CHristmas Memories

Today at church we had the Relief Society and Priesthood together and they did a Christmas program. It was really good. It made me think what kind of things make Chrismas the magical time of year when the spirit is so prevalent? For me its reading the Christmas story, singing carols, decorating the house and being with family. But really even with that I didn't feel all that Christmasy until today. I am not sure what changed it was it hearing it all together? Or was it just the setting, what ever it was I am glad because now I can't wait for Christmas, sadly that is less than a week away. Why couldn't this of happened earlier? Now I only have a week to enjoy the spirit of Christmas.

But it also made me think of some of my favorite hol

iday memories. So I am making a list for all of you to enjoy....

1. One year Nichole (my sister) was so excited for it to be Christmas and so she decided to wake up really early that morning and open the presents... not just her presents but mine as well. I got woken up by her not long after with "Mariah, Mariah!" She then proceded to tell me everything I had gotten for Christmas. As a result Christmas was not that fun for

me that year.

2. I remember one year we woke up to find a big foot print of ash by the fireplace. That was the coolest thing a 7 year old could of hoped for. See Santa is real!

3. Every year my mom would let us paint pictures on the window. She would make these pretty winter scenes but as for me I just liked the colors. It was a ton of fun!

4. As a family tradition we would go caroling every Christmas eve. Even though I was not that happy to be out in the cold I enjoyed spending time together.

5. As we decorated the tree every year we would listen to Forgotten Carols. The music is so beautiful! The tree may not be the prettiest but it was worth it, especially w

hen we got to add our ornament from that year. (We got a new one every year.)

Forgotten Carols

Last night Kyle and I were able to go see forgotten carols. (It was an early Christmas present from my family.) I loved every moment of it. There is just something about being there in person. I like to think of it as Christmas magic. The spirit of Christmas is so special. They had a song in there that I hadn't heard before I loved every moment of it. The music was beyond awesome it was "beawesome."

Michael came out after the play and he had David Bluth the most amazing singer ever, sing his carol. He ender up singing Arise and shine forth. Wow It was amazing. He told us the best part of doing the play for 19 years and playing a man that was 1900 years old was that he would never be too old to play it, and that his wife who played Sara got to come with him. He said that the best part of that was "making out backstage" everyone laughed. Then he had us all sing silent night. This woman next to me made me cry she told me that I had a beautiful voice. All my life I have never been told that, and I have always thought my voice was awful. I started crying she was so sweet!

Thank you to my family for giving me that very special experience. I think I didn't stop smiling the whole time.

Holiday magic

Well I have not been doing well at updating consistently.. I am awful I know. I hope everyones Thanksgiving was enjoyable. For me it was good, awkward but good. I was surrounded by people I didn't know and anyone that knows me, knows how enjoyable that one is. NOT!

But lights on Temple square have turned on, they are beautiful! The lights and the snow really makes it feel more like Christmas. I love it! Its cold but there is magic in the air this time of year. There is more giving, more joy, more acceptance and more love. Though these things are here year round there is simply more of it this time of year.

I am reminded of the Children's story Christmas Oranges. In this story there was a little girl in an orphanage, every year they received a single orange for Christmas, but this year the girl had done something that made the headmaster mad, as a result she didn't get her Christmas orange. But all the girls sacrificed one piece of there orange so that she could have some.

Do we share in such a sacrificing way? Do we give so much? Try this Christmas season to find ways you can give.

Thanksgiving history

Most stories of Thanksgiving history start with the harvest celebration of the pilgrims and the indians that took place in the autumn of 1621. Although they did have a three-day feast in celebration of a good harvest, and the local indians did participate, this "first Thanksgiving" was not a holiday, simply a gathering. There is little evidence that this feast of thanks led directly to our modern Thanksgiving Day holiday. Thanksgiving can, however, be traced back to 1863 when Pres. Lincoln became the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving Day. The holiday has been a fixture of late November ever since.

However, since most school children are taught that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 with the pilgrims and indians, let us take a closer look at just what took place leading up to that event, and then what happened in the centuries afterward that finally gave us our modern Thanksgiving.

The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church, (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America.

The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating as a result of not having the knowledge of harvest and the late time of year, there was no time to plant. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.

Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.

Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.

This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. Many years passed before the event was repeated. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of thanksgiving was proclaimed. On June 20 of that year the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving.

A hundred years later, in October of 1777 all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair.

