Our Heavenly Father Loves Us

Children of Our Heavenly Father

Children of our Heav’nly Father

Safely in his bosom gather;

Nestling bird nor star in heaven

Such a refuge e’er was given.

Neither life nor death shall ever

From the Lord his children sever;

Unto them his grace he showeth,

And their sorrows all he knoweth.

Though he giveth or he taketh,

God his children ne’er forsaketh;

His the loving purpose solely

To preserve them pure and holy.

Text: Caroline V. Sandell-Berg, 1832–1903; trans. by Ernst W. Olson, 1870–1958. English translation © Board of Publication, Lutheran Church in America. Used by permission.

Music: Traditional Swedish melody

The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too.  

~Teresa of Avila

God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame. 

 ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

D & C 61: 11

 And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, 

be of good cheer, little children; 

for I am in your midst, 

and I have not forsaken you;

And inasmuch as you have humbled yourselves before me, 

the blessings of the kingdom are yours.

Christ is Risen

When Christ Arose

The earth was filled with peace and light, When Christ arose; The heavens trembled at the sight, When Christ arose; The sea rejoiced along the sands, The vernal valleys clapped their hands, The mountains sang, and all the lands, When Christ arose.The tomb was empty where He lay, When Christ arose; And angels rolled the stone away, When Christ arose; A sound of triumph thrilled the air, The glorious tidings to declare, And there was gladness ev’rywhere, When Christ arose. The soul of man was born anew, When Christ arose; The cross divine appeared in view, When Christ arose; A glorious light from heaven streamed, And from the cross a radiance beamed, For ev’ry spirit was redeemed, When Christ arose. I have never been a fan of the "Easter Egg" or the "Easter Bunny".

I always felt they took away the focus of what Easter was all about.

Then, I discovered the meaning behind the symbol of the egg,

and 

I understand.

I share with you, the history of the egg and Easter from Wikipedia.

"The egg is seen by followers of Christianity as a symbol of resurrection: while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.^{[citation needed]}

In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent theblood of Christ, shed on the Cross, and the hard shell of the egg symbolized the sealedTomb of Christ—the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead. Easter eggs are blessed by the priest at the end of the Paschal Vigil, and distributed to the faithful. Each household also brings an Easter basket to church, filled not only with Easter eggs but also with other Paschal foods such as paskha, kulich or Easter breads, and these are blessed by the priest as well.^{[citation needed]}

^{A different, but not necessarily conflicting legend concerns Mary Magdalene's efforts to spread the Gospel. According to this tradition, after the Ascension of Jesus, Mary went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with "Christ has risen," whereupon he pointed to an egg on his table and stated, "Christ has no more risen than that egg is red." After making this statement it is said the egg immediately turned blood red."}

A Bishop blessing Easter baskets in the Ukraine.

And so, I understand.  

Still not a fan of the Easter Egg Hunts and such,

or the bunny,

but I appreciate the symbolism and sacred nature of

the egg's origin.

I celebrate the resurrection of our Brother and Savior,

Jesus Christ.

And I love Him so.

Come, Ye Disconsolate

 Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish;

Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.

Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish.

Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, Light of the straying,

Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!

Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,

“Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.”

 Here see the Bread of Life; see waters flowing

Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.

Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing

Earth has no sorrow but heav’n can remove.

Text: Thomas Moore, 1779–1852.

 Verse three, Thomas Hastings, 1784–1872

Music: Samuel Webbe, 1740–1816

Hold on a Little Longer

BY PRESIDENT DIETER F.UCHTDORF

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

January Ensign,  2010

"The Lord has blessed you with a testimony of the truth. You have felt His influence and witnessed His power. And if you continue to seek Him, He will continue to grant you sacred experiences. With these and other spiritual gifts, you will be able not only to change your own life for the better but also to bless your homes, wards or branches, communities, cities, states, and nations with your goodness.

It may be hard to see that at times, but hold on a little longer, for “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” and wait for Him (1 Corinthians 2:9; see also D&C 76:10; 133:45)."

“There is in every true woman's heart,  a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity,  but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.”

Washington Irving quotes I pray that we can all overcome our obstacles in this life and let the refiner's fire make us  more capable of experiencing joy. xo