Stronger Through Him

  This is without a doubt my favorite Christmas story and every year I share it with my classes I am teaching.   When I was in first grade we had a class gift exchange.  The girls were in one group, the boys in another.   Our price limit was fifty cents.  I don't remember what I brought to the gift exchange but I do remember wishing and hoping for a coveted book of lifesavers.   Each student was to bring a gift in order to participate.  When the day arrived I remember a boy I will call Stanley opening his gift and receiving a matchbox car.  His eyes lit up and shone with excitement as he quickly opened the car and raced it back and forth on his desk.   I wouldn't understand for many years that the reason Stanley wolfed down his lunch each day was because he was hungry.  Or that the lack of consistent running water was the reason he didn't always smell pleasant or look clean.  His dad battled alcoholism and it was generally a losing battle.  But Stanley had the most pleasant

Tonight I had the privilege of watching on Facebook Live as my good friends welcomed their son home from his mission. I was flooded with emotions as I watched him embrace his mom, brothers and dad. There are so many experiences good and bad, difficult and rewarding, heart-breaking and testimony-building that come to a peak at these times.  They are incredibly individual.  For the missionaries and their loved ones.   But at that moment all I could see was his parents saying "well done, welcome home".  It reminded me of a picture my cousin sent me of shoes worn by a missionary that her family had helped welcome home. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!’" -Isaiah 52:7 These shoes showed so much evidence of service, effort and sacrifice to share such a beautiful message that comes down to these three

  It had been too long.  Obviously it had been too long.   Since my daughter now has her own apartment and job it was time for her to have her own 72 hr kit at her house, not ours.  So we opened the 72 hr kits.  Which can be a lot like opening Pandora's box. Because that meant going into the store room which quite honestly is out of sight, out of mind much of the time.  And it spurred a clean-out.  George started hauling things out and before long he asked me (choose your own tone of voice here) how many air mattresses we owned.  I guessed 2 or 3. I said we should air them up to check for leaks.  He proceeded to bring out bag after bag and set them down all around me. SEVEN.  We own seven.  3 twins, 3 doubles and a queen air bed.  What in the world?? We aired them all up to check for leaks and the kids kept asking where they all came from.  But I knew.  Every time I saw a good deal, or traveled and didn't plan or have space to sleep I would say "you can always use an air m

 Sometimes it is hard to recognize some gifts as being just that- gifts.  Things that will genuinely help us even in our weakness in understanding.   In December of 1974, my parents had been married just four months and they were excited to be celebrating their first Christmas together at my aunt and uncle's home in Idaho. On Christmas morning my mom eagerly opened her gift from my dad hoping for something romantic and wonderful that would show her how much he loved her.  She found a pair of boots.   She was accustomed to selecting boots for their fashion not their practicality and the boots he had selected were anything but fashionable.  They were a sturdy, green pair of mountain pac boots.   She feigned gratitude but was disappointed.  Those boots were just plain ugly. And they were not fun.  A short time later they were leaving to drive to church. A storm had come through,  dumping heavy snow.  That was common in the winter there and as we would do my whole life, if it was Sunda

 One day, several years ago I was called into a classroom to help with the behavior of a particular little boy who was being unruly and contrary.  As I observed, sure enough his teacher was giving him instructions and he appeared to be completely ignoring her.  She was becoming exasperated and with a bit of an edge on her voice said, "You aren't listening." I watched his nonchalant shrug and half smile with interest and quietly sat next to him.  "You are listening, aren't you?" "Yeah.  I can hear her but I don't really want to do it."   I helped coach the teacher (and have helped many parents with this, although I forget myself at times) to use better phrasing of what she expected.  The next day when I came in I saw her drop to his level and say, "I need you to take these supplies to your table like I asked." He paused, sighed and did as he was asked.  She said, "Thank you for listening and doing what I said."  He looked bac