George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson opposed the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.

It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book.Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the lastThursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

My husband is a saint! This past week or so my hormones have been going crazy and yet he still is as ever patient as ever. Nothing new this last week or so, not really looking forward to this week. I don't get a day off from work till next monday, BLAHHH. I guess it could always be worse. Besides after that I only have to work one day then I have Vacation, if only I were going somewhere it would be great. But sadly I am staying right here and so I am going to be bored out of my mind.

Belated honeymoon

Well Kyle and I finally did it. We finally took our honeymoon, almost a year later. But that is what happens when you get married in the middle of the holidays when you can't afford to take any extra time off from work. Then not long after hours get cut, then switch jobs. I mean you go with the flow. So every month we saved a little and we finally were able to go on our belated honeymoon. Let me tell you it was worth the wait. I think it was almost better then going right when we are married. I am serious, this way we were ableto enjoy being there, and enjoy being with eachother. If we had gone we would of been too caught up on newly wed activities.

So we left early Friday morning and headed to Las Vegas. We stayed with Kyle's family that night but we were able to go see Blue Man Group, best part was that we got the tickets for free. Kyle has connections! That and when they found out it was our

honeymoon she gave us the tickets as a wedding present. So as a result we had some of the best tickets in the building.

It was amazing I really didn't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't anything like that. I was so amazed, I normally am not the biggest fan of drumsand acoustics but they made it so much fun and new and adventive. The lights, the music, the fun of it all was amazing.

The next morning we headed to California bright and early. I decided that I HATE California traffic. I flat out refused to drive while we were there. But it was awesome. We went to Disneyland! Oh how much fun. I mean I had been there once before but somehow this was so much more enjoyable. When we got our tickets they asked if we were celebrating anything special we told them it was a late honeymoon so they gave us "just married" buttons. It was kind of funny because all day people would tell us "congratulations." It was so funny. Simply because well we have been married for 11

months. But oh well. We were there for almost 10 hours and by then I was so soar and was having a hard time walking, but we still had to walk back to the hotel. B

ut while we were there we went on all the rides and enjoyed the parade. There was so much to do, so much fun and lots of people.

The whole park was decorated in halloween decor. It was beautiful. I generally am not a fan of the halloween session, mostly because it seems to be all about blood and gore. But Disneyland made it fun, cute, and enjoyable. I mean how cute is the Mickey pumpkin? I would never of thought of making a mickey pumpkin, or any of the other disney characters they made into pumpkins as well, I think my favorite was the goofy one right at the entrance.

I was so sad leaving, I wanted to go back. I missed it. i can defiantly tell why they call it the most magical place on earth. Were else can you feel like a kid even though your not? No were. I loved walking around and seeing all the little girls dressed up as there favorite princess. The little snow white's, Cinderella's, Jasmine's and Sleeping beauty. I loved it. To see to excitement in there eyes. I can't wait to one day take our kids there someday.

Talk for tomorrow

So here is my talk for tomorrow let me know what you think....

Nephi is recorded as saying “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days” What did Nephi mean that he was born of goodly parents? Does it mean that his parents played an active role in the child’s upbringing and taught gospel principles? Of course it does.

The home and family have vital roles in the developing and cultivating of personal testimony and faith. It is in the family that children first become aware of many of the gospel principles. It is the parents that teach faith, repentance, hope, charity. The family is the basic unit of society, each family is a little different, but regardless of who constitutes your family it is in that unit that they are able to share love. Love for each other and love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. When the gospel is not only taught in the home but also lived children learn and grow. Just like the best meals are cooked at home, the best gospel instruction should be in the home.

The proclamation to the family states that “The family is ordained of God. Husbands have a solemn responsibility to love and care for eachother and there children. “Children are a heratige of the Lord” (Psalms 127:3) Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for there physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law abiding citizens.” For it is here that faith truly begins. But before you can influence others you have to have habits and qualities for yourself. What are these habits and qualities?

