Evaluative Conclusion

Blogging has been a new experience for me. I have found it to be similar to writing in a journal, yet definitely not private. This blog, Aiti's Thoughts, means Mother's Thoughts in English. Since I am a mother and a grandmother, I wanted to share some of the memories and things that I have learned with my children as well as the students in my class  (I am old enough to be their mother). It is possible that some of the things that I have shared could be of help and comfort to those who have read them.

Writing in this blog has also helped me to write more, and along with the all the writing in class has inspired me to start writing again. I have learned how much I enjoy writing in general. When I was young I loved writing and kept a journal, wrote some poetry, and even wanted to write a book. A book is not in the plans unless I get enough stories (personal narratives) together to write a family history book. That actually sounds really fun! However I can see that journal writing is important just as the prophets have taught us.

Overall, writing a blog has been a good experience and I will continue writing in the future.

Christmas

   
Christmas will soon be here!  The whole season can get too busy and the real reason sometimes gets put in the back burner.  How can we balance the fun traditions and remember Christ who is the reason that we even have Christmas?   


We need to stop and take time to read from the scriptures the story written so long ago. We need to think about the words of the hymns and songs of the Christ Child when we listen to or sing them.  We need to take time to feel the spirit of the season and not get lost in the hustle and bustle of the commercial world.  This is a time to rejoice and celebrate the birth of our Savior!  How wonderful it is that He came into the world to show us the way to live and to make it possible for us to return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again.  He came to suffer and die for our sins, so that if we will repent we can be forgiven.  We should never forget this wonderful blessing!

Once we center our lives in Christ and His teachings, we can have the fun traditions as long as we don't let them take over and forget what Christmas really is about.

Learning from Mistakes

One of the things that we were told, in this, our writing class was to study and learn from the corrections that our teacher makes on our papers.  Not only does that apply to writing but it also applies to life.  It's important to be aware of the mistakes we make, and it is important to study and learn from them.  What I mean by studying our mistakes is that we look at why we did what we did.  What were the circumstances that lead to our mistake?  Could we have avoided it in the first place? If so, how can we avoid making the same mistake in the future? By looking at and studying the corrections that our teachers make, we can see what we did wrong. Studying how to correct our mistakes will help us to do better on our assignments.  It's not only the assignment that is important, but the upward climb of learning and improving ourselves.

As my children used to say, "My teacher said" to learn from the corrections that she makes on our papers.

Writing Helps

Looking back on the many things that I have learned this past semester, I have learned so much.  I have only had two classes.  One is on my major of Exercise and Wellness and the other, this one Writing 150, to count toward the generals.  I can see the importance of knowing how to write well.  It has been a semester of writing as I have had to do two writing project for the Consumer Health class each week and one research project.  I'm so glad that we had just finished our research project for this class where I learned how to research and to express what I had learned.  I am taking another writing class next semester, which should help me continue on the road to be a better writer.  I'm really excited for that opportunity.  I had forgotten how writing helps me to sort out my thoughts and feelings.  It is like thinking on paper, where it doesn't vanish as quickly as from my brain.  In the future I will write more than I have the last few years.

Traditions

The house has quieted down with everyone gone.  We just had our second annual Sing-In.  Some friends and neighbors came over and we had Family Home Evening together.  We sang Christmas songs, told stories and memories of  Christmases past. Everyone brought a plate of goodies to share and we provided the hot chocolate and apple juice.

It's fun to get to know people better.  When we see each other at church or at the store, there is a feeling of family.  To me Christmas time is a time to spend with family and friends, a time to sing fun songs as well as the songs that remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.  Another fun singing tradition that we have is caroling.  That is a tradition we have had for thirty years.  We used to invite a couple of families to go with us, but now my family is so big that we make a great choir all by ourselves. We visit people in the neighborhood and some other people who need cheering up. When the people open their doors one the kids hands them a lit candle to help them feel the light of the season.  Afterwards we come to my house to warm up and to drink wassail and eat cookies.

Having family and friends to share special moments with makes Christmas a joyous time of the year!

Beginning the Christmas Season

Some of my children, grandsons, and I were able to attend the First Presidency Christmas Devotional yesterday.  Entering into the Conference Center and being greeted by smiling missionaries is always heart warming.  We were able to go last year also, but had to sit way up on top.  Yesterday we were on the main floor and in direct view of the First Presidency!  The Tabernacle Choir was practicing as we entered, which gave us a chance to listen to them more than we would have if we stayed home.  As more people entered, the noise level continued to rise, but when we saw President Monson walk in, all the chattering stopped almost instantly.  The music and the speakers filled us with the Spirit of the Season and we came away uplifted.  Spending that time together was a wonderful way to start the Christmas Season!

First Snows and Driving

When the first snow of the year arrives, if at all possible, I stay home!  It's a fact that none of us are used to driving in the snow and especially on ice after a long break.  I'm not afraid of driving in the snow, but I am afraid of the people who "think" they know how to drive in it.  Yesterday,  we were on the freeway and saw a huge sign on the side of the road warning of black ice.  Most of the cars slowed down, yet we watched as a car or two continued to speed past us as if they were on dry roads.  It wasn't but a couple of minutes later when we saw one of these cars on the side of the road where he had done a donut.  He was lucky that no one was too close, because he didn't hit anyone or wreck his car.  As we continued on we came to several police cars on both sides of the freeway and cars every-which-way also on both sides.  I felt so bad for these poor people!  Whether we are innocent bystanders or the ones who caused the wrecks, it is very sad.

