Great Experiences

I read the most wonderful talk yesterday that really has me thinking...The Talk is called "Great Experiences" and it was given by Sterling W. Sill. I do recommend it as he is the real deal and I am really just a frazzled mom stating my two cents on the matter! He says, "Certainly the most successful lives are those that have the most worthwhile experiences. The religion of Christ itself is not so much a set of ideas as it is a set of activities. The purpose of the church is to help us translate the principles of the gospel of Christ into constructive, meaningful human experience. And everyone should work toward this end by a daily practice of thinking some uplifting thoughts, listening to some fine music, reading some stimulating literature, doing some good deeds, and having some great experiences every day." I like that!
I think to often I am full force on the "to do" list and I really like the thought of making my life a life full of great experiences. I also like his list of things he considers great. Sometimes I think great means things like: moving to Haiti, going on a cruise, having my home look like a page from a pottery barn cataloge, having children that are clean and look like little models from LL Bean, serving a mission (like tomorrow) and the list goes on and on.
I think it's time to re-evaluate what GREAT is. He says, "One of my great delights in being born was to find that I had been born an American..." When was the last time I let that thought get to me. Great may be a hug from a child, a little piece of chocolate, a free hour to read a book or an evening holding my husband's hand.
One last thought from this great article, "Life begins every morning. Life begins when we begin. And our real lives begin when we determine to live by every word of the Lord." May I be so determined and then my life will be filled with truly great experiences.