Christmas Means Christ

Several years ago my good friend and former visiting teacher, Sheilagh Jakins shared this article with me. I have managed to keep a copy with me. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the author or source. But I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

CHRISTMAS MEANS CHRIST

There could be no Christmas without the Savior.

It is true that ancient rites including the Yule log, the decorated tree, and the candles have come down through the centuries and are now a part of our celebration. But they do not really mean Christmas. They were pagan for the most part. Christ had nothing to do with them. They now almost crowd Christ out of our observance. Christmas cannot be Christmas without the Savior

When the angels sang on the first Christmas night, they sang Him and Him alone. The birth of the little Babe of Bethlehem was so significant that all the hosts of heaven rejoiced. They sang because they understood the mission of the Lord, what His redemption meant, what eternal life is, and the deep reason behind the Atonement and the Resurrection.

WE DO NOT celebrate Christmas in reality unless we have the same conception held by the angels -- that Christ is THE Son of God, that we are all the children of God, and that Jesus came into the world to lead us back into His presence.

In spite of all the worldliness and commercialism of Christmas, it is most noteworthy that the Spirit of Christ -- the real Christ -- literally comes through the air and touches every heart.

It is a recurring and constant miracle year after year. There is a different spirit in the atmosphere, in the feelings of mankind toward each other, and in the depth of our worship at Christmas time, It is God's way of sending a testimony into the world that Jesus of Nazareth is His Son, that the Atonement was accomplished and that it is indeed something to note with world-wide gladness.

IT IS MIRACULOUS, too the way in which Christmas carols express the true meaning of Christmas. Different as many of them are from the creeds of men, for most part, they teach the true doctrine of the Lord. He is the Son of God. He is the Savior. He came to give us life.

Modern compositions tend to bring other philosophies into some of the Christmas songs, but they can never crowd out the old carols which testify of Jesus as the Christ, the Redeemer, and Savior of all mankind.

As God each year projects His spirit into the world at Christmas time, we ourselves should seek to increase our appreciation of what this celebration means.

It is a sacred thing, this holy day, but it certainly is something to be celebrated also. The dictionary defines "celebrate" as "to extol, to glorify, to commemorate." We can do all of these things in our Christmas observance.

WE MUST SURELY extol the work of Christ, and the great fact that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save it; and certainly we can glorify both the names of Christ and His Father.

And by all means we should commemorate the birth of the Babe of Bethlehem on that first Christmas night. Because we have the Lord we do all these things. We do extol Him and glorify Him and commemorate His birth and works.

BUT, HOW CAN we do these things unless we truly have the Spirit of Christ within us? And how can we have His Spirit unless we keep His commandments?

If we keep His commandments can we do other than love our neighbors as ourselves, do to others as we would be done by, eliminate hatreds and conflicts, forgive those who have offended us, visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and keep ourselves unspotted from the world?

Every family -- and every individual -- this Christmas time -- should remember that part of our observance should include a humble prayer of thanks and devotion -- and of rededication to all that Jesus stands for.

Giving Thanks

The food was out of this world! Alfonso's family is so kind to me. It was interesting as I was the only person (kids included) who couldn't speak spanish. There were quite a few times that I had no idea what anyone was talking about. Everyone was really sweet to clue me in from time to time though. Just more incentive to learn the language right? We had a really fun day. Abuelita Alfa and her four children (left to right) Walkyria, Alfonso, Alfa (and little Ammon), and Deyanira. We broke a pinata for Ammon's first birthday. I really love my new family.

Confessions of a Hermit

I have an apology to make. I have been in hiding for the last few years as far as friends and family are concerned. Ever since I was separated and divorced, I crawled into a hermit's shell. It was sometimes difficult for me to even spend time with my immediate family. I was totally and comfortably withdrawn. I don't know if it is because I was ashamed, or embarrased, or it just hurt too much to explain what was going on. Nevertheless, I pulled away from many dear friends and family members. As life goes on, I am beginning to really heal and I'm feeling a need to reach out to those around me. I can't tell you how great it feels to be on this end of the process, or how great it feels to find you again. Recently I have found many bloglinks to long lost high school and college friends. This is me reaching out and saying, "I'm sorry I've been in hiding, and I'm so glad you're my friend. Let's keep in touch." And to the handful of people who put up with my "hermitness" and still reached out to me, and still do to this day (you know who you are) I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

p.s. If you still find that I'm a flake of a friend, bonk me on the head and tell me to snap out of it. I promise I'll try harder.

It Wouldn't Be Thanksgiving Without. . .