If ALL of us could just remember to slow down and drive carefully, then we would all arrive home safely.

Rhetoric - Communication

Communication is an important skill to posses.  It seems that a lot of people are good at talking, not many are good at listening.  Good communication both gives and receives.  If there is no listening, there is no communication.  If there is no speaking, there is no communication.  I do admit that there is communication without words also - even a look can communicate many things.  Life is much easier when we try to understand each other, and are willing to communicate.

We have been learning about rhetoric.  Rhetoric is a way to communicate.  When I think of rhetoric, I think of persuasion.  As we speak or write, we are trying to persuade others to understand what we are trying to say.  When we read or listen, we are trying to understand what they are trying to tell us.  Rhetoric is everywhere all the time.

Children Are a Treasure

Kids say the cutest things.  Here are some of the things that my grandchildren have come up with.

My four year old granddaughter calls vanilla, banilla.  Her and her siblings call graham crackers brown crackers (makes sense since they are brown).  My five year old granddaughter calls cupboard, covered (that is true, since the cupboard doors cover the dishes and food inside).

One of my daughter's-in-law was telling her husband, my son, that they could use pretzels and Rolo's to make chocolate turtles.  Their four year old son hysterically said, "you can't stick a pencil up the turtles noses." He was very upset, just about in tears.  He calmed down after his parent's explained to him that that is not what they said.

And last but not least, my daughter's little 18 month old who is just learning to talk calls almost every animal a horse.  He likes to play peek-a-boo, but says pub-a-boo.

Children are a treasure!

Lesson of the Left Elbow

In the last few days I have learned to appreciate my left elbow.  I woke up one morning and as I was getting out of bed I twisted my left elbow and put it out of place.  How is that possible?  That is a crazy thing to happen!  I'm right handed so an injury to the left side shouldn't be too much of a problem.  Not so!  Putting on my clothes, washing my hair, and cleaning my house were not easy tasks.  The importance of having a working left elbow became important all of a sudden.

This small injury made me think of the scripture in 1 Cor. 12:21 which says, "And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you."  All parts of our body are needed to make it whole.  And so are all people needed to make the world a good place to live.  We are all different and have different talents, and all are necessary however small that contribution is.  Just like my left elbow, the contribution it makes is much more important than I realized, so is the contribution of all of us.  Never should we think that who we are or what we do does not matter - it does!

Thank you Left Elbow for teaching me!

Ethos, Pathos, Logos, and the Audience

Ethos, pathos, and logos were foreign words to me when we first started talking about them (no pun intended).  I still tend to mix them up sometimes.  It has been very helpful to learn that there are those three elements in a speech or in writing.  When I read a talk or a speech, or listen to one, I notice myself dissecting them to see what authority the person has, and how they present their material to make it worth paying attention to.  Learning of these important tools will make me a better speaker and writer, as long as I choose to use them.  Another important tool that we have learned about is knowing who our audience is.  When we know who we are addressing it is easier to express ourselves.  There is a big difference, if I am talking to one of my grandchildren or a professor at school, on how I present what I have to say.  It is very important to know who our audience is and then use ethos, pathos, and logos according to their needs.

Hyvaa Ruokahalua!

Food is a necessity, there is no arguing about that.

There are many different kinds of foods. We all have our favorites. There are many influences of why we eat the way we do. The way our family has always eaten is probably the most influential. Whether we ate home cooked or went out to eat. Where we lived also made a difference on the menu items. When I was young we ate a lot of fish, sausage, potatoes, and bread. Those are still on my list of favorite foods. However they need to be the right kind of fish, bread, and sausage. I even have a favorite kind of potato which we cannot find in the United States. After moving to the US I have found many new favorites. We are lucky to have so many different ethnicity's input on the foods available to us. One only has to look in the "Yellow Pages" or on line to find a food that our palate is in the mood for.

Hyvaa ruokahalua! (Good appetite)

Waiting Rooms and Adventures

Sitting at a car dealership can be an adventure!  It's a good idea to be ready to meet people of all kinds - if one is willing of course.  I had to get a long service job done on my car yesterday.  I brought school work, but I also brought some knitting just in case I couldn't concentrate on the more academic task.  I was knitting away when an older couple came in, and a conversation started right away.  The woman began by talking about knitting and crocheting, about how she hadn't knitted for many years.  Her husband said he had knitted a pair of socks when he was ten years old.  And so it went.  We talked about knitting, trailed their journeys from Utah and Arizona to Alaska and back to Utah, of missions, temples, and their miniature dog that was with them.  While we were talking others came and went and joined in the conversation where they had interest. I never had to get in an airplane or a car to have an adventure, because I had one just sitting there at the dealership.  The sock that I was knitting got finished and I started on the next one.

So, next time you go to the car dealership, or the doctor's, bring a conversation piece and you will be sure to meet a lot of nice people!