A Love for All Seasons

Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas! I am sure it has occured to you, as it has to me, that just as we celebrate this month with a commitment to love a grouchy neighbor, forgive an errant co-worker, be kinder to fellow commuters, spend more time together around the dinner table, all done in rememberance of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we could, if we really wanted, extend more love every day of the year.

Yes, there are more triggers in the music and colored lights of the season to remind us to be a little more gentle in our treatment of each other, but if we could keep Christ in our hearts after we take down the Christmas tree and heft the decorations to the attic, we know we would experience more joy all year long.

Perhaps this year we ought to place a small gift under the Christmas tree for the Christ Child, a handwritten note, an offering of the heart declaring our resolve to love more as He loved. Just imagine what our lives might be like if we developed that kind of a love for all seasons.

God Bless and Keep You Safe,
Jeanette

Sabbath Day

I love the Sabbath day. Long ago church was filled with color crayons, Cheerios and quiet books. Today it is a place for quiet reflection and searching the scriptures for messages that apply to my own situations in life.

I need the Sabbath lessons that help me stay centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, reminding me how I should act and what to think to become more like Christ. Teachings that help me prepare for the trials that lie ahead in mortality.

I will never forget how I longed to gather together on the Sabbath for church the day after the Teton Dam burst in Idaho, when church was completely canceled. How I wished we could meet as saints to receive comfort and inspiration. We had just lost everything of a material nature, many of us were frightened, even ill.

The following week the saints were called together for a meeting with President Spencer W. Kimball and Elder Boyd K. Packer and given instructions and inspiration as we began to rebuild our lives. Meeting together as saints to hear the word of God and to feel of His love is one of the greatest blessings of my life.