Our Savior is Born

Still, Still, Still

Still, still, still,
One can hear the falling snow.
For all is hushed,
The world is sleeping,
Holy Star its vigil keeping.
Still, still, still,
One can hear the falling snow.

Sleep, sleep, sleep,
'Tis the eve of our Saviour's birth.
The night is peaceful all around you,
Close your eyes,
Let sleep surround you.
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
'Tis the eve of our Saviour's birth.

Dream, dream, dream,
Of the joyous day to come.
While guardian angels without number,
Watch you as you sweetly slumber.
Dream, dream, dream,
Of the joyous day to come.

Luke Chapter 2

8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night.

9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them,

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10And the angel said unto them, Fear not:

for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,

which is Christ the Lord.

12And this shall be a sign unto you;

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13And suddenly there was with the angel

a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men.

Celebration of Autumn

Autumn Fires

Robert Louis Stevenson (from A Child’s Garden of Verses, 1913)

In the other gardens And all up the vale, From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail! Pleasant summer over And all the summer flowers, The red fire blazes, The gray smoke towers. Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all! Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall! Autumn Days by Estelle White: Autumn days, when the grass is jewelled And the silk in a chestnut shell Jet planes meeting in the air to be refuelled All these things I love so well So I mustn’t forget No, I mustn’t forget To say a great big thank you No, I mustn’t forget. Clouds that look like familiar faces And winter’s moon with frosted rings Smell of bacon as I fasten up my laces And the milkman sings. Whipped–up spray that is rainbow–scattered And a swallow curving in the sky Shoes go comfy though they’re worn out and they’re battered And the taste of apple pie. Scent of gardens when the rain’s been falling And a minnow darting down a stream Picked–up engine that’s been stuttering and stalling And a win for my home team. So I mustn’t forget No, I mustn’t forget To say a great big thank you No, I mustn’t forget. A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked. Anais Nin Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. Martin Luther

Perspective

Open your eye that you may see
The beauty that around you lies,
The misty loveliness of the dawn,
The glowing colors of the skies;
The Child's bright eager eyes of blue,
The gnarled and wrinkled face of age,
The bird with crimson on his wing
Whose spirit never knew a cage;
The roadsides blooming goldenrod
So brave through summer's wind and heat,
The brook that rushes to the sea
With courage that naught may defeat.

Open your eyes that you may see
The wonder that around you lies;
It will enrich your every day
And make you glad and kind and wise.
- Emma Boge Whisenand, Open Your Eyes

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.

- Oscar Wilde

When I hear somebody sigh, "Life is hard,"

I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"

- Sydney J. Harris

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity;

an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

- Winston Churchill

There has been much tragedy in my life;

at least half of it actually happened.

- Mark Twain

There is Hope

Click this link for the: Finding Hope Video

Never Lose Hope

“My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful to not overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations; but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope!”

M. Russell Ballard, “The Joy of Hope Fulfilled,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 31

Our Savior’s Love

Our Savior’s love

Shines like the sun with perfect light,

As from above
It breaks thru clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
To share eternal life.

The Spirit, voice
Of goodness, whispers to our hearts
A better choice
Than evil’s anguished cries.
Loud may the sound
Of hope ring till all doubt departs,
And we are bound
To him by loving ties.

Our Father, God
Of all creation, hear us pray
In rev’rence, awed
By thy Son’s sacrifice.
Praises we sing.
We love thy law; we will obey.
Our heav’nly King,
In thee our hearts rejoice.

Text: Edward L. Hart, b. 1916. © 1977 IRI

Music: Crawford Gates, b. 1921. © 1977 IRI

Hope is faith

holding out its hand in the dark.

~George Iles

Expect to have hope rekindled.

Expect your prayers to be answered in

wondrous ways.

The dry seasons of life do not last.

The spring rains will come again.

~Sarah Breathnach

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Earth with Her Ten Thousand Flowers

Book of Moses

Chapter 6:63

And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

God Is Love

Earth, with her ten thousand flow’rs,
Air, with all its beams and show’rs,
Heaven’s infinite expanse,
Sea’s resplendent countenance—
All around and all above
Bear this record: God is love.

Sounds among the vales and hills,
In the woods and by the rills,
Of the breeze and of the bird,
By the gentle murmur stirred—
Sacred songs, beneath, above,
Have one chorus: God is love.

All the hopes that sweetly start
From the fountain of the heart,
All the bliss that ever comes
To our earthly human homes,
All the voices from above
Sweetly whisper: God is love.

Text: Thomas R. Taylor, 1807–1835

Music: Thomas C. Griggs, 1845–1903

Treasures and Gifts

I am so grateful for the gifts that my family and friends have shared with me.

I am not talking about gifts in the sense of possessions.

I am talking about gifts of their selves.

Kathleen, her pure, sweet sweet generous spirit, love and example

Judy, her teaching me to have joy amidst sorrow

Nancy, her humor and laughter amidst life's turmoil

Vickie, her ability to do good and strive for the Spirit in her life

Ann, the example of her personal relationship with Heavenly Father

Angie, her strength to press on in happiness despite tough situations

These gifts I treasure.

These sisters I treasure.

“The greatest gift is to give people your enlightenment, to share it. It has to be the greatest.”

Buddha And I liked this one..... “Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for the gift.” (I have another blog... http://www.freewebs.com/thinkyummythoughts/index.htm Please join me in celebrating happy thoughts.... )

No matter how long the winter,

spring is sure to follow.

~Proverb

Such is the way with this life.

Winter with it's

cold and grey,

short days and long nights,

illness and melancholy...

Then spring with it's simple

pinks, purples, oranges, yellows, greens...

one wears orange to church and

look at flowers as if they are friends from another time.

Health returns as you turn your face

to the warm sun

and rays paint

gold upon your brow.

And then there is hope.

What goes down must go up.

When pain ceases there is joy.

Dark evolves into a warm light.

The release from the black

a relief,

so much so that a

simple squint of light

seems so

bright.

And so...

If we had no winter,

the spring would not be so pleasant;

if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

~Anne Bradstreet

Where man sees but withered leaves,

God sees sweet flowers growing.

~Albert Laighton

Opportunities for Betterment

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Anne Frank "The best way to predict the future, is to help create it." Sometimes I feel powerless. The ramblings and rantings of the media regarding the ups and downs of our country often put me is a state of despair....hopelessness.....confusion. I ask, "Do I have any power in this situation? Can I make any change? Is there anyone in politics that is honest and truly a public servant?" I am afraid my answer is "no". So what can I do, to make the world a better place? The answer: simple acts of kindness prayer forgiveness giving the benefit of the doubt unconditional love extending a hand despite differences tolerance embracing goodness rejecting gossip having a perspective of looking for the good in others I can make the world a better place. Have I Done Any Good? Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed. Has anyone’s burden been lighter today Because I was willing to share? Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way? When they needed my help was I there? Then wake up and do something more Than dream of your mansion above. Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, A blessing of duty and love. There are chances for work all around just now, Opportunities right in our way. Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,” But go and do something today. ’Tis noble of man to work and to give; Love’s labor has merit alone. Only he who does something helps others to live. To God each good work will be known. Text and music: Will L. Thompson, 1847–1909, alt. We have the power to improve this world. Yes, we do!

Christ: The Real Gift of Christmas

Christ: The Real Gift of Christmas