First, consider the enjoyment of watching a movie if you haven’t seen one for a year. We experienced this on Christmas as the young missionaries were allowed to watch a movie as a reward for working hard. Per mission rules, movies are not allowed, to increase their focus. They were allowed to choose a movie and we were fortunate to host these happy events for two groups of missionaries. We tried to maximize their pleasure with hot, buttered popcorn, homemade baked goodies and cinnamon rolls! They ate in slow motion to relish every bite!
This made the simple task of going to the store to buy a few groceries last longer tonight since we were carrying our bags while walking as described and also trying to see through our glasses that were covered with large melting flakes. The result was that dinner tasted even better than usual and we were more grateful for our nice, warm apartment. This Southern California couple stopped on the way home to enjoy the quiet beauty of falling snow, which had been lost amidst the loud crunching.
We are looking forward to the new year with all of the challenges and opportunities it will bring. We realize we will be different people next year at this time, and are grateful for the blessing to be here where we have grown to appreciate things that we have previously taken so for granted.