April Sixth

Last weekend at General Conference, Elder Richard J. Maynes of the Seventy talked about the importance of families establishing Celestial Traditions.

I like that phrase...celestial traditions. I know he was referring to such traditions as attending church together, having family home evenings, family prayer, and family scripture study, but it made me think about what OTHER kind of traditions could be considered celestial traditions.

I think many Christmas traditions can be considered Celestial traditions. I love our Bethlehem Dinners, baking cookies for friends and family, and reading the Christmas story from the scriptures.

I think our Joseph Smith Birthday celebration could be considered a celestial tradition because we are remembering the birthday of a latter-day prophet who restored the Church of Jesus Christ in these last days.

Many Easter traditions can be celestial traditions as we focus on the true meaning of the holiday.

Today, I thought of a NEW tradition to implement in our family.

April Sixth.

What's so significant about April 6th you ask? Well, I'll tell you.

Modern day prophets, including Harold B. Lee and Spencer W. Kimball have told us that April 6th was the actual day that Jesus Christ was born in that tiny town in Bethlehem. (See Ensign, July 1973, p. 2; May 1980, p. 54.)

Mary and the Christ Child.

April 6th was also the day the church was organized in a little log cabin in Fayette, New York.

Artist's rendition of organization of Church in Peter Whitmer's home.

Tonight, I will be fixing a special April 6th dinner. This year it is going to be Chicken Pot Pie. I don't know if they ATE chicken pot pie in the 1830's, but it's homey and somewhat old fashioned.

Then, I'm going to serve a yummy homemade cake. We are going to sing "Happy Birthday" two different times--one to Jesus Christ and one to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, that will be a mouthful to sing.

After blowing out the candles (I'll put on a few for symbolism's sake) we'll read D&C 21 which talks about the organization of the church.

I love celebrating special times with my family. Hopefully, this will become one celestial tradition that our family will carry on for years to come.

Thank You for Being Jesus' Friend

A couple of weeks ago, a 14 year old girl was at the temple. She had only been there one time previously with her ward youth group. This time, she came alone to do baptisms. She was nervous, but the woman who helped her was kind and loving. It was a very positive experience for this young girl. As she was leaving the temple, the young girl thanked the temple worker profusely for all her help.

"I have always heard that the temple is the House of the Lord," the teenager said, "But today was the first time that I could feel it was Heavenly Father's house." She paused and added, "Thank you," she gestured to the temple worker and those standing nearby, "for being Jesus' friend."

When I heard this story today, I was touched. One of my favorite things is to work in the temple once a month. I was reminded that one of my goals is to be more like Jesus--to be His friend. As I greeted the men and women who were visiting the temple today, I tried harder to smile and greet them with warmth. I wanted them to feel that this is truly "The House of the Lord" and that I am striving to be His friend.

While I was in the temple, I noticed a beautiful young woman with her mother. She was getting married and was glowing like most young brides. Her mother was obviously happy about her daughter's choices. What a wonderful day for this family!

A few minutes later, I saw her mother alone. I greeted her and asked, "Is your daughter getting married today?"

She smiled and said yes.

"Congratulations," I said, "Having a daughter get married is such a wonderful occasion, but a little bittersweet, too." I felt like I needed to explain, "I've had three daughters get married, and even though they married wonderful men, I realized that I'm no longer the most important person in their life."

She agreed and then said, "Today is even more bittersweet for me. My husband is not a member and he's having a hard time not being able to watch his little girl get married." Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm going to join him in the waiting room so he isn't hurt even more."

Tears filled my eyes, too. I'm sure this mother has dreamed about her daughter's wedding day for years, yet she wasn't going to be there either. I tried to say something that would give her comfort. She then left to join her husband.

I saw the mother a couple more times this morning. We shared a smile each time we met. For a few minutes we made a small connection. Hopefully I was able to be, in some small way, Jesus' friend.

