Merry Christmas 2014

IAT = I am thankful

click for larger view

Just a few more happy thoughts that didn't fit on the back of the post card. We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and are able to count your blessings. Know that the Nortons have challenges too. Maybe it seems like everything is rosy, but we just don't take any pleasure in broadcasting the negative. We'd rather just focus on our blessings. So, with that.

Bret continues teaching at the Gila Valley Institute. He enjoys his classes and students. It's been a wonderful job now for nearly 30 years. Hard to believe. Harder to believe that we are actually thinking and planning for retirement in just a few years. Bret serves as a member of the bishopric in our church. He is a hard working husband, and a great dad. He is ultra supportive of everything I do. Bret's mom sold the family home in Duncan this year, and moved on to our property. We love having her as a neighbor. Never have to worry about the kids knowing Grandma is right there. It was pretty hard and pretty sad to move all of her things out and wave goodbye to so much.

Andrew, Elizabeth, and.....CHARITY. This year we gained our first grandchild. She's a beautiful little girl and I've loved the opportunity that they have been close most of the year and we get to see all of them often and babysit Charity regularly. Both grandmas agree she is perfect. :-) Drew finished his degree this year in Interdisciplinary Studies through ASU, but taken locally in partnership with our local Jr College. (Think Liberal Arts but Business). He and Elizabeth moved to Mesa for the Summer where Drew sold pest control quite successfully and then they moved back to our little valley. Drew got his insurance license and is working for Allstate insurance. Elizabeth is finishing her degree in May. Recently changed from Elementary Education to Interdisciplinary Studies too. We love seeing them often and they are usually here on Sundays.

Chris and Anica. Anica graduated with the same degree as Andrew and at the same school. So we attended both of their graduations at the same time. Chris will graduate with the same degree in May. Chris and Anica spent the Summer in Denver also selling pest control successfully. They had a fun time in the area and we had fun visiting them. Anica has several jobs and Chris was just hired with Verizon and they are moving to Tempe, Az and will finish up classes there at ASU. Well, Chris will. They are talking about Masters Degrees next year. They are a fun loving couple and it has also been wonderful having them close. We'll miss that.

Joseph and......Joseph got home from his mission to Ogden, Utah in March of this year. If you've never sent a child away for two years without the ability to communicate any time you want to in an instant communication world, you might not appreciate what it means for our missionaries to come home. It's just plain awesome. A few weeks later, he met the girl of his dreams (Mallory) and they dated most of the year until they got engaged recently, and married just a few days ago.

Besides a wedding, Joseph has had several years of heart issues. He has never been diagnosed but his symptoms were very much like mine for those of you who know that history. Finally this Summer, when his heart was absolutely giving him fits, he was diagnosed with SVT. This Fall he had OUTPATIENT corrective surgery and there is a 95% chance he'll never have another issue. Grateful for that! Joseph is musically talented and majoring in music attending our local college with future hopes of BYU-I. He had a very busy semester in plays and musicals and choir concerts. We loved attending. He is working at Big 5 and tuning pianos until he is finished with schooling or changes locations.

Jefferson continues to work as a manager at our local Hawaiian restaurant. He is a valued employee and has been saving money for his mission. He turned 20 this year and in just a few weeks will be hitting the submit button on his mission papers and we will find out what the next few years hold for his future. He has really matured into a wonderful help and support. Kind and caring. We often say we have 31/2 children left at home because even though he lives here, he's not here much. I love hearing him play the piano and the ukelele.

Emily is a pretty joyful teen to have around. She just turned 17 and I'm so glad that on most days, she is wearing a smile and sporting a laugh. It's rare that I ever get any push back from her and we're really thankful for her easy going attitude. She is a junior and is in full swing in basketball right now and she is also working at the Hawaiian restaurant. We are glad she has a little money coming in and learning the value of that. She has great supportive friends and loves her new school and circumstances (2nd year at a new high school) She's a good older sister and I am often told how much she looks like me. Not sure she appreciates that, but there it is.

Noah is a freshman and we can hardly wrap our brains around that. He is 14 going on 20. A great kid with a funny sense of humor. He is helpful and growing so fast we aren't sure his weight will ever catch up with his height. His main goal in life is to pass up his mother, which will likely happen any time. He was taking piano this year and then somehow that slipped through the cracks, so while he is waiting to start at the beginning of next year again, he taught himself how to play the guitar. He is often strumming and singing and has a pretty nice voice for his age. We are hoping that he might start tennis next year.

Olivia is much like her sister in the smiling and laughing department. We seriously scored on these two girls. She continues taking art lessons and is getting better and better. She is a good student and is vibrant and happy like most 11 year olds. She will also continue piano at the new year. She tried basketball earlier this year. We are still trying to figure out what the interests of this 6th grader will be. She may be completely artistic as she likes art, music, dance, etc. She's mentioned she'd like to take violin. We'd like that too.