1. Prayer:

Do you say daily prayer? Prayers before each meal? Do you say meals with your spouce and family? “Let every family in this Church have prayer together. Now, it is important to have individual prayer, but it is a wonderful thing to have family prayer. Pray to your Father in Heaven in faith. Pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You can do nothing better for your children than to have them taking their turn in the family prayer, expressing gratitude for their blessings. If they do that while they are young, they will grow with a spirit of thanksgiving in their hearts” I remember babysitting my nieces one evening, before my sister left they all knelt in prayer and my niece then was not even 3 saying a prayer. The habits of prayer are learned as children. That prayer was so simple and so filled with love that the effect has not left me even after the words have been forgotten long ago. Many people even if they saying prayers they are saying the same prayer day after day. One thing that makes a huge difference in prayers is personalizing them, make it as if you are having a personal conversation with the Lord. Tell him about your day, or the things you need counsel on. When it comes to prayer I think there is no better example then that of the children, for they truly say what is in there hearts. They ask for blessings that they need, and they express love for Heavenly Father and there families. I believe over time we either become comfortable in routine phrases that they are used over and over, or that we are so worried about using the prayer words; thou, thine, thee, ect. Were these are good things to have they should not over rule your prayer. Let it be heartfelt, and inspired. As you do this the spirit will begin to guide you as what to say.

2. Study scriptures together;

When asked about study scriptures as a family President Hinkley said “We would be better people. There would be little or no infidelity among us. Divorce would be almost entirely disappear. So much of heartache and heartbreak would be avoided. There would be greater measure of appreciation and of mutual respect among us. And I am confident the Lord would smile with greater favor upon us.” Why if the scriptures are so important is it so hard to consistently read them? It’s because Satan knows the influence of the scriptures. I have realized that days were Kyle and I read together the spirit is more prevalent. I love being able to read together, sharing those sacred texts. “The brass plates were a record of Lehi’s fathers, including their language, genealogy, and more importantly, the gospel taught by God’s holy prophets. As Lehi searched the plates, he learned what all of us learn by studying the scriptures: Who we are? What can we become? Prophecies for us and our posterity, commandments, laws, ordinances, and covenants we must live by to obtain eternal life.”(Robert D. Hales) Prayer by itself when we ask questions or want guidance is meaningless if we are not doing our part and reading the scriptures. Elder Robert D Hales explained that when we want to talk to God we pray but if we expect God to talk to us then we must read the scriptures. It is through the scriptures that the counsel and teachings of God are able to influence our own lives.

3.Temple and church attendance;

I remember driving in the car with my nieces one afternoon passing the Nauvoo temple, all the sudden I hear “Temple mommy, its Jesus’ house” I nearly was brought to tears. My niece knew why the temple was so sacred, it was Jesus’ house. President Monson said “as we tuch the temple, the temple will touch us.” Are we allowing the spirit that we feel each time we go to the temple or come to church are we allowing that to reach beyond the walls of the building? Do we talk to one another about things we learned? I remember growing up each Sunday night as we sat around the table for dinner right after dinner my father would ask each of us in turn “what did you learn about today?”

Have those gospel discussions each and every time you go to church or attend the temple. If you are unable to go to the temple for what ever reason spend some time on temple grounds. Take your scriptures, and a book to write down your thoughts, and think of the Savior. We are so blessed to live in a time were there are so many temples, so many opportunities to be in the Lord’s house. Use them!

4. Attitude;

Everything begins and ends with your attitude. If you are reading or praying because you have too, you are not going to get anything out of it. You get out of it what you put into it. Have a positive out look and the spirit will bless you.

5. Be consistent;

Have a routine, and stick to it. Just like when you exercise you have a routine, do the same with prayer and scripture study. Set a time each day that you set aside for these activities. Turn off the tv, take a break and make your home a heaven on earth. “Sometimes Sister Bednar and I wondered if our efforts to do these spiritually essential things were worthwhile. Now and then verses of scripture were read amid outbursts such as “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Sincere prayers occasionally were interrupted with giggling and poking. And with active, rambunctious boys, family home evening lessons did not always produce high levels of edification. At times Sister Bednar and I were exasperated because the righteous habits we worked so hard to foster did not seem to yield immediately the spiritual results we wanted and expected.

Today if you could ask our adult sons what they remember about family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening, I believe I know how they would answer. They likely would not identify a particular prayer or a specific instance of scripture study or an especially meaningful family home evening lesson as the defining moment in their spiritual development. What they would say they remember is that as a family we were consistent.

Sister Bednar and I thought helping our sons understand the content of a particular lesson or a specific scripture was the ultimate outcome. But such a result does not occur each time we study or pray or learn together. The consistency of our intent and work was perhaps the greatest lesson—a lesson we did not fully appreciate at the time.” Don’t give up and do you best but stay consistent!