Reflections of a New Year

Today after I taught early-morning seminary, I went for a long walk. The rain had finally stopped, the sun was trying to break through the clouds, and I wanted to think and ponder.

As I climbed up and down the hills in my neighborhood, I silently prayed, "Heavenly Father, what do you want me to do?"

Sometimes, my life feels like a jigsaw puzzle. There are missing pieces and yet, if I can just find the right combination of patterns, colors, and pieces, everything will fall into place. I love the New Year because it feels fresh with a whole world of possibilities. Some of my friends tease me because I LOVE to set goals. I also love to work on them. I don't always succeed in every goal--but I am making the effort and hopefully by the end of the year I can look back and see some progress.

So this morning, as I walked, I asked, "Heavenly Father, what do you want me to do?"

I had already written down some goals I wanted to accomplish for the coming year. I want to study the life of the Savior as I re-read the New Testament. I want to continue to read the Book of Mormon. I want to attend the temple at least once a month.

I had some physical goals as well--exercising 250 times this year, organizing my recipes, filing my magazines. And I had some intellectual goals as well--completing a couple more BYU classes and reading at least 24 books. But, I felt like something was lacking.

As I walked up and down the streets of my neighborhood, silently praying, this is the thought that came to me:

"Don't just study the life of the Savior, but become more like Him."

It made me think of one of my favorite Primary Hymns.

I'm trying to be like Jesus,
I'm following in His ways,
I'm trying to love as He did,
In all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still, small voice whispers,
"Love one another as Jesus loved you,
Try to show kindness in all that you do,
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught."

--I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus from the Children's Songbook.

This coming year I will try a little harder to be kinder. I will try a little harder to be more loving. I will try a little harder to be more patient. I will try a little harder to be a little more like my Savior.

I may not be able to measure this goal in numbers--I won't be able to wake up one morning saying, "Good job--you did it!" But, hopefully at the end of 2011 I will feel a difference in my spirit.

Do I Have Room?

The past few weeks have been very busy. Busy finishing up my BYU class. Busy studying and taking a final. Busying Christmas shopping. Busy working on Jennifer's upcoming wedding. Busy running a household. Busy giving service to others. In all the busyness I almost forgot the joy and wonder of this season. Tonight, I had a chance to remember.



I hope I will always have room for the Savior in my heart and in my life. I hope I can become increasingly like Him. I hope that you have a very joyous Christmas season filled with love, peace, and wonderful memories.

I Feel My Savior's Love

One activity that our family enjoys each November is coming up with a list of our blessings. I usually have a small poster board taped to a kitchen wall and throughout the month, we list things that we are grateful for. This month, most of my blog posts will be an virtual poster board as I share the things I am grateful for.

This past year I have come to appreciate, love, and know my Savior, Jesus Christ in a greater, deeper way. As I have studied the Atonement, I realize that as He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, that He not only took on the sins of all mankind, but also our sorrows, sicknesses, and tribulations as well. When I am hurting or sick, He knows what I'm feeling and that thought brings me great comfort. Perhaps no one else knows exactly what I am going through--but my Savior does.


I also know that He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what experiences we need to reach our full potential. Sometimes these experiences are challenging and we would prefer not to go through them. But, when we look back, many times we can see how much we have grown.

Today I was reading the Church News. President Eyring recently spoke about this principle as he spoke to 77 stake in Northern Utah.

"Jesus Christ reigns in the affairs of men, even though many or most people fail to recognize His hand. He does not give an assurance of all that we might want, but we have a sure way to gain His assistance even in the worst of times. The kingdom of God in the earth is His Restored Church."

He then advised members to put the kingdom of God first in their lives and trust in the Lord for the rest, and that if they do so they will have the Lord's help while confronting life's inevitable difficulties.

I know that this is true. How grateful I am for the love of our Savior. How grateful I am for His tender mercies in my family's lives. I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope that I can become more like Him.