For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Sing a song for Christmas day: Joy to the World
I attended two Sacrament meetings today. It was extra special to be able to go to church on Christmas when all the Christian world is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The first was our own ward meeting at 9 a.m. It was a lovely program with beautiful readings and music. The second was in a daughter's ward. It was also a wonderful program with many talented people singing and reading, but I wasn't there because I couldn't get enough of the Christmas Spirit with just one meeting. I was there to experience and celebrate an important milestone in the life of a grandson.
This grandson isn't just an ordinary 17-year-old. He has extra-special qualities given to him, I think, to make up for disabilities that he has had since birth. I was there to witness him blessing the Sacrament for the first time. He has been practicing for a year to get his speech clear enough so the bishop could tell if he said the prayer correctly. It has to be perfect, or the person blessing the Sacrament has to do the prayer over until it is exactly right. He felt ready to do it, but he was terrified he would make a mistake.
His dad said he thought this was the most special Christmas gift he could get from his son. It seemed a Christmas gift not just to his family, but to the whole ward. I could see and feel the support the ward "family" has for him, and we were all pulling for him and praying he could do it. We know how important this was to him. He has always taken his priesthood duties very seriously and has served as a faithful home teacher, who often calls to remind his senior partner they need to go. The stories of the things he has done for his families are touching. He has a very special gift to brighten the lives of others and to recognize needs that someone else might not see.
We sat in the bench, looking up at our handsome young man as he was preparing the bread first. It was a task he found difficult when he became old enough for that to became part of his priesthood duties. At first he experienced embarrassment because he was slower than the other priests, and they stood waiting for him as he practiced every week to get his muscle coordination trained so his hands could move fast enough to keep up. He stressed every week over this, but today I noticed he has mastered that task and even finished before a couple of the other priests, even though his white shirt sleeves were way too long (he insisted on wearing his father's shirt that is too big for him). When it was time to bless the water, we all held our breath as he kneeled and said the prayer.
We were overjoyed in our hearts when he was able say the Sacrament prayer, though at first we weren't sure if he'd been clear enough in a couple spots for the bishop to know. He got the nod from a smiling bishop that he'd done it correctly. Some of us had tears flowing down our cheeks. It was one of those special moments in life that is never forgotten. It made Christmas Day for me--such a touching, priceless, precious moment. He showed the courage to not give up or quit out of fear, nor did he ever use excuses, and I'm sure he was happy in his heart to have accomplished what he'd dreamed of being able to do for so long.
God bless us, every one.
Sing a song for Christmas day: Joy to the World
This grandson isn't just an ordinary 17-year-old. He has extra-special qualities given to him, I think, to make up for disabilities that he has had since birth. I was there to witness him blessing the Sacrament for the first time. He has been practicing for a year to get his speech clear enough so the bishop could tell if he said the prayer correctly. It has to be perfect, or the person blessing the Sacrament has to do the prayer over until it is exactly right. He felt ready to do it, but he was terrified he would make a mistake.
His dad said he thought this was the most special Christmas gift he could get from his son. It seemed a Christmas gift not just to his family, but to the whole ward. I could see and feel the support the ward "family" has for him, and we were all pulling for him and praying he could do it. We know how important this was to him. He has always taken his priesthood duties very seriously and has served as a faithful home teacher, who often calls to remind his senior partner they need to go. The stories of the things he has done for his families are touching. He has a very special gift to brighten the lives of others and to recognize needs that someone else might not see.
We sat in the bench, looking up at our handsome young man as he was preparing the bread first. It was a task he found difficult when he became old enough for that to became part of his priesthood duties. At first he experienced embarrassment because he was slower than the other priests, and they stood waiting for him as he practiced every week to get his muscle coordination trained so his hands could move fast enough to keep up. He stressed every week over this, but today I noticed he has mastered that task and even finished before a couple of the other priests, even though his white shirt sleeves were way too long (he insisted on wearing his father's shirt that is too big for him). When it was time to bless the water, we all held our breath as he kneeled and said the prayer.
We were overjoyed in our hearts when he was able say the Sacrament prayer, though at first we weren't sure if he'd been clear enough in a couple spots for the bishop to know. He got the nod from a smiling bishop that he'd done it correctly. Some of us had tears flowing down our cheeks. It was one of those special moments in life that is never forgotten. It made Christmas Day for me--such a touching, priceless, precious moment. He showed the courage to not give up or quit out of fear, nor did he ever use excuses, and I'm sure he was happy in his heart to have accomplished what he'd dreamed of being able to do for so long.
God bless us, every one.
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| Here is the man of the hour (of whom I write) goofing off as we drive through the light show at Willard Bay on Friday night. |
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| Two grandsons enjoying the lights with us and their parents. |
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| What's Utah without a dinosaur or two--and Indians dancing? |
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| A purple tree for the daughters who love purple. |
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| These critters were part of an animated sleigh ride that crashed into the tree |
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| Santa started on the ground and flew up into the sky and out of sight, well, just like he always does, or course. |
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| How's this, for the littlest angel daughter who really loves purple? |
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| A tribute to our armed forces |
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| Christmas Village downtown in Ogden (driving by in the car) |
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| Streets of Ogden |
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| We used to take the kids every year to Christmas Village. It was always freezing and it looks most beautiful with snow on the ground. This year, there's no snow but it is still cold. |
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| Our last stop on the "lights" night was the cemetery where each year they put out over 6,000 luminarias as a gift to the community and to quote from a newspaper article: "This is a way to reflect back to the good times, and what we have--the love that we have for our families and friends that we've lost throughout the years." -Mr. Leavitt of Aultorest Memorial Park. |
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| Amen. |
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