Time.........

Then (with the clan of course):
Lately, I have been thinking about the passage of time. There was a comment made in Relief Society about things happening one drop at a time. It was said in regards to learning things line upon line when we are a society that thrives on instant gratification. Unfortunately, my brain took a turn from the lesson and all I could think about was the passage of time. Things happen drop by drop, minute by minute, and day by day. One day you look back and you realize that while you have been living day by day, months and even years have passed. I am 27 years old. I have been home from my mission for over 5 years now. I have lived on the East Coast for almost 2 years. (Sidebar: Ladies we are going to have to figure out a way to do a bi-coastal R.A.G.S. celebration this year!)
As I go through the stress of this holiday season, I realize that this isn’t the first time I have done this. Last year there were worries about flights and holiday parties and what to get roommates and friends for Christmas. Next year will be the same. It amazes me how time slips away from us. I start to wonder if I have appreciated all of the things that I have been able to do this year. There have been beautiful sunrises and sunsets; moments on the beach, rafting trips, dinners and movies with friends, baseball games, hockey games, new friends, old friends, new babies, funerals, and memorials. I have learned quite a bit about myself this year, but is it enough? As my dad asked earlier this year: Have I finished finding myself so that I can move home? I think I finally have your answer dad. I think I have found a bit more of myself, and this bit says I AM home. The day to day living had masked that change. I am comfortable here. I no longer feel like a country bumpkin on her first trip to the “big city.” I still miss my family and am shocked when I return to Utah and see all of the changes in my boys, but for now I am home. And I am grateful to be here.

Now (with Tiana):