December Thoughts

December is my favorite time of year, I can talk freely about our Savior and people listen! I am able to talk about His birth and it does not offend anyone. I can play Christmas songs on the TV in the waiting room and no one complains that I am playing religious music. The Spirit of Christmas is what I love. People are in the mood to help others out. They freely give of their time and talents and money to help those less fortunate. They smile more and open doors for strangers and don't complain as much when standing in line to check out and they expect traffic and plan for it. If only more people carried the Spirit of Christmas all year long, what a wonderful thing that would be! As my kids are getting older they look forward to Christmas in different ways than when they were young. I remember the excitement of decorating the tree and talking about each ornament they hung and sitting in the dark room at night just watching the lights. This year I did the tree all alone, no laughter, no stories. I watch the lights by myself at night and remember all the fun of Christmas past and look forward to the day when my grandchildren will help me put up the tree and make new memories. Our children grow up too fast and are out on their own before you know it. Make the most of the time you have with them. I think about Dana who has one married and many more all the way down to just starting elementary school. She can see all the stages at once and is enjoying being there for all the kids. I think missing Mike coming around makes her enjoy Carson all the more. We can learn from our kids and that will make us better grandparents. I am glad for this time of year, I love to smile.

Lesson 44 Suggestion for Family Discussion

Today during Sunday School I noticed the Family Discussion Suggestion so I decided to give it a try. We are to read Mormon 8:34-35 and then write a letter to future family members "as if those family members were present".
I feel your presence in my heart and I have great love for you. I have prayed for you and the strength you will need to fight the good fight and to stand strong in your convictions. I want you to live so that those who do not know Christ will want to know Him because of the way you live your life. Ponder the atonement of Christ and hold the lessons deep in your heart. Learn the words from the scriptures and recite them over and over in your minds to give you strength. Keep your minds and heart clean and you will be a great help in the battle here in this estate. Remember. Remember the words of those who went before you and the sacrifices they made for you. Do all that you can to not sin, but when you do - Repent and be made spotless once again. There is a season for all things to come and you must be ready for that time and not be caught unprepared. Christ lives. The Book of Mormon is real. Read it, ponder it, learn from it, let it guide your steps. Say your prayers in your closet, say your prayers with your families and say your prayers with your peers. Don't be ashamed to pray in public, over your food or over the sick or in front of other church members. Don't let pride take over and consume yourself with costly clothes or houses or cars or things in general. Don't get into debt. Store enough food to feed your family and those who you will take in during the difficult times. I know that your heart will not allow you to let others suffer while you have food and shelter you can share. Be prepared. Remember that Christ is your anchor and you can do all things through Him!
I write this for my children and my grandchildren and all those who come after me but I also write this for anyone who reads it and believes in Christ. I love you all. Amen

Letter to my kids

To my wonderful children,
During church today it was said that if we knew we were about to die what would we want our children to know? I decided I would write to you so that you would know how much I love you. The greatest desire of my heart is for us to be together for eternity. I want you to be able to stand strong in your faith and to return to Heavenly Father with honor. I want you to know that I believe with all my heart that this is the true church. I know that Heavenly Father lives and loves each one of us. I know that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us but even more than that, I know that he lives. I know that he volunteered to come here and die for us so that we would have the right to choose for ourselves. I know that he was born in a lowly manger and rose to great heights on that cross, and he did it all for us, for you and for me. I know that he lives and that he is there for you. I know that if you go to Heavenly Father in prayer he will answer your prayers, not always in the way you want, but in the way you need. We go through trials here so that we can become stronger. We learn to go to Heavenly Father during those trials and to seek His wisdom to make it through them. We learn to become closer to Him and to be more like Him by our choices we make and the paths we follow. I pray that you will learn to hear His voice and follow it all the days of your life. I pray that you will have the courage to stand up for what you believe in and share the gospel with others. I pray that I will have the wisdom to teach you the things you need to know so that you can become mighty warriors in our battle here in this estate. I pray we can all be sealed together someday soon. I pray for each one of your spouses that they will be a great help in your journey back to Heavenly Father and that they will treat you as the sons and daughters of God that you are. I pray for your children and the wisdom you will need to raise them in these troubled times. I pray they will fight the good fight and in the end remain standing strong. I love you more than words can describe. I love you so much that it hurts when I have to watch you make mistakes and I wish I could go through your pain for you but I also love you enough to let you make your mistakes and grow from them. I don't want you to ever doubt how much I love you or how much I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen