Because I was a flight attendant for several years, my nephew's wife shared this with me for her New Year greeting today. It is a clever take on the pre-flight procedures presented at the beginning of the safety information for passengers as the plane takes off. See what you think of the suggestions presented in this unique way.
Oh, and by the way, Happy New Year!
IT'S NEW YEARS EVE, DECEMBER 31, 2024
This is the best message I've heard as this occasion has approached and people have mixed feelings about another good year--or a potentially bad one just ahead.
Take it for what it is worth--sound advice that nothing needs to be permanent. If something needs to change, then do it. If there is nothing you can do about it, don't let it fester. As my husband Louis would say, "Adapt and overcome."
A great future awaits in the wings....
EVERY END IS A NEW BEGINNING
IN THE BEGINNING....A SPECIAL BABY!
A
few years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produced a
Christmas movie titled simply, “The Christ Child”. It is about 18 minutes long, and it captured
me completely. I have watched it several
times each Christmas—and even other times of the year. It is like I’m seeing it for the first time
every time I watch it, it’s that good!
The
video starts with Joseph out in the yard preparing for their journey to
Bethlehem. Mary is standing in the
doorway of their simple home, obviously in the well-advanced stages of her pregnancy. The next scene is them walking along with
others who were also going to be taxed as decreed by Caesar Augustus. The story unfolds pretty much like the world
has heard it for years, but there are details that make it so much better than
any other video or movie of the momentous event of Christ’s birth.
For
example, the dialogue is not in English.
The few words they say are in Aramaic, and they are not translated for the
viewer. Neither the “Inn” nor the “stable”
is what we are visually used to seeing either.
They are actually in the home of relatives, but the upper chamber where
they would have been sleeping was full of loud people and a lot of clamorous
noise.
When
Mary goes into labor, Joseph asks if there is a quiet spot they can go to. They are directed to a stall. Mary’s labor is so real, I could instantly
relate! No, she didn’t want a bite of
food! No, don’t make her move during a
contraction! And after the baby is born,
Joseph picks up the baby and holds him in one of the scenes while Mary rests.
Some
other details are also different but historically correct. Among them is a stone crib for the manger, just
like people then used to fill with hay for their cows. Mary sings the baby a lullaby. It is one of the Psalms which a mother at
that time would have done.
Lastly,
after the shepherds have been told of Christ’s birth by a heavenly host of
angels and go to see the new Messiah, the Wise Men far away in the East are
plotting celestial diagrams for the location of the star which has been
prophesied. They arrive at Joseph and Mary’s home, not the stable
because Jesus is about two years old by this time. And, oh, the little boy as Jesus in this
movie just melts my heart. As he peeks
out when the Wise Men humbly bow before Him with their gifts, he smiles so
sweetly.
And
that’s the end of the movie…with this one last line on the screen
“JESUS OF NAZARETH WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD...” Acts 10:38
THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE...A SPECIAL SON OF GOD!
_______________________________________________________________
The INVITATION: Go about doing good!
We can do that, too. We can ALL go about doing good. Let's do that every day!
As we emulate Christ's perfect example, our hands can become His hands.
NOTE: This is a Nativity story you won’t want to miss viewing—no matter what time of the year. It is time well-spent. The easiest way to access it is on You Tube.
The Christ Child: A Nativity Story | #LightTheWorld
I may have shared before that I wrote a newsletter for my children for 10 years. I included fun items from the numerous journals I kept while they were growing up which included birthdays, achievements, experiences living on the East Coast and in Sweden and Germany, plus other mundane reports. Now and then I wrote a little “essay” which not only shared my feelings, but also was intended to be a reminder to be heedful of doing better and becoming better people. This is what I wrote for the November 2005 issue of
THE NICHOLS FAMILY NEWS:
“Here’s to my favorite holiday- Thanksgiving!
It is the one celebration where family and friends spend time together without the pressure of exchanging gifts. We simply enjoy associating with each other—laughing, playing games, and eating some of our most favorite foods. The uplifting of spirit through our recognition of blessings received is a reminder that we need to be living in thanksgiving daily,
not just one time a year.
2. an attitude of sharing—blessings multiply as we share them with others
3. a sense of obligation to give back to the future for all the sacrifices inherited from those who went before us; when we serve others, it is not a bestowal of favors but paying a debt; our liberties, privileges, homes, schools, churches and wonders of science with their infinite blessings have been achieved by men and women mostly unknown to us
Just as Cicero said the grateful heart is the greatest virtue, Christ said in a revelation to Joseph Smith in Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 a lack of gratitude is the greatest sin.
When we forget to give thanks then we open ourselves to greed, covetousness, and a host of other failings. Life itself is an entrustment from God, and everything we know and have has the mark of His handiwork on it. Acknowledge His hand in all things, and you won’t be found “wanting” in the balance at any time.
I then suggested that my family list some of their blessings on small pieces of paper then slip them into an envelope so they could remove and review them frequently in true "Thanksliving”.
I invite you—and me—to make a conscious effort during November…and every day in the year…to pay attention to the abundance in your life. Perhaps you may want to try the same little exercise to help you be more aware of the numberless blessings you constantly receive. They are bountiful!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Years ago, a young woman in our congregation shared
a powerful message about making a difference in the things we do. She spoke a little about Mother Teresa’s work
in the slums of Calcutta, India, where Mother Teresa worked to meet the needs
of the destitute and starving, people who were full of suffering and
despair. Mother Teresa’s little group,
the Missionaries of Charity, were not able to relieve the needs of the overwhelming
crowds of naked, hungry, and homeless people whose privations stretched far
beyond the Charity’s resources.
However, Mother Teresa responded to criticism directed at
how insignificant her help was compared to the need, by saying
that welfare was about numbers, but Christian love was about Christ. Mother Teresa served the one within her
reach, doing the best she could with what she had.
That was the first time I had ever heard Mother Teresa’s
quote about her humble service making a difference in the world, a little bit at a time.
She said:
“What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean. But if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be
one drop less.”
I am an aphorism addict.
And this aphorism has left a lasting impression on me because of its short
and memorable truth about life.
Sometimes we think that our own making a difference in the
world has to be at a time when we think we are all grown up enough or educated enough or
financially able enough to do that. But
consider the possibility of making a difference in the world
in the context of the here and now and in the small and simple.
Jesus Christ taught us to love and serve the one within
our reach simply by the things He did during His lifetime. He sat with people. He listened patiently to them. He spent time
in the home of His friends. He responded with kindness, understanding, and
love. He showed compassion and gave
comfort.
There was nothing negligible about His service. Likewise,
there is nothing negligible about the simple acts of kindness and assistance
that you and I offer to those around us on a daily basis, whether it’s reaching
out to a family member at home or someone elsewhere who has had a difficult day
and needs someone to listen. Or maybe it's when we
slow down so that guy who tries to get into our lane at the last minute
doesn’t miss his exit. Maybe it’s the clerk at the store who might be a little
slow or new at the job and needs some patience and understanding. There are people all over for whom we can
make a difference in their world.
Church leader David O. McKay often gave this quote,
“Life is made up not of great sacrifices or
duties, but of little things in which smiles and kindness and small obligations
given habitually are what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort.”
It truly is the small and simple things that make a
difference.
On one occasion when I was a flight attendant for United Airlines, we had started flying in the early morning with a last leg that was a short hop from Chicago to Des Moines. We arrived in the
late afternoon—early enough for me to go out on a walk. And for some reason that day I had such a
hankering for a taco! I hurried and
changed out of my uniform and asked at the hotel desk where I could find a Taco
Bell or other Mexican fast-food place.
We were in a downtown hotel and the young desk clerk said there was
a Taco John’s, but it was pretty far away, like a mile or so. He said if I waited, though, he would take me
in the hotel van when it came back from the airport. I laughed. A mile?!
That was NOTHING for me. But
there was one caveat—the main roads were all torn up. However, he suggested I could follow the detour and maybe
get to Taco John's that way.
And off I went. It
must have been fall because I passed the busy campaign headquarters for a local
candidate. And the temperature was
dropping about as fast as the sun was setting. I knew I had walked way more
than a mile. Yet, in spite of seeing
wrappers on the ground from various fast-food places, there had been NOTHING like
that in sight along the way. I was
wishing I hadn’t started out on that quest for a taco. It was soon going to be full dark. I just wanted to be back at the hotel!
While I was walking along, I started thinking about a
story my son had told me a friend shared with him. His friend was running some kind
of a Marathon or Triathlon and at some point, deep into the race, felt like he
wasn’t going to be able to go on. At
each step he felt weaker and weaker and was sure he was going to pass out. Suddenly, an angel was there by his side encouraging him and then ran every step of the way to the end of the race with
him. My son's friend said he would never
have been able to finish the race without this angel. Turns out, the angel was his wife.
