-ups. You could tell every push-up was more and more agonizing. His body began to shake.
Bro. Mac continued on
Amanda no
Aaron yes
As the class watched John was nearing the end.
Alison would you like a donut? Yes as tear ran down her cheek.
John would you do 10 push-ups so Alison can have a donut.
Brenda would you like a donut? Yes as tears ran down her face.
John would you do 10 push-ups so Brenda can have a donut.
John had finally finished. His weak and frail body struggled to stand from doing well over 300 push-ups as he staggered to his feet. Eric a classmate not in the church had just come to the door. He was running late. The class had noticed him and blurted NO! don't come in. For fear that John couldn't do 10 more push-ups Eric stopped.
Then a small voice whispered from the back corner of the room. No it's ok let him come in. John got down on the floor and began to do the 10 push-ups. The push-ups that he had done before had taken its toll on his body. He began to cry as he did the last 5. As he finished he staggered to stand up and noticed that everyone was watching him and not one person had a dry eye in the room!
That day Bro. Mac's class had gained a greater testimony of the Savior.
We are grateful for this family blog. Our parents raised us to be proud of our polynesian heritage but to always remember our eternal heritage. That we are all children of our Heavenly Father and someday can be together as a family forever. Dad passing on mom's birthday 11/29/2011 has just confirmed to us that they are with one another and that someday it will be our turn. The three things we most remember about our dad is that 1. You want it, you got it toyota. 2. Never give up cause when one closes another opens 3. Get an education(of course his kids still working on that).
An early memory I have as a family was when we went to the Laie, Hawaii temple to seal Eric to us. Nei,Eric and I were waiting in a waiting area in the temple. We were all in white and Eric was screaming cuz mom and dad were not with us, but when we were finally able to come together with Dad and mom I felt peace and Eric stopped crying. Someday I know this scene will happen again. We will be reunited with them again on the other side. I look forward to that happy day.
My dad may not have been a perfect man but I realize that none of us are perfect. What I will always remember most about him is that when I got divorced he not only was a grandfather to my girls but a father figure who loved them. He was there for both their births, graduations, school plays, school projects and just there for my girls. Besides being papa he was dad especially to my Niue. They laughed together, played together, talked together, sang together and when my Niue was about to get lickens my dad shielded her. I will be forever grateful to him for the love he gave my children when they needed it. He taught me that family is important, that when the world and friends leave you behind family will be there. My parents are together forever now. They had their own birthday celebration and we weren't invited...When I told a friend about my dad passing on my mothers birthday she said, "How romantic." I never looked at it that way. They will be buried in the area Eternal Love at the Valley of Temples. Those that know my parents story would so understand. As an adult I understand the love they have now.
Thank you Dino for this blog and to both you and Teura for your love and support.
Our love and prayers are with all of you at the passing of your beloved father, grandfather and our uncle. We will miss him for a time but, we know that he is now with his eternal companion on the other side of the veil and is so happy to be free from the pains of his mortal body and this frail existence. You have all worked very hard to care for your parents/grandparents in their darkest hours of need, giving of yourselves unselfishly. You have all been a great example to the rest of us, as we have watched you work and serve your parents so diligently. Here is a poem that reminded me of all of you.......
I Have Not Gone
You think I've gone, that I am dead, and life has lost its will, But look around, I am right there, living with you still I watch your tears, I feel your pain - I see the things you do I weep as well, each time you cry, my soul, it lives with you
It gives such joy to hear you laugh, and do the things you do And when you smile o'er by gone days, I smile right with you too For we're still one, just you and me, one mind, one soul, one being Walking forward into life, though only you are seen
And in the stillness of the night, when the pain it really starts Stretch out a little with your mind and draw me to your heart For I am always right in there, always by your side For you have been, all my life's days, my joy, my love my pride.
Author unknown
Never forget how special you all are to your parents/grandparents. You certainly all are their joy, love and pride. They will continue to be with you and watch over you, for you are their greatest treasure. Remember, they can do more for the family on the other side of the veil than they were ever able to do here. Last of all, your parents/grandparents will tell you this one day for themselves but, until then they would want me to tell you "THANK YOU" from the bottom of their hearts for being their doctor, nurse, pharmacist, chauffeur and more.....you have all made them so happy and proud:)
May the words of this song bring all of you great comfort..............Love Dino
The song sung at President Gordon B. Hinckley’s funeral entitled “What Is This Thing That Men Call Death” was indeed a poem written by the prophet. Nobody knows when he wrote it, but when Janice Kapp Perry’s niece was fighting cancer, she asked permission from President Hinckley to print the poem on her funeral program. She received a nice letter from the prophet’s secretary saying she was welcome to do so and he told her he would remember her in his prayers. She then asked her aunt to set the poem to music and when that was done, Janice sent a copy to President Hinckley’s office for approval.
He died soon after, but it seemed the poem and the music was not meant to go with him to the next life but to stay here on earth to comfort many more souls.
What is this thing that men call death?
What is this thing that men call death?
This quiet passing in the night?
ʻTis not the end but genesis
Of better worlds and greater light
O God, touch Thou my aching heart
And calm my troubled, haunting fears
Let hope and faith, transcendent, pure
Give strength and peace beyond my tears.
There is no death, but only change
With recompense for vicʻtry won
The gift of Him who loved all men
The Son of God, the Holy One.
