Welcome 2012 -- The Year I was Supposed to Die

We should certainly count our blessings,

But we should also make our blessings count.

                             --Neal A. Maxwell

A friend of mine gave me this quote in vinyl for Christmas. It's my mantra for 2012 because I'm going to approach 2012 a little differently.

I'm not talking about typical New Year's resolutions or even a word to focus on like I have the last few years. This year is going to be different.

Why? 

Because I was supposed to die in 2012 and since I dodged that bullet (or polyp) I intend to make the most of it.

Five years ago I had a colonoscopy. I wasn't yet the age where it's recommended. In fact I had to jump through all kinds of hoops in order to get it done and even then we had to pay a pretty hefty and inconvenient portion of the bill. I had it done because of my mother's urging, which bordered on nagging, but I love her (and in hindsight I'm so grateful) so I'd rather characterize it as urging. My younger cousin was dealing with colon cancer and mom wanted all of her children to get a colonoscopy to ease her mind.

Mine revealed eight precancerous polyps, three of which were really large and positioned in a way that, according to the doctor, "by the time they became symptomatic, it would have been too late. You'd have been dead in five years."

This is the fifth year. This was the year I'd have died--while my son was on his mission, before any of my children were married, before my husband and I could fulfill many of our goals and long before I was ready to die.

Because I'll be living through 2012 instead of dying, I intend do what the quote says. I want the blessing of this year to really count. I want to do some of the things my family and I have wanted to do. We sat down together and made a list. It included:

Go to Music and the Spoken Word

Finish The Husbandmaker

Work on Big House in the Little Valley (my autobiography)

Do baptisms for the dead as a family

Run 1/2 marathon

Run a 5K with my family

Read Christ and the New Covenant

Do 48 acts of kindness for my birthday (more on that later)

Hike back up to where I split my head open

Go Hang gliding (if it isn't too expensive)

Bowling (if I can make myself put my feet in the shoes)

Visit Grandpa and Grandma on their mission in Toronto

Take opportunities to serve others

Visit the Church museum

Go to a Jazz game (I'd like it to be when they play Jimmer, but we'll see)

Organize and de-clutter my house

A couple of other personal things

I'm excited to work on this list. I don't want to just get through this year. I want it to be meaningful. I want this year to be filled with important things,  beautiful memories and wonderful experiences. I want it to set the stage for the rest of my life--a life that really matters. A life that blesses others. A life that's filled with joy.

I already have so many blessings. This year I want to make those blessings count.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

May we all live it well!

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