Help me out, what menu item is an absolute must for YOUR Thanksgiving Dinner to be considered complete? I know it's trivial but I have thought about this quite a bit this year. Alfonso's side of the family is coming over for Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday. When divying out food assignments I told the ladies that they should bring whatever dish makes their ideal Thanksgiving dinner comlete. They are bringing tamales, empanadas, ponche, and even a turkey (huge sigh of relief from me on that one). I'll be making stuffing, corn, gravy, yam soufflet, croissants, pumpkin pie, and whatever else comes to mind in the next couple of days. Just to be thourough, I'm even going to serve slices of cranberry sauce (despite the fact that I hate the stuff). With everyone's contributions, I think it will be a wonderful feast. So, tell me, how would you finish this sentence? It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without. . .

NO Wii?!!!

It's official, I'm a mean mom. Recently, the boys' FAVORITE thing to do is play Lego Star Wars on our Wii. Last night each one of the kids did something wreckless that merited disciplinary action. After talking it over, Alfonso and I decided to pull the plug, on the Wii that is, for a WHOLE WEEK!!! To be honest, it's nice to have a bargaining tool, but it's a good thing that I'm not running for the office of "Mom" because my numbers would have significantly dropped last night. Fortunately this isn't a popularity contest, it's real life. Today as the reality of this punishment set in, Will looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, "You're the most rudest mom I ever had!" Ten minutes and a swig of A&W later, he said, "I love you, mom." I really like the length of his attention span.

Impression and Influence

When we moved into the house I bought some lovely bath rugs for the "master bathroom." They were white and extremely soft. Needless to say, I loved them. Which makes the next turn of events so difficult to relate. It all happened so fast.

Well, they needed to be washed. I put them in the washing machine. And stupidly, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I put in our RED kitchen rug in the washing machine as well. I put in the soap, I turned on the washer and daftly walked away. I was grief stricken later when I checked on the status of the washing rugs and saw some neon pink rugs swishing around inside. The kitchen rug wasn't even that red! I used cold water?!! They didn't set for long?! Three washes and several tons of bleach later, I realized that my once lovely white rugs were forever doomed to be bright Pepto Bismol pink. Come on people, there's no pink in my house!??! Determined to learn something from my mistake I walked away with a laundry lesson and a life lesson;

LESSON #1 When doing laundry, don't mix colors.

LESSON #2 Stay true to your colors, and be aware of your influence/influences (whether bad or good).

Seriously, how impressionable are we? How careful are we regarding the company we keep or the entertainment we embrace? Am I a red rug or a white rug? The RED rug didn't change at all, but it sure left a lasting impression on the white rugs. I'm not saying that mixing and mingling is bad. I AM saying that we need to be aware of how others influence us, and how we influence others. Now, if only I'd told that to the rugs sooner. . .

Will surveys the damage.

My New Job

I love my new job. Granted it is very different from the full-time job I traded it for. That the gender scale is still unbalanced however in the office I was surrounded by women, and now, I'm the only one around. Conversations that used to be about recipes and shopping, are now about Transformers, Bionicles, and farts. My hands look different. They were usually only used for typing and receiving manicures. Now they are dry and rough, from actually being used. Yep, my new job is definately different. The company is different. The wages are different. My coworkers smell different. My job description has vastly lenthened and my hours have greatly increased. By those standards, one may say that I've really backstepped on the ladder of success. But I get to build something intangible. I get to witness everyday miracles of self discovery. I get to feed, clothe, teach and encourage boys who will one day be great men. Being a full-time mom? It's an awesome job.

The Road of Life

-- author unknown

At first, I saw God as my observer, my judge,
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die.
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn't know Him.

But later on when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was that He suggested
we change places, but life has not been the same since.

When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring,
but predictable . . .
It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains, and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds, it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!"

I worried and was anxious and asked,
"Where are you taking me?"
He laughed and didn't answer, and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure.
And when I'd say, "I'm scared,"
He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing, acceptance and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey, my Lord's and mine.

And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away;
they're extra baggage, too much weight."
So I did, to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life.
I thought He'd wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places,
and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I'm sure I just can't do anymore,
He just smiles and says . . . "Pedal."

Discovering My Roots

 

I am just beginning to understand how deeply my roots are embedded in Heber Valley. Just minutes away from my new home, stands the home of my great, great grandmother Sarah Jane MacDonald. (Fortunately for me, the home was for sale so I had the opportunity to walk through!) The MacDonald family helped settle the Heber Valley and eventually built this home in the late 1800's. Just down the street from Grandma MacDonald's, on quiet Daniel's Road, you can see the home in which my Grandma Eva and Uncle Gary was born as well as the homes of several of Grandma Eva's siblings. Becoming aquainted with Daniel's Road was a really profound experience.

Halloween Hits