As I thought about this experience my son told me about his friend, I
was wishing I had some angel that was going to show up and shoulder my load for
me! And, the next thing I knew, a van
pulled up along-side of me and asked if I would like a ride. It was the hotel van! When this driver had returned to the hotel
with his load of guests, the first young man I had talked to told him about my
taking off to go find Mexican fast food.
Knowing that the roads were a mess, the second young man—the driver of
this van—took off to find me. He even
told me he would be happy to take me to Taco John’s. Nah!
By that time, I had lost my desire for tacos. “Just take me to the hotel, I’ll get a bite
to eat there.”
What a small and simple gesture on that young man’s part. What a great rescue for me! I have never forgotten how he had listened to some prompting—after all I was a grown woman and could get an Uber or a Lyft or even catch a bus. Flight attendants stayed at their hotel all the time. Why would he be concerned about me?
But what a difference it made to me that night. What a difference it has made to me since
when some prompting comes for me to help when it isn’t easy or convenient. I think of my “angel” on that occasion and
press on to help someone who needs care.
Small and simple doesn’t mean easy. It really doesn’t.
But small and simple things can become our most valued life
experiences.
Again, we don’t have to wait for the most favorable
circumstances in our lives to make a difference. It’s the love of Christ that
makes the difference.
I invite you to follow Christ’s example in reaching out
to those around us. Like Mother Teresa said, Christlike love transforms our
simple, everyday living into something extraordinary.
Think on these often-quoted words from Spencer W. Kimbal
“God does notice us, and he watches over
us. But it is usually through another
person that he meets our needs.
Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom…So often,
our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving mundane help
with mundane tasks, but what glorious consequences can flow from mundane acts
and from small but deliberate deeds!”
I've never kept it a secret that Halloween was my least favorite holiday of the year. I think it began when I was just a little girl. I didn't like to draw attention to myself, and I felt that happened when I put on a costume.
My mother, though, loved Halloween, and spent a lot of time making costumes for all of us. My sisters were lots older than I was, so we're talking adult costumes, too, even when I was little. I remember the year my mom was Mae West. She even had a very realistic mask, and the rest of the outfit made it totally authentic. Not surprisingly, she and my sisters always won prizes for the best costumes.
Our congregation used to have a yearly Halloween party, and I can remember how my mother and sisters and one brother-in-law would talk about the fun they had at those parties--and then all of them going Trick or Treating afterward, sneaking down alleys and through backyards. (Not sure if my mom did that part, though.) Frankly, I was shocked to hear of these activities! I always thought it sounded like it would be fun, but in reality, it wasn't for me.
About the time I started school, the stores sold primitive-looking costumes made out of a cheesecloth type of material. Very sleazy looking, and easy to rip because they weren't sewn very well. I really wanted one of those costumes, but my mother already had plans for a great costume for me as "The Little Match Girl" straight out of one of the fairy tales. As I look back on the event, that costume was totally superb to what the other kids had from the store, but I was a stupid five-year old. Couldn't convince me...
My sister Lois and her husband Dale always made a fuss over me like I was their kid, as they didn't have any kids of their own at the time. They came to our school for the kindergarten party with their new movie camera to take pictures of my class's Halloween parade. Imagine their surprise when I sallied by the camera without anything left of my costume but the skirt!
I got flak for years from the whole family for that incident. No one EVER forgot!
Halloween comes when it is knocking on November's door. ALWAYS plenty cold by then in Wyoming. And for many years, it had already snowed by October 31st. That meant I had to wear snow boots and a heavy coat over my costume. Uncomfortable. Plus, I was wimpy and didn't like to go out Trick or Treating in the cold anyway. I just wanted to stay home in the warm house.
Every mother made her specialty for the treat to give out. My mother's was popcorn balls. They were hard to chew because my mom's recipe was for the syrup to get to a hard ball stage before it was poured over the popcorn. Lacerated my teeny mouth. Not fun from that angle either. Discomfort all around...
Halloween candy at that time was what they called Penny Candy. Nothing good like Snickers or Milky Ways. Those were full-sized bars, and only one house in the neighborhood gave those out as they cost ten cents apiece.
Since I wasn't really keen on candy anyway, I never got around to eating the stuff after I DID go Trick or Treating. But heaven forbid that I should share it with the family either. So, it just sat around and got old. I usually threw it out just before Christmas. When more yukky candy showed up in my Christmas stocking.
Then I got older.
Some Halloweens at college were really great! I had a lot of fun at those parties and get-togethers.
