First, the family and I attended Sting and Honey Company's The Bird of Dawning Singeth All Night Long. It is the Nativity Story told through poetry and classic mask technique. It was so beautiful and inspired. And to top it all off, it is put on by local High School Students. But this program is very special and it is run, in part, by two friends of ours, Javen and Tara Tanner, two of the most talented people you will ever meet in the theater world. My favorite quote of the night is the first one uttered in the play: "Each must make a safe place of his heart, before so strange and wild a guest as God approaches." ~ Li-Young Lee If this productions continues to be an annual event we will make it a Christmas Tradition to attend as a family.Then I wrote a Relief Society Program for my ward and it kept me focused on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It was so wonderful to go through the scriptures and past talks given by prophets and other church leaders to gather what I needed for the program. I particularly loved reading the testimonies of the prophets. I got a strong sense that they know the Savior personally, much more personally than I do, but I know in my heart that I can come to know Him better as I read the scriptures, pray and serve others.
My favorite quote that was in my program was a testimony of Christ given by our prophet Thomas S. Monson. He said, “Our Mediator, our Redeemer, our Brother, our Advocate with the Father died for our sins and the sins of all mankind. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the foreordained but voluntary act of the Only Begotten Son of God. He offered His life as a redeeming ransom for us all. His mission, His ministry among men, His teachings of truth, His acts of mercy, His unwavering love for us prompt our gratitude and warm our hearts. Jesus Christ, Savior of the world—even the Son of God—was and is the ultimate pioneer, for He has gone before, showing all others the way to follow. May we ever follow Him.”
I also participated in our ward choir. I LOVE Christmas Music and nothing brings the Spirit more readily than sacred music. Yesterday I was preoccupied with all that had to be done at church and as I was sitting in Sacrament Meeting I was having a hard time feeling the Spirit. I said a little prayer that I would feel it and get out of the meeting what I was supposed to. Right after my little silent prayer a violin/piano musical number began...it was Ave Maria (Bach Gounod's version). I burst into tears. That song holds so many wonderful memories for me pertaining to my family and I just couldn't hold back on my emotions. Time stood still for a moment and I was able to reflect on all that was important and everything else just faded away. I had such a moment of clarity...it was just what I needed and I felt, peace...listen to this and maybe you will get a sense of what I mean:
When I got home from church I was able to spend time with my kids. At one point I got drowsy and wanted to take a nap (isn't that one of the best things about Sunday, I mean, come on!) but I grumpily pushed through it because the kids really wanted to play a board game and we haven't done that in a while and it was way over due. We decided on Monopoly (Lord of the Rings version) and Roger joined us...we ended up losing to Maxwell! It was his first time winning and he was pretty stoked. The game started with me in a grumpy mood but then I began to enjoy myself...even if I lost to an 11 year old. Haha, it was great to see him so happy.
I feel like we can coast into Christmas now. I got my presents wrapped, my bout of depression over with (it hit pretty hard last week), all the school Christmas programs are done and I still have baking to do, but that is always a pleasure!! Merry Christmas to all and I hope your season is a bright and merry one!!
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