Please post your thoughts, feelings, and fondest memories or stories of Uncle Aiva:
I miss Uncle Aiva so much and I hope the family love him. I know you miss him.
Ava
What I remember about Uncle Aiva was that when he and my dad would see each other they would call out and greet one another with, "Makasipi", and crack up. I never knew what that meant until I finally asked my dad about it the other day. He laughed and said that it meant cockeye . I knew by the way they always got a kick out of it that it must be something funny;)
Dino
Whenever we came over to Oahu to visit, I remember Uncle always dressed nicely in his aloha shirt and slacks. As soon as he would see us, he would always offer juice, the meadow gold carton juice in grape, orange, or fruit punch, and food. We would never go hungry there at the Aiea house. Even now, whenever I see that carton of juice in the store or anywhere, I always think of Uncle Aiva.
Lohi
I remember whenever we would visit or stay at uncleʻs house he would always come out of the room with his lavalava on. He would give us hugs and then ask if we wanted something to eat. If there wasnʻt anything to eat he would always order pizza. After dinner there was always the good ice cream for eat (Haagen Dazs). I always remember the goodies Uncle would bring home and leave all over the table. My favorite was the twinkies. Kana
Have you ever watched 19 kids & counting? I really like that show. Whenever I watch it, I'm inspired and I want to be better. In one particular show, I remember the mom and dad (Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar) talking about how every night they go around the room and each person will say one nice thing about everyone else there. After each compliment made, everyone would clap. They said that clapping after, multiplies that compliment by the times however many people are there. For example, for the Duggers, a kid would compliment their sibling and everyone else clapping, making that 1 compliment 20xs (2 parents + 18 kids) more powerful. I thought that was pretty amazing.
Receiving compliments are fun to get. It makes you feel good about yourself AND it boosts you confidence. giving compliments are also fun to give. It makes you focus on what you admire about the other person (and maybe not so much on the bad stuff :) and it makes you feel good that you made that other person happy.
I thought that this was a VERY awesome thing to start with my own family. We decided to do it at the end of the day, right before saying family prayer. Me and Cam thought that that would be a perfect time to do it because sometimes, we get overwhelmed with the kids. Seems like they're not listening and not doing what we want them to do and everyone ends up being upset. This should NOT be the feeling while saying family prayer. Instead of it being a time to actually talk to Heavenly Father, it ends up being just a check off the "things-we're-suppose-to-be-doing" list. I figure that saying something nice about everyone in the room would break whatever bad feeling or anger that is being felt and we would have a nice family prayer.
I've been wanting to do this for a while but actually just started doing it about 2 weeks ago. I have already been seeing a difference. Na'u LOVES it! The very first time we did it, it was just me, Cameron, and Na'u. Iwi was on Moloka'i. I went first and we all clapped. Then Cam went and everyone clapped. When it was Na'u's turn, she was a little shy and didn't know what to say. So, I whispered to her something about Cameron for her to say and then Cameron did the same thing for me. She was HAPPY that she contributed.
Here are some different comments that have been made thus far-
Daddy-I like your smile. I like how you take care of Na'u when she's sick.
Mommy-I like that you cook for us. I like your long hair.
Na'ulei-I like how you share your toys. I like how you help with Loli'i.
Iwi Boy-I like how you are learning your colors. I like it when you're nice to your sister.
Loli'i-I like your gummy smile. I like that you are eating all of your food and vegetables.
Now, after doing this everyday for the past 2 weeks, I have already seen a difference. Just yesterday, Na'u at breakfast, asked if she could say something nice about everyone. I told her sure and she did. Last night, she wanted to go first AND again after everyone had a turn. You can tell that she likes to say nice things about everyone else. She is even the one to remember to say something about Loli'i because most of the time he is already sleeping in his crib by the time we do it. Iwi doesn't quite take part in it just yet. We try to whisper something for him to say but with his limited speech, the compliment doesn't make out :). I'm sure though that one day soon he will.
I know that there are things that we need to work on but I know that doing this, pushes us in the right direction of being kind to one another and recognizing how special the other members of our family are. I think that you all should start this. I am sure that this will only strengthen our family relationships because family is what matters most.
This story was taken from a talk given by Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone in the November 1975 New Era. It has such a wonderful message that I just had to share it.
Many years ago I heard the story of the son of King Louis XVI of France. King Louis had been taken from his throne and imprisoned. His young son, the prince, was taken by those who dethroned the king. They thought that inasmuch as the king’s son was heir to the throne, if they could destroy him morally, he would never realize the great and grand destiny that life had bestowed upon him.
They took him to a community far away, and there they exposed the lad to every filthy and vile thing that life could offer. They exposed him to foods the richness of which would quickly make him a slave to appetite. They used vile language around him constantly. They exposed him to lewd and lusting women. They exposed him to dishonor and distrust. He was surrounded 24 hours a day by everything that could drag the soul of a man as low as one could slip. For over six months he had this treatment—but not once did the young lad buckle under pressure. Finally, after intensive temptation, they questioned him. Why had he not submitted himself to these things—why had he not partaken? These things would provide pleasure, satisfy his lusts, and were desirable; they were all his. The boy said, “I cannot do what you ask for I was born to be a king.”
Our father is a king and we were all born to be kingʻs and queenʻs. How wonderful life would be if we truly understood our nobility and conducted ourselves accordingly despite the filth, degradation, and pervertedness that may come our way. This world would be a different place if everyone acted and treated one another with the knowledge of our divine potential.
