Notes for my sister

During the summer when we were in Utah, I took the girls to the BYU Museum of Art. This painting by Brian Kershisnik, called Nativity, is huge and incredible up close. You see angels of different ages, some weeping with joy, some singing. Look closely at the holy family: in Joseph's face you can see an expression of relief and maybe wonder? I can't even find words to describe it. Zoom in next to the virgin Mary, you see two women with hands covered in blood, probably midwives who attended the birth of baby Jesus. I remember feeling surprised at the depth of detail, and then it made me think about more details surrounding his birth. A picture is truly worth a thousand words. I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe he was born in Bethlehem, and that an angel came to announce his birth to shepherds. I believe Jesus is the Good Shepherd spoken of in the New Testament. Believing has been easy for me, so I really can't take much credit for it. I hope that my actions show that I...

Healing, Christmas time, and a broken statue boy Church talk/sermon, Lehi Utah, December 2016 During the Christmas season, we reflect on our Savior’s birth in Bethlehem.   We rejoice in this lovely tradition, and we honor Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, angels and wise men who came to honor the baby Jesus.   But we recognize that without the events that happened 33 years later at the end of his life, there would be no singing and no festivities for his birthday, if not for the Atonement and resurrection that he completed.   Today I’d like to share some thoughts with you, not about the little baby Jesus, but about the healing and power of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.   At our church general women’s meeting a few months ago, Carole Stephens gave a beautiful sermon called The Master Healer . My remarks are based on her comments, and I’ll share some ideas and experiences of my own.   First I’ll talk about the need for healing during the holidays, next about how...

Yes, we drove. My kids had five days off school for Thanksgiving break. It takes about 20 hours each way, so yes, we spent lots of time in the car. (At gas stations Amber did jumping jacks just for fun.) It's interesting to see places you've never been; this was our first time driving through Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia and Maryland. We stopped at Shenandoah National Park on the way, to enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Three main purposes for this trip: learn about US History, deepen my kids' gratitude for this great nation, and spend time with my sister's family! We loved sharing a Thanksgiving feast with them, complete with homemade cheeseball, rolls, and pies from the Amish market. And my kids loved eating cookie salad as a side dish. Here are a handful of highlights from places we visited. The Capitol building is huge. Supreme Court below. Once again, the scale and beauty of these buildings is impressive. It's humbling to think about justice, a...

(Yes, we're weird.) But why send a card at Thanksgiving? I love this holiday, and  I'm trying to simplify Christmas. First let's talk about why I love Thanksgiving. Making time to stop and give thanks is a big deal. I keep teaching and re-teaching my kids to show gratitude. They've heard this line a dozen times: "Will you be grateful or greedy?" Can we be happy with what is , without always wanting more ? I talked about having a gratitude attitude over  here  and about our yearly Thanksgiving tradition over  here . Each person thinks of things we're thankful for, and then we write them on paper leaves. I saved last year's poster, and this year we had to think of completely new leaves. Some of my favorites on this year's list: pumpkin bread, 2 hour church, a working desktop computer, choir, etc. I talked about fall in Texas over  here  but I have to add one more funny story. See the turkey hat Amber's wearing in the photo? Yesterday ...

The Holy Bible King James Version I love this book so much! This morning I went to Bible study with eleven other women of faith. It was the best hour of my day. We're each from different churches, but we're in the same BSF small group this year. It's kind of a beautiful thing, to connect and strengthen and share. This whole semester we've been reading in the book of Acts, and it's awesome to learn how the early church grew in the days following the Savior's death and resurrection. God is truly sovereign, and unstoppable in his work. It's been interesting to follow the stories of Stephen and Paul and Philip and Cornelius. Today's discussion was part of a mini study from 1 Peter, and once again I'm reminded that great blessings come from faith, and even from the fiery trial of faith. Sometimes people wonder if I like the Bible. Yes! Sometimes people mistakenly think that members of my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, don...

The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ On our Thanksgiving card this year, I included a verse from Mosiah 24. Here's the back story: a group of believers were living in enemy territory. They were in bondage and prayed for deliverance. God heard their prayers and told them to wait : don't just wait and be grumpy, but wait with faith and hope. Then a miraculous thing happened.  Their burdens were not taken away, but their shoulders got stronger. This is the promise from heaven: 14 " And I will also ease the  burdens  which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as  witnesses  for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their  afflictions ." (Mosiah 24:14) Their slavery wasn't over yet, but "they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." (v. 15) Late...