Talents

All play just one part of the symphony, but together we make really great music.

We had such a fun family activity recently. The whole group of us went cross country skiing. I have come to the ominous conclusion that I am not twenty years old anymore. Yes. It's shocking, I know, but definitely unsettling to me the most, I am sure.

Difficult, yes. Graceful, no. Nevertheless, I had fun and support and help and compassion and good examples all around me. Perhaps the best realization of all is that I am not alone and those that surround me everyday are the very people that I would choose from all the world.

I don't really expect to attain the musical superiority of Beethoven or the artistic prowess of Michelangelo in this life, but that's OK. Their talents are different than mine.

A refreshing perspective—perhaps a helpful point-of-view—is that rather than a final appraisal these obstacles are really just opportunities for improvement.

DON'T ONLY PRACTICE YOUR ART,

BUT FORCE YOUR WAY INTO ITS SECRETS,

FOR IT AND KNOWLEDGE CAN

RAISE MEN TO THE DIVINE.

--Ludwig van Beethoven

My talent, my blessing, is the best family ever. And we're just getting started.

Beethoven's 5 Secrets - OneRepublic

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years

Home

There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home, and every effort made to sanctify and preserve its influence is uplifting to those who toil and sacrifice for its establishment.

Those aren't my words but rather Joseph F. Smith expressed these sentiments, and they remain just as true today as when they were spoken.

We can learn many things from our predecessors. For a period of time following the appearance of Christ to the New World, both the Lamanites and the Nephites lived in perfect harmony. The book 4 Nephi contains the secret. Verse 15 in Chapter 1 tells us why. See if you can pick it out...

And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

That's right. Our love for God can be a great influence for good. Grandpa recounted why appreciation for the Savior should be central in our lives:

"When we can take a thankless, demanding calling; give up something we wanted greatly, so we can pay our tithing; or help out someone who has badly hurt us ... and say "I wouldn't do that for anyone, except I'll do it for Christ!" ... then the power for good He can have in our lives is becoming a reality. He must be the foundation of our lives."

So to take this message full circle, our true happiness can be found in following the Savior every day and focusing on lifting those around us.

Pay attention to the divine things that matter most.

We are living in a rainstorm!

We have been enlightened this week with the family Christmas Party, Grandpa's account of finding Castle Valley, and a recent letter from Saren.

Saren shared a beautiful experience in her letter this week. She said that one of the sisters was talking last week about the Holy Ghost. She was saying she had a hard time knowing if the Holy Ghost was with her and prompting her or not. Elder Kopischke of the seventy responded "Sister, we live in a rainstorm," meaning that the Spirit really is always with us pouring out promptings on us like drops in a rainstorm. We have only to recognize them, she wrote. She then confided that she has been paying more attention to those little promptings, and she sees evidence that we really are living in a rainstorm! The Spirit can be ever present in our lives.

I think that is what Grandpa was telling us in his account of finding and starting the adventure in Castle Valley and every day of our lives since.

The Tender Mercies of the Lord

Receive the Holy Ghost

When Christ departed from his apostles, he promised to leave them a comforter. We should pray for the companionship of the Holy Ghost everyday. We have each been blessed with this gift.

Receive the Holy Ghost and seek the ongoing companionship of the Spirit.

The Comforter

Candy Bomber

Last year, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert celebrated the birth of the Savior Jesus Christ with music and song at the Mormon Tabernacle choir Christmas Concert. But perhaps the most poignant moment was the story of the Candy Bomber, Col. Gail Halvorsen who was specifically recognized as one individual who was influenced by the example and goodness of the Savior.

Halvorsen became accustomed to children throughout the world begging American soldiers for candy throughout his 31 years in the Air Force. But when he was in Berlin in the late 1940s, the children did not beg. A fence divided Halvorsen and a group of German children, and though they did not ask for it, he thought about giving them the gum he had in his pocket. Because he only had two pieces left, he started to walk away. His conscience stopped him. He gave the children his two pieces of gum and watched as they shared the pieces, dividing up the wrappers into tiny bits so they could smell the peppermint flavor. Following that experience, Halvorsen's idea for candy bombs surfaced.

Western nations were dropping in food and coal, but Halvorsen decided to brighten the lives of the children as well. Flying through the Russian blockade of Berlin in his C-54 aircraft, then-Lt. Halvorsen tied together tiny candy-laden parachute bundles to drop for the city's hungry children. His kindness inspired other crews to do the same, and American schoolchildren even made their own parachutes and donated candy for the German children.

Halvorsen said his life, and thousands upon thousands of others, would be "totally" different if he hadn't stopped to give away his gum that day. "The little decisions in life are the ones

that matter," he said. "The little decisions you make put your footsteps on the path that leads to your final destination."

"His story kind of tempts everyone to be a better person," grandson Boyd Halvorsen said. "And inspires people to be more than what you think is within your grasp or within your bounds."

Read the whole article here