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Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart... It is Christmas morning. No remaining details to be attended to. All is silent. The soft light from the Christmas tree casts a warm glow over all that it touches, including the picture that hangs over my fireplace of Mary and her precious child. I love this picture. How many times have I kissed my babes and many other babes in such a way(oh sweet pangs of time gone by, sniffle, sniffle). I often think of Mary at this time of year. I try to imagine what she must have been like, her goodness, her depth of heart. Greeting a newborn into this earthly world always carries with it a portion of heavenly satisfaction. How great must have been Mary's joy to hold the precious infant Jesus! To know that He was partly hers and partly Heaven's gift to the world. I am filled with gratitude for such a woman as Mary. Through her goodness and the goodness of a loving Heavenly Father, I am blessed with a Savior, a brother, a friend, a

Well look at that! Six months have gone by and I have not written a thing on this blog. I feel like this barren tree. The mists of my life swirling all around me and not a word of it recorded or written down. I have been suppressing that little nagging voice in a few areas and it is time to listen. For me, nothing helps that little nagging voice speak louder than listening to General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I feel the Holy Ghost directing me personally as I listen to a living Prophet and living Apostles of Jesus Christ. Allow me to relate my experience from attending this magnificent meeting to that of an orchard, or rather, a single tree in that orchard. Would a hopeful and enthusiastic owner of an orchard leave his trees to grow at will, without any thought or effort placed in preparing them to meet the demands of pending elements? No, a wise owner of an orchard knows that without training and pruning, fruit trees will not develop proper shape

This weekend is the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We will hear from the mouthpiece of the Lord for all the world in our day. I add my witness to the many that have witnessed and will yet witness that this man, President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. Come and listen to Prophet's voice.

Disobedience to the Lord’s commandments allows Satan to deceive us, and we forget the light and truth we have previously learned. President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency described this dangerous condition: “One of the effects of disobeying God, seems to be, the creation of just enough spiritual anesthetic to block any sensation as the ties to God are being cut. Not only [does] the testimony of the truth slowly erode, but even the memories of what it was like to be in the light [begin] to seem . . . like a delusion” (“A Life Founded in Light and Truth,” Brigham Young University 2000–2001 Speeches [2001], 81). It is always good to be aware, even when it is painful, of the areas in our life that need adjusting.

So, in conjunction with the previous post, I read this scripture: 2 Nephi 1:20 Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence. I posed the question below "What think ye if Christ?" This is just a passing thought, I do not claim it to be right, but if Christ is far from my thoughts could it be because I have not followed commandments and therefore have been cut off from His presence. Would that not make it easier to go about my doings without a second thought given to Him who saves? How then is it all the more important for me to be as in verse 21 "determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that [I] may not come down into captivity". It makes sense why the prophets and apostles teach daily prayer, daily scripture study. The more often we are reminded of the Savior, the closer He will be in our thoughts. I don't know if that thought ma

1 Nephi 19:7–9 I know I have mentioned the book The Hiding Place in a previous post, but reading these scriptures from the Book of Mormon have brought it to mind once again. I was impressed with the family of Miss Ten Boom and their regard for a loving Heavenly Father. Not only did they fear God and desire to act in a manner that would be pleasing to Him, the description that was given of the people they associated with also loved God and His Son. In reading this I mentioned to my Hubby that we no longer live in a God fearing society. Gone are the days when the majority see their wrong actions as something that might bring the wrath of heaven down upon them. If the question was posed today "What think ye of Christ?" (Matt 22:42) would the answer be "I really don't think of Him at all." Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said "Comparatively, brothers and sisters, it matters very little what people think of us, but it matters very much what we think of Him." My

I am playing the song "Praise to the Man" today at a baptism. I chose this song because all over the world primary children learned this hymn and sang it with power in their primary programs several months ago. My children love this hymn and sing it with gusto. Several years ago at a child's baptism, my own testimony of the boy Joseph's experience in the Sacred Grove was solidified. To know that Joseph Smith was chosen by God to restore His gospel is fundamental in the building of a testimony. I hope that through song my testimony of this man will bring the spirit into the meeting to be felt by the children who have chosen to be baptized today. Through all the persecution and ridicule that Joseph Smith received while on this earth, he remained true to his call from the Heavens. Today I echo the words of the hymn written in his honor and give "praise to the man that communed with Jehovah"!

If someone asked me today what my favorite eggs are I would say fried eggs. This is what I was thinking about as I did the dishes tonight. (I am aware that I am strange) After concluding to myself that fried eggs would definitely be my favorite (if by chance someone asked) I then began to question myself as to why they were my favorite. Conclusion: the pan and the spatula are easier to clean. This strange self conversation led me ask other questions of myself and I came to realize it has been a while since I have gotten to know myself. Proper attention, over the past 9 years, has been placed on raising our four small children. They are still very time consuming and busy, however, with the school year in session I have been given a two hour window every Thursday with which I can think to myself, pray and study the scriptures without interruption, clean and do laundry, or run errands in a speedy fashion. This little window of time in my week has become a journey in and of its self. I hav

