Freedom is such an integral part of our daily lives that we sometimes take it for granted. I am so grateful that God saw fit so many years ago to inspire our founding fathers to compose the Constitution of the United States. We have the freedom to do so many things. Kelly was able to go out on a hiking adventure the other day with good friends--one of whom escaped from the communist rule years ago to come to America. I was born in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave and what am I doing to ensure that the freedoms we enjoy are there for future generations? We went to vote at the primary elections a couple of weeks ago. Even though it was only one vote, it was such a good feeling to know that I made a difference. We are teaching our children to be good, independent and trustworthy as they grow up. May we all do our part to ensure the freedoms we enjoy today will be here for future generations.

America, the Beautiful

Welcome to the family!

We are so excited to welcome Karen Valenzuela to our family as the new Mrs. Abram Kelly Wanner! Karen is amazing. She is very caring and loving, very spiritual and very intelligent. We are so excited to have such a great new daughter-in-law. We also welcome our grandchildren-Andres and Mate. They are 15 and 13 years old and have great talents in drawing and art. They love to do things as a family and are excited to have Abram part of their family. We love them very much!

Abram and Karen were married yesterday April 6, 2010 in Chile. We are excited to have Karen and her boys; Andres and Mate become part of our family.

Wishes

Have you ever stopped to think that we never wish for things that we already have or are or don't like about ourselves and our situation? "I wish I were fat." "I wish I were poor." "I wish I were in debt." "I wish I were out of shape." It's always "I wish I were skinny like she is." "I wish I were rich." "I wish I were out of debt." The problem with wishful thinking is that it's just that - "wishful thinking". I am realizing more and more that I need to stop wishing for things to be a certain way and do something about it. Like Spencer W. Kimball said, "JUST DO IT!" I also have decided that all the positive thinking in the world won't make things change until I put positive actions to use along with it. I won't be healthy unless I practice healthy habits. I won't be thin unless I exercise and eat right. I won't have my finances in order unless I follow sound money management principles. I won't become an author unless I write on a daily basis and learn from those who are already published authors and do what they suggest needs to be done.
Because it is human nature--maybe it's just the times we live in where everything is right here, right now, we have a tendency to want something for nothing or for very little effort.
Well I have decided that I am going to do better and be better today than I was yesterday. I am going to take life one day at a time and do the best I can today, this hour, this minute, this second. You'd be surprised at what you can accomplish in just 10 minutes. I love to sit and read. I could do it all day long, however other things in my life and home suffer if I just sit and read all day. I am going to focus on having a better balance of spiritual, physical, mental and emotional everyday.

Children
In all of God's creations, children are most wonderful! My only complaint is that they're grown up and gone before you know it. It makes me stop and think if I have taught them all that they need to know to stay spiritually and mentally strong to face all of life's challenges and opportunities, if I have helped them to have the character building experiences they need to be successful in all areas of life. May God bless each of them on the adventures they are going to have in 2010!