Winter in northern Indiana always makes me check in on our preparedness. D&C 38:30 teaches us that if we prepare we don't have to be afraid. This week it has been much colder than its been so far this winter and that got me reflecting back on when it was REALLY cold. Here is a post that I wrote two years ago: We knew the polar vortex was coming. We knew with a week to spare. Have you ever thought about how fortunate we are to have those warnings? What would have killed hundreds or thousands now thankfully only takes the lives of a dozen or two at most. Warnings offer us the chance to prepare and in this case we went through the usual bread, milk, toilet paper check but added in our back up heating plan just in case. When the true cold hit we grimaced and shook our heads from the warmth of our home and even ventured out for brief seconds to fully experience what this once in a generation cold feels like. -50 windchills are nothing to scoff at after all. Then my 16 year old ca

  We were sitting around this Christmas evening when I was engrossed in what I was doing, and Alex called my attention to the sun sinking below the horizon. She has learned to recognize subtle shifts in light and color which indicate that we are about to get a beautiful display of color. Colton also headed to the porch to take in the beauty. We had just opened gifts, had lots of delicious food, and have watched wonderful productions this week. But the simple and profound beauty of sunsets is something that stirs my soul. The fire-like strokes reached across the horizon providing a beautiful backdrop and show of artistry. It warms my heart to know that my children have also developed the appreciation for the simple things which cost us nothing more than to look up. Richard L Evans gave this beautiful advice more than 70 years ago which is just as true today. "We may be faced with a lowered physical standard of living, but we need not be faced with lowered standards of thinking

  It's this simple. And it's this profound. May the faith you find in your heart be magnified. May your Herods' false messages be quieted and the wounds of injustice be healed by the soothing touch of the Master. May your precious soul be safeguarded from the painful blows of those slamming doors. May the glimmers of light shine in your darkness and illuminate the beauty of His tender mercies. May you find a quiet moment to kneel and give thanks for that Child, even Jesus Christ who was born. This is my Christmas prayer to you with much love.

 Holidays can be the happiest times but sometimes also the hardest times.   It's like the days somehow magnify all of our emotions. Pangs of loneliness can feel especially difficult to bear as we watch others gather.  Disappointment over unmet expectations, our own and those of others, is real. Feelings of bitterness over conflicts can feel insurmountable.   Worries over providing for ourselves and our families can be heightened.   I don't have to fight it as often as many of my brave family and friends, but today was a day when anxiety overtook me.  Even when I knew my thoughts weren't completely rational and that things would eventually be okay, it didn't feel like they would as I went through those emotions.  At one point I sat with tears running down my cheeks in frustration as my heart raced and I struggled to calm my rapid breathing.  Music was playing and a song I didn't recognize came on.   With the soft strumming of the guitar and Amy Grant's gentle voi

 "When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." -Matthew 2:9-10 Millions of people watched for the "Christmas Star" the last two nights.  How did they know to watch for it? For many they saw it on the news or on social media.  For some it was word of mouth.   But how did the wise men know?   A new star in the sky was clear and visible for all to see.  What was it that made these men recognize and know to follow the star? They knew the prophecies.  They were watching and waiting.  They REJOICED when they saw the star.  They knew their Savior had arrived.  It's easy for us to read that as they saw the star, they came and worshipped.  But so much takes place between the verses.  The coming didn't happen overnight.  Scholars don't know how long the trip took, but they do know i

 I was frustrated with a bad habit my kids were exhibiting this morning and I attempted to call them out on it.  I didn't want to escalate to contention so I decided to read my scriptures before I proceeded.   I don't always show that wisdom or self-control but this time I could and did.  I have been reading in Moroni chapter 10 all week so I really didn't expect to find anything new, but I opened to it again.  Right there in verse 32 was the answer:  "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness;" My kids definitely needed to deny themselves the ungodliness of the behavior.  I knew I was right.  But how to teach them?  But the Spirit prompted me to read it again.  So I did.  And then a third time.   This time I read it like this.  "Yea come unto Christ, and be perfected in him and deny YOURSELF of all ungodliness." Myself.    Yes I need to teach my kids and at times correct them.  But it's myself, not others