Then I had kids...and my opinion didn't change much about not being keen on the holiday itself. But I did make sure Halloween was fun for them, sewing great costumes and making sure we had good treats to hand out, as well as having the best part of the holiday--a Spook Dinner. Now that was a riot!
When I flew for United Airlines, that was one holiday I didn't mind when I had to work. That's when Louis began to answer the door on Halloween. He's really into passing out the candy, and has a good time talking to the kids about their costumes, etc. The only bad thing is that every year fewer and fewer kids come around the neighborhood. Safety, I guess. That's why the school and the church all have Trunk or Treat--to make sure everyone has a good time and is safe. But Louis has already purchased his full-sized bars for this Halloween. No yukky candy at this house!
All told, it's a great night for me to be upstairs all by myself reading a good book. Currently, THAT is my idea of a Halloween celebration! Oh, with a yummy donut and a cup of hot chocolate in hand. I'm really easy to please....
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
The editor of a life-style magazine in a neighboring city reached out to our local
Church leaders in an attempt to find material for their Holiday/December edition
about diverse religious groups in our area and now they celebrate the season..
In the course of their search for suitable candidates, my name and my biennial
Nativity Festival came up. I was contacted for possible inclusion in the magazine
article. I subsequently submitted pictures and a short essay about my beautiful
collection of over 500 Nativity -related sets.
Though the magazine was looking for something less specific than one person's
celebration of Christmas, this invitation gave me an opportunity to give a short
review of the background of my Christmas delight over the years.
I was a young married woman with two little boys ages two and four when the
Women’s Auxiliary in our Congregation invited me to teach a Christmas lesson
about the birth of the Savior. By the time I had studied for that assignment,
including commentary about Mary and Joseph plus the art music and literature
dedicated to the birth of Jesus, my idea of how to celebrate Christmas had
completely changed.
Growing up I had been a Santa Claus kind of kid, focusing more on the presents
and the parties with just a passing thought that we were supposed to be
celebrating the advent of Christ.
After that transforming experience, it was my desire to have a beautiful Nativity
set and make my focus the true meaning of Christmas. But we were a young
family with no money in the budget for something as splendid as that. So, my
husband went into the back yard, cut a small branch and made a stable out of
twigs and bark. We made people out of cardboard cones topped by painted
beads for heads and let our toddlers help dress them in scraps from my sewing
basket. Then we raided the toy box, and put farm animals into the stable. One
of the Wisemen carried a screw covered in aluminum foil, another held a shiny
piece of gold cardboard. The third had a foil-wrapped bouillon cube for his
offering.
We displayed that crude little Nativity set every Christmas for a long time until it
became a family tradition.
Several years later our family had the fortuitous experience of living in Europe a
couple of times. When we returned from our adventures, we had many beautiful
keepsakes as reminders of those wonderful opportunities with my husband’s
work. However, it is our Christmas collection from Sweden and Germany that
have become the most prized reminders of our time abroad.
My first desire was to share those Christmas keepsakes with friends and
neighbors, so I decided to invite them to come to our home and share the
delightful Christmas experiences we had had through a display of our treasures.
Among them were lovely Nativity sets. That was in the late 1980’s and continued
in that same way for a
few years.
But over the ensuing years as I collected additional Christmas Nativity sets during
my own travels, the display expanded into a biennial Nativity Festival that fills our
home every other year with only our lovely Nativity-related pieces that now
number about 500. That includes Nativity decorations for three trees. Plus, I have
been the happy recipient of many Nativity sets from friends who have gifted me
with those special reminders from
their travels around the world!
Then I began to be more intentional about this sacred opportunity to bear
testimony of Christ’s birth on that auspicious occasion so long ago. An invitation
to a broader audience seemed appropriate. Hence, a flyer as specific invitation
with dates and times our home would be open is delivered by hand—and now
also through email and other social media—to a broader audience. I have even
put the flyers on the bulletin boards of local businesses with great success.
At a time when the sacred event of Christ’s birth is almost all but forgotten during
the busy Christmas season, I am grateful for an occasion to celebrate Christ’s
birth with the attention it deserves in our hectic world of Christmas elves and
gnomes and woodland animals.
I have sensed the same gratitude from the visitors who have come to our home to
commemorate a genuine, Christ-centered Christmas with
us.
That “ONE WONDERFUL NIGHT” of the Savior’s birth is truly
a reason to rejoice!
Georgia Nichols
Johnstown, Colorado
October 2024
