Thursday, November 28, 2019

Christmas Wisdom From the Early 1900s

Keeping Christmas

by Henry van Dyke

Henry van Dyke was a member of the clergy, this story reads like a sermon for good reason. Its full title is A Short Christmas Sermon: Keeping Christmas. Van Dyke also composed lyrics to the popular hymn, "The Hymn of Joy" sung to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, "Ode to Joy."

An illustration for the story Keeping Christmas by the author Henry van Dyke — Henry van Dyke leads an Easter service atop Mount Rubidoux, 1913

ROMANS, xiv, 6: He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord.

It is a good thing to observe Christmas day. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time.

But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas.

Are you willing...

to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you;
to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world;
to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground;
to see that your fellow-men are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy;
to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life;
to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness--are you willing to do these things even for a day?

Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing...

to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children;
to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old;
to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough;
to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts;
to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you;
to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you;
to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open--are you willing to do these things even for a day?

Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing...

to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world--stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death--and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?

Then you can keep Christmas.

And if you keep it for a day, why not always?

But you can never keep it alone.

You might enjoy two more favorite works of VanDyke: The Other Wise Man and The First Christmas Tree. Find these and many of his other short stories here: https://americanliterature.com/author/henry-van-dyke

__________________________________________________________________________________

Christmas Wisdom from 1988

I wish I knew who took this photo 'cause it is so darn cute.

“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD,” John R. Lasater, Ensign, April 1988

Some years ago, it was my privilege to visit the country of Morocco as part of an official United States government delegation. As part of that visit, we were invited to travel some distance into the desert to visit some ruins. Five large black limousines moved across the beautiful Moroccan countryside at considerable speed. I was riding in the third limousine, which had lagged some distance behind the second. As we topped the brow of a hill, we noticed that the limousine in front of us had pulled off to the side of the road. As we drew nearer, I sensed that an accident had occurred and suggested to my driver that we stop. The scene before us has remained with me for these many years.

An old shepherd, in the long, flowing robes of the Savior’s day, was standing near the limousine in conversation with the driver. Nearby, I noted a small flock of sheep numbering not more than fifteen or twenty. An accident had occurred. The king’s vehicle had struck and injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd. The driver of the vehicle was explaining to him the law of the land. Because the king’s vehicle had injured one of the sheep belonging to the old shepherd, he was now entitled to one hundred times its value at maturity. However, under the same law, the injured sheep must be slain and the meat divided among the people. My interpreter hastily added, “But the old shepherd will not accept the money. They never do.”

Startled, I asked him why. And he added, “Because of the love he has for each of his sheep.” It was then that I noticed the old shepherd reach down, lift the injured lamb in his arms, and place it in a large pouch on the front of his robe. He kept stroking its head, repeating the same word over and over again. When I asked the meaning of the word, I was informed, “Oh, he is calling it by name. All of his sheep have a name, for he is their shepherd, and the good shepherds know each one of their sheep by name.”

It was as my driver predicted. The money was refused, and the old shepherd with his small flock of sheep, with the injured one tucked safely in the pouch on his robe, disappeared into the beautiful deserts of Morocco.

As we continued our journey toward the ruins, my interpreter shared with me more of the traditions and practices of the shepherds of that land. Each evening at sundown, for example, the shepherds bring their small flocks of sheep to a common enclosure where they are secured against the wolves that roam the deserts of Morocco. A single shepherd then is employed to guard the gate until morning. Then the shepherds come to the enclosure one by one, enter therein, and call forth their sheep—by name. The sheep will not hearken unto the voice of a stranger but will leave the enclosure only in the care of their true shepherd, confident and secure because the shepherd knows their names and they know his voice.

You are precious and needed in this world.

I wish you the greatest gift there is—LOVE

Sunday, November 17, 2019

YOU Can Light the World!

Get ready for a fantastic giving season!

Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem in the production of, "The Christ Child." (found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Each Christmas, many in the world celebrate the life of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. By following His teachings, we let his light shine—in our lives and in the lives of others. This year, there are many ideas and activities you can do as you shine your light in this world to spread positivity and goodness. There is a calendar of activity suggestions you can use for inspiration as you plan your Christmas season to help LIGHT THE WORLD by serving those in need or anyone you are inspired to serve.

YouTube videos, inspiration for the holiday season, art, encouragement and just about all you can possibly need to grasp the true joy of the holiday season can be found here:

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/2019-christmas-initiative-encourages-service-one-by-one

Another resource-use the calendar found here for ideas:

https://heyfriendshop.com/2019/11/light-the-world-2019-one-by-one/

A Bouquet of Community of Caring Colors for the School Months & What they Represent

When I was a school counselor, I adopted the Community of Caring within the various schools where I served. The goal was to use this as an instrument to be inclusive, caring, and respectful of all people. Are you wondering where June, July, and August are? Well, the school year breaks for most of these months and I wanted to start the school year off with "RESPECT." The themes I used were tied into what I wished to focus on for the months the colored signs were posted (the color was part of a way to separate and emphasize the themes for desired behavior). There were announcements and homeroom reminders of the theme and short examples (highlighting how we demonstrate these values) each month.

Parents can get creative and build a Caring Home ongoing project by using these themes and colors to emphasize things the family will focus on throughout the year. Choose your own colors, the theme for the months, and have fun. What is developed in the home will spill over into the community.

January and February are BLUE, representing FAMILY