I'm Doing my Best

1.19.10
Hey all,
Yea, it's been a big change. I'm doing my best. Yea "companionship" definitely implies 2. Sometimes companionships are more like 1 1/2 persons. I'm trying to help him be more involved. It's hard though. Especially for him. Cause he can't, just can't really do much. Because he doesn’t know the language yet. He's learning though. He seems down a lot of the time.

All growing up especially through high school and stuff I was taught "constructive criticism". All my coaches would just like yell at you most the time. So much so, that I took it in stride after a while, and really did try to improve and believed their way of coaching was the way it's supposed to be.

But then I heard a quote from Pres.Monson. It went something like this "I know of no instance where criticism is constructive, only destructive" It went something like that. Then he said to praise before you fault. Then to strongly encourage. I'm not sure exactly how it went or if he said all of that. But I’ve been thinking about that a lot. I've really been trying to do that. But it's hard. ha-ha. It wasn't exactly the way I was raised, taught, or coached.

It's especially hard, because when you see something that might not be right. That's the only thing you are focused on. You don't think to say something nice. You just want to jump in and say "Hey! this and that is wrong, do it this and that way" I'm trying and gonna start trying harder to say "ok _____ was really good. But I'd also encourage you to do this, or not do that etc.

Wow so it warmed up there a little. It's in the low 60's right now. It rained yesterday and is really cloudy. It's supposed to rain all week.

Those are some really good schools Evelyn is applying to. My friend Niell Bower goes to Alfred. I told her that. He's the kid with the huuuge hair. Like he used to have an afro. Will probably remembers him and his brother.

That would be really awesome if Will got that job. That would be a good job. A real blessing.

Mmmm that sounded like a nice birthday mom :) Happy Birthday! Those kinds of restaurants are soo cool. They're fun and entertaining. I admire those chefs. They really have to practice what they do, because they actually have to deal with the customers.

Yea, since I’m practically training. My comp gets 1 hour and 30 min. of personal study, then 1 hour companionship study, then 1 hour and 30 min. language study. Ha-ha 4 hours of studying every morning. It's a long morning. 8-12 studying, then at noon, usually we just take lunch. So 8-1 in the house :-0. It's nice being on the beach though ha-ha.

Thanks for the letter. I didn't email yesterday because it was Martin Luther King Jr. day. The libraries were closed.

Bueno te amo mucha mama. Gracias por tus oraciones. Voy a seguir orando para cada uno de ustedes también.

Elder Lewis