I Like New Things!

I LIKE TRYING NEW THINGS! I like new movies, rarely seeing the same movie twice, unless, of course, it’s an all time favorite that I haven’t seen in a number of years. But usually I like the anticipation of seeing something new––to be surprised at the ending. I like old movies too, because they remind me of my childhood and simpler, less complicated times. But generally I love old movies that are new to me––one’s where it has been so long since I’ve seen them that I’ve forgotten the plot, or else old movies I have never seen before, starring a favorite actor or actress of mine.

I like reading new books, seeing new theatrical productions, downloading new music, and trying new foods. I like new, never before tried, fruits and vegetables, and to experience new ways of preparing them. I like new recipes. Other favorites are new puppies, spring flowers, baby chicks, and the feel of a new born baby’s soft head on my shoulder. I like the smell of new leather in a new car, the fresh smell of newly washed sheets, and wearing new clothes. I like new holiday decorations, new home decor, new technology, and new innovative ideas. I LIKE NEW THINGS!

I was raised by two very modern parents. They grew up during the Depression years, but were never opposed to change and improving their situation. They never hung onto old, worn out things—”hoarding” was not a word in their vocabulary. They threw out the old, replacing with new. Material possessions were saved for financially and taken care of carefully, but not valued above family. Treasures were photos and memories written down for posterity. They were an oddity for their generation of people—a generation who grew up learning not to waste—saving string, elastics, used tinfoil, and black bananas. My parents were not risk takers. They did not go into debt. They were financially conservative—saving money for the future. When they bought their first house my mother made herself a bedroom dressing table from an old wooden orange crate, contact paper, and material scraps, and she passed those creative skills on to her children. When I was young, growing up in the summers at our Bear Lake cabin, I remember mother showing me how to take boards and apply contact paper to them, stacking bricks between them to make my own small dressing table. She even hung a mirror above it. I remember collecting sea shells and painting them with clear fingernail polish, proudly displaying them on my little vanity table. As a young bride, I used this principle to build our first bookcase. Our first marital kitchen table was a card table we received for a wedding present, sporting a round plywood topper, covered with contact paper for washability. I was raised by parents that taught us how to MAKE OLD THINGS “NEW.”

The first “new” house my parents built was a “modern” house. Everything was custom-built from the beds to the kitchen cupboards. My mother designed it, decorated it, and painted every square inch of the interior by herself. She was one of the first of her generation to have the same color of carpets and wall paint throughout her house. My father was equally innovative. He landscaped the yard with cement sidewalks and patios everywhere, including a big fish pond and a cement wading pool. His irrigation ditches were cemented in too. We even had cement borders around our garden and play yard. The man loved making cement! He kept everything looking new. Car’s were never rusty and fences always had fresh paint. HE LIKED NEW THINGS.

My name, “Linda,” was a new, modern name from the 50s. I have never met anyone with my name that wasn’t born during that era! When I asked my mother how I got my name, she said she liked it because it was cute and “modern.” It was new, and MY PARENTS LIKED NEW THINGS!

Once my husband and I bought an old waterski boat because it looked brand “new.” It was a beautiful yellow boat that had been well cared for by it’s owner. It was clean and shiny and the leather seats were in perfect addition. We decided “old or gently used” was the way to go––an affordable way to teach our kids how to waterski! We bought the boat with my brother and his family and together we looked forward to a summer full of fun at our own Bear Lake cabin. We even established a list of rules so our “old” boat would continue to look brand-new. Funny thing though, every time we took the boat out on the lake the engine would suddenly stall and we couldn’t get it going again. That would be followed by several weeks in the repair shop getting it fixed. I think that boat spent more time in the shop getting fixed that summer than it actually did in the water! I can remember countless outings, sitting in the middle of the lake unable to get the boat to start, finally paddling it to shore! Thank goodness that boat came with a lovely set of shiny new ores! It didn’t run, but boy—was it shiny and clean. And we were dedicated to keeping it that way. Every time we brought it back in from another disappointing excursion on the lake, we cleaned it until it shone like a shiny new penny! However, by the end of that summer we discovered it was better to buy “new” rather than inheriting someone else’s “old” problems. Lesson learned. That’s why I LIKE NEW THINGS!”

Spring is my favorite season because it brings with it “new” growth––new sunny weather after a winter’s sleep, fragrant new flowers, fresh new garden vegetables, new buds on the fruit trees, and new blades of green grass. I like that spring symbolizes being “new” and I like that we celebrate Easter in the spring––a symbol of hope and renewal of our Savior’s unconditional love—His atoning gift. I LIKE NEW THINGS!

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“Don’t quit. Keep trying. Don’t look for escapes and excuses. Look for the Lord and His perfect strength. Don’t search for someone to blame. Search for someone to help you. Seek Christ, and, as you do, I promise you will feel the enabling power we call His amazing grace.” ~ Brad Wilcox (“His Grace Is Sufficient,” BYU Devotional Address, July 12, 2011 


“Surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it. .… However many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.” ~ Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (“The Laborers in the Vineyard,” General Conference, April 2012)