Ensign: Four Days To Year's End, And 2012 Quickly

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. Isaiah 18:3

AN ENSIGN ON THE MOUNTAINS 28 December 2012

Happy New Year! Is it just me or did this year 2012 seem to go in like a lion and out (and you thought March had a lock in the in like a lion and out like a lamb thing) … well, like a lion too. True, we did wake up last Saturday morning and the world had not come to an end, but sometimes it might as well have. I realize that is not the best thing to start an ostensibly Christian message with, but it's been a while and likely will BE a while before it hits that I miss my mom. She died December 2 this year and I could not get to the funeral in Kentucky, and even though my family understands why, it scares me just a little that I missed out on something great.

So I'm working backwards recounting this year, kind of like Merlin from the King Arthur legends was said to have lived – he could predict the future because he'd lived through it! I think the most telling statement from this year for me was one of my son Jeffrey's; as I heard it related to my wife Martha, who heard it from her mom Sharon about a week ago, Jeffrey walked into Grandma and Grandpa's house for the day and looked around him before saying, “Is this house getting smaller or am I getting bigger? (pause) I guess I'm getting bigger!” We're all doing that, even those of us physically incapable of growing taller – which is what he meant instead of bigger, for he's certainly not pudgy.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Martha, Sarah, Jeffrey, and I got back into our house that had been flooded out last year and it's been redone inside, our main floor and up to the second. Still in the process of moving in (meaning that a lot of our things in boxes haven't quite been put away) but it's great to be able to stretch out in our own home and not feel like an intruder or a sponge as we did in the FEMA park, even on good days. I know, I'm injecting in some pain of mine here, and I don't mean to, but I'm especially scared for my family even though I know God has all appointed times in His hands. But I miss my mom who died December 2, predating her brother Robert by some weeks.

Sarah started first grade this year and Jeffrey kindergarten at Longfellow Elementary, and Sarah's nervousness last year – sometimes it was a fight for Mommy to get out of the classroom when she dropped her off – was replaced by determination to “show [Jeffrey] the ropes” and so far they're working out pretty well. Sarah's way more focused this year, started out quiet and then took a leadership role, even becoming the unofficial dentist for one classmate and her cousin Josceline at least … it's so funny I couldn't help mention it. And Jeffrey is someone you have to keep stimulated, definitely Daddy's boy!

Now if only I can get the energy they've got to build the Shaklee business we started in March, I will be rejoicing. For those not in the know, Shaklee is a 55-year-old health and wellness company that specializes in environmentally friendly cleaning products, comprehensive multivitamins, and gluten-free inch loss and weight management bars and shakes. And I can attest physically to an incredible difference in me – for the last few months I've been below 200 pounds for the first time since college! (By the end of March I was 225.) And certainly the moneymaking potential is also there; so far we've made quite a bit, but it's incredible what we can and will be making next year! Come check out our home page, you'll find it exciting! And let us know.

http://dmsjalvin4.myshaklee.com/us/en/

Happy New Year (and we return you to your regular Ensign next week),

David and family

P.S. I write this weekly devotional to keep in touch with all of you in my address book, and I hope to be an encourager to action too! If you find that I’m not or you want me to get lost, just let me know – thank you!

Thank You, Lord, that we can come to you in prayer and that You provide for all our needs, even when we don’t know what they are. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem on both sides of the fence there and around the world.

Thank You, Lord, for everyone in leadership and service, both here and abroad. Thank You for the opportunities we have and the promise of new life through You. I pray that we all seek and have a blessed week! Amen.