Then there's me. There's really too much to tell. It was a very difficult year for me at first. Our second move left me pretty lonely not knowing anyone. But, I threw myself into church and zumba (a new interest) and finding a walking partner, who I love, and just staying busy and that has all seemed to work itself out. I was teaching the 7 year old children in Sunday School but they downgraded me to the adult Sunday School teacher. ;-) I have really enjoyed studying the Old Testament this year and I am super excited to spend the whole year studying the New Testament. I am beginning to love teaching. In March I signed on with the Og Mandino company to begin training as a life coach. I've completed that training and am looking forward to some fresh opportunities in January. I've also partnered with a gal in a nutritional company and she is going to help me with a nutritional business (finally lost 10 pounds) while I help her with coaching and training. I am extremely joyful that in a moment of gratitude this year, 11 years of eczema was healed. That may sound strange, but gratitude healed my eczema. You'll just have to ask me about it. Finally, my real estate business continues its bipolar ways. Had a super successful first half of the year, but the second half slowed way down. Ironically, I now have more listings (and potential) than I've ever had. I'm going to stop saying this is the year I quit real estate, because that just doesn't seem to be true. :-)

I think that's quite a few more thoughts and if you are still reading, wow, you must love us. We love you too. So many friends and family that we miss, but cherish memories and relationships. We are thankful each and every year for the Christmas season and how it brings out the best in people. We hope you will find the peace of the season that comes from THE Peacegiver. May your faith and blessings carry you through another year.

Warm wishes from the Norton family!

Gratitude in ALL things

IAT = I am thankful

I've had an ongoing challenge for some time. It's my challenge even though it's common to a lot of people. I don't think it matters what it is, just that I continue to be stressed by it. It's been particularly difficult the last four months. Think of YOUR challenges. What is really hard for you? A few weeks ago, it seemed to really reach an emotional crisis for me. Enough that I was brought to tears over it and wondered what to do. I had the opportunity to take a long drive (show a property in another county) and so I had time to ponder. A couple of years ago, I considered the scriptural counsel to be grateful in ALL things. I wondered if I could possibly do that.

I've been teaching for years that being grateful is like having a perfect view out a big picture window. You can see clearly and it all makes sense. But when you aren't grateful or refuse to acknowledge God's hand in all things, it's as if someone has pulled the curtains shut. The view is still there. Everything is just as clear as day, but you can't see it very well.

So, I'm crying like a ninny and fretting, and I start praying, and I say, "God, thank you for this trial. I am sure there is a lesson in it, and I want to be your student." Whoa Nelly, the curtains were thrown open. Because it has become quite the sacred experience for me, I won't share the conversation that happened, or at least that I perceived happened between me and the Spirit. But I was seriously not expecting what came and I think it's one of the most moving experiences I've had in my life. As I continued to ponder the experience and direction I had been given, I TRULY was grateful for this challenge I have had. One of the answers is to just keep going. But since then, I have been able to just let it go.

A few months ago, I actually experienced a healing because of gratitude. THAT is for another day. I was blown away by that new knowledge; that gratitude can heal physical ailments. Still scratching my head. What a gift!

I've thought a lot since my prayer in the car, these past few weeks, and come to the simple conclusion that I am more blessed than I could ever deserve. It's all perspective. A long time ago I was raised in circumstances that were pretty difficult at the time. But since I was about 21, my life has been almost a fairy tale when I look back on it. Not to say there has not been a major crisis here and there or there have not been times when I was brought to my knees in pleading and anguish. I think most people have a few of those. But when I ponder this Christmas and what could be my lot...

On the same day, a few days ago, on facebook I saw two statuses that confirm my above thoughts. In one family, fund raising was happening for their 3 year old boy. He had choked on something and now lay in a hospital with no brain activity and his family considering who they could save through organ donation. In another family, the mother was facing death after a pregnancy with cancer. (http://kathysmiracle.com/) She did not have treatment to save the life of her baby, but her baby died a few days after birth! THESE trials are difficult on any day of the year, but at the Christmas season? Doubly hard.

Then today, I was greatly moved by a client I worked with earlier this year. During THE MOST difficult real estate transaction in my career, this sweet family lost their darling 18 month old to drowning. I wanted desperately to be sure that the sale of their home was completed. It took four months.

You know all those end of the year facebook summaries? Hey look at my year? Thanks for being a friend, etc. Well, this sweet client of mine, posted hers. The caption? "It was a great year." Now THAT my friends is being grateful in all things. She doesn't know she is my hero. She is walking the walk. A few weeks after she lost her dear little guy, I gave her a compliment that led to a long conversation. I was so impressed that this young mom who had lost her only child...instead of finding ways to turn her grief into bitterness, anger, and why me's, chose instead to focus on all the many blessings that people were offering her. She was broken hearted to be sure. But she did not use it as an excuse to stop life in it's tracks. And because of that (and a darling new baby boy) she is moving on with her life. I know she will always have a tremendous hole in her heart saved for loving her little angel, but I hope, when times are really tough for me, that I can act as graciously and gratefully as she has taught me.

My experience of a few weeks ago, the true trials of other families, and my real estate friend, give me a greater desire to be grateful in all things. I want to close with some moving words from the husband of the mother of five (six) who will be leaving her family soon.

"Intuitively the only length of life long enough to satisfy our desire is eternal life making the veracity of the resurrection self evident and still the freedom is ours to receive a sharper comprehension of this gift than is afforded by intuition alone. But why bother? In truth some of us are far removed from concerns as pertaining to eternal life, the hereafter being so far away. And so here is my message: If you have loved here then your hour of desperation will surely come and the significance of the resurrection; for you personally, will transcend your most choice experiences, because you will know by and through the resurrection, do (that?) those experiences and associations; your greatest treasures, continue to matter."

I feel blessed with my life and continue to desire to give it to Him by giving to others. My little Merry Miss phrase from days of long ago, continues to come to mind regularly. "I will radiate the light of the gospel by bringing joy to others." Gratefully.