A GIFT OF LOVE...

I was at the store the other day and happened to pick up a box of Christmas greeting cards which caught my eye. 

 I'm always checking out the ones that have Nativity scenes on them, but this particular style also had a verse by Thomas Nelson.  Have no idea who in the world who Thomas Nelson is, but by his words it was definitely apparent that he understood Christ's role as the Son of God and why He came to earth.  This person is probably not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with additional knowledge that the Restoration brought to us, but still he knew the promises to the world because of Christ as our Savior and Redeemer the way they are taught in the Bible.

I have also been impressed over the years as I learned the words to our tradtional Christmas Carols that those writers also had a testimony of Christ's divinity and his place in our salvation.  These were common facts for centuries that most people today either do not know or relegate to a category of much less importance or not even true.  

Consequently, I am heartened by evidence that truth still pops up in a celebration that has become so secular over my lifetime, even, that there is little mention of this miraculous gift of love to the whole world that one wonderful night more than two thousand years ago.

The card reminded me of that terrific little video at christmas.mormon.org which was introduced on November 28th for this Christmas Season's initiative to help us invite people to discover, embrace, and share God's sacred gift to the world.

Long ago, one silent night,
God revealed His glory bright;
His own image came to man
For salvation's matchless plan.

Jesus, Savior, Shepherd, King--
Lord of all to you we bring
Praises, wonder, thanks, and love
For this gift from God above.

The following greeting was inside the card:

Remembering you this Christmas and praying your celebration brings a heart full of joy
as you remember God's amazing love shown through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Now THAT was a greeting card worth purchasing--but I didn't.  The box cost $12, if I remember correctly, and I thought about the half dozen boxes at home that I still have available for use in future Christmas celebrations.  So, I walked away with only the verse and the sentiment committed to paper and my memory. That was enough.  It had gladdened my heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MAN CAVE FOR THE ELDERS....

Notice how different the upstairs bedroom looks now that it's been converted to a space for the elder missionaries in our ward.  Burgandy also helped me put a small secretary desk in the loft so they would have a place to study.

It's been about a week now since the missionaries moved in. I saw them briefly the first night and I left the next morning before they were up and about.  I got home late last night, and they were still up working in the loft.  They are both from Idaho.  One has been out a little over a year, the other one only since summer. 

 Boy!  What a difference a year makes!  Louis and I noted their comparative immaturity to the missionaries before, even when they were brand new but also noticed how much better prepared, dedicated to the work, and diligent they are in their study and performance than those seven years ago.  They also ride bikes rather than drive a car.

The room doesn't look at all like this NOW.  They've done something with the stool for the chair, the bedding is in a heap, and some of their clothes are hanging from the cold air return vents near the ceiling.  I try not to glance in that direction if the door is open when I go up to the computer.  

Other than that I have already enjoyed hearing them moving about upstairs and visiting with them briefly as we cross each others' paths in the house.  It shouldn't be a long three months at all. 

 Now that the hard work of preparing the room is over, I am glad for this unique opportunity to support missionary work as the gospel floods the earth.  I know our little bit of assistance here is just as important in its own way as are the more spectacular events associated with missionary work that other members do.

SIXTY-NINE IS MIGHTY FINE!

Happy Birthday to me!  Wow!  I was one of those young people who thought of 70'ish people as OLD and DECREPIT!  Well, the ones I knew at that time were.

However, I never did get plump as I expected to do like the mature women I was acquainted with when I was a kid, and now I don't think I really look like an almost septuagenarian. Instead, I am pretty much a poster child for the Silver Sneaker generations.

It's been a wonderful life--with a couple of really BAD bumps along the way.  And the other rocky roads I've encountered over the years have usually given way to a smoother highway until the next road "under construction", which I am sure will continue in the same manner until my foot hits the brake.

Thank you to all who have made my life really worthwhile.  I know I am a person that looks at the world through a glass that is half-empty, but what's left in the bottom half of that glass has been some really wonderful elixir. 

LIFE IS GOOD!