The title of today's post is a quote from Elder Maxwell. Let's relate the title to losing a tooth and a new one breaking through. This is my six year old's first experience in losing a tooth. (Although as a toddler she almost lost her two top front teeth when her siblings dropped her face first on the tile floor, but that's a story of irritation for another time) This story of irritation takes place in the wilderness with Lehi and his family. I have come to the part where Nephi's bow of fine steel breaks. An interesting note-the bow was thought to be made with materials that would remain strong. How many times have I taken the time to prepare and find that it is still not enough? Or have taken steps in an endeavor that, in my mind would prevent anything from going wrong? I am generally an optimist and enjoy living in my little rosy bubble. This story is for me because when something goes terribly wrong or something prevents me from accomplishing the task that is so

FORGIVENESS A few things have brought this topic to mind. In the Bible, Jesus Christ taught "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despite fully use you and persecute you". In the beginning of the Book of Mormon, time and time again, Nephi's brothers rebel against him and his father Lehi. They curse and persecute Nephi and time after time again Nephi forgives them "I did frankly forgive them all that they had done". (1 Nephi 7:21) I just finished the book "The Hiding Place". This is my second time reading, the first when I was a teen. This time I appreciated more, and related deeper to the truths Miss Ten Boom discovered and wrote about in her experience through the holocaust. At one point of her story she comes into contact with one of the guards that treated her and others horribly in the concentration camp. She described the horrible scenes that returned to her memory at the sight of him.

Isn't that a great picture! I wish I could say I have walked where this was taken. Since I am not a photographer or much of a traveler, I get to view such beauty from another thanks to Google. 1 Nephi 8 The vision of the Tree of Life and the iron rod running alongside the straight and narrow path. At times my path in life may be just as beautiful and awe inspiring as the photo above, if I choose to look up from the dusty trail. Other times the trail I tread is barren, rough in terrain and made increasingly difficult with stumbling blocks along the way. Then there are the times when the path is darkened and may require entrance into the unknown. Jesus Christ taught that He is the only path or “the way” that will lead to the Father (see John 14:6). Elder Lowell M. Snow of the Seventy testified of the constant direction the Savior provides: “Life is full of many intersecting roads and trails. There are so many paths to follow, so many voices calling out ‘lo, here’ or ‘lo, there’ [ Jos

1 Nephi 7:15 Finally Utah is getting some snow this winter! My kids are so excited to play in it. I am content just watching it out the window as it covers the earth. Today's scripture 1 Nephi 7:15. Laman, Lemuel, their new sweethearts and a few others begin to rebel. They want to return home. Moment of honesty-can you really blame them? With the riches they gathered to persuade Laban it would seem that Lehi's family lived comfortably, for that time period. I like being born in this day and age where living is quite comfortable with its many conveniences. I might have "rebelled"/wanted to go back too. This is where faith and knowledge come in. Nephi had the faith to follow a prophet. This faith was then rewarded with a sure knowledge that the journey they were on was indeed inspired by the Lord. Laman and those influenced by him were not captives on the journey toward the land of promise. Nephi answered their desire to return to Jerusalem by declaring a fundamental do

Nephi and Laban Ok, this part of the Book of Mormon bothers me everytime I come to it. I am a person that shuns violence. I have a deep love for newborns. I cannot resist them, partly because of their smell and partly because I love how I feel holding them. Each life is a gift from God. So today I tackle this event and hope for additional understanding and light. My studies took me to the Book of Mormon student manual(available at LDS Disribution). It's important to note that before Nephi reached this point, Laban was given two chances to part with the brass plates without requiring his life. Also, let's not forget the crimes Laban committed against Nephi and his brothers. Laban was a liar and a robber and at least twice sought to murder. These crimes were at that time punishable by death. Ok, but he was King and we all know how kings are when they are evil ones. They usually don't recieve the death punishment unless issued by God. This is where Nephi comes in. U

Please excuse the iphone pics, I am not a photographer. Merely someone who enjoys writing and has only one fan following(thanks mom). I hope to get better at many things. A picture always adds to any entry. This one seems fitting merely for the fact that my cute 3 year old(complete with her Rudolph nose) looks like she is saying the word 'murmur' right in your face. By definition, to murmur is a mumbled or private expression of discontent. I am reading the Book of Mormon, again. Cover to cover. From the beginning there is murmuring. First from Laman and Lemuel then, much to the readers surprise, the good prophet Lehi even murmurs. Insert moment of personal justification, I can still be a good person even though I murmur at times. So why is this murmuring bad? Elder H. Ross Workman of the Seventy explained that “murmuring consists of three steps, each leading to the next in a descending path to disobedience.” First, when people murmur they begin to question. They quest

The thoughts for this post began a while back, but since school started life has been full of PTA, homework, scouts, piano lessons, dance lessons and then the joyful Holiday season thrown in the muddle of everything. This is my shallow excuse for not choosing to drink in the teachings of the scriptures. My daily scripture reading has been more of something to check off the list, or get to tomorrow, or the next day. But with a new year comes new dedication. Truthfully I had thoughts of deleting this blog. My lack of "stick-to-it" has left many things undone and by the wayside along my walk of life. Each individual is blessed with certain gifts and talents. Let's just say that I didn't stand in the "stick-to-it" line in heaven when God was handing out talents. I loved this picture taken by my mother and thought it fit my thoughts this evening. It has my daughter and niece's shoe choice for the day. It was June and the sun was shining and it was snowing.