A Truly Amazing Gift

This morning, my family received an email from my oldest brother, Kevin, who lives in Illinois. It contained an attachment that is part of his Christmas gift to us this year. It is excerpts of his journal from October 2007 through the first half of December. When I opened the attachment, I saw that it is 76 pages long and I thought, "sure Kevin, when will I have time to read this?!" Then I started reading the Forward. As Kevin stated his purpose for sharing this with his family and bore his testimony, I kept scrolling. I did not read thoroughly, only skimmed (luckily as an English teacher, I can get through a massive amount of reading in little time and still pick up the jist of it all). I plan on reading this more intently later when I don't have household chores to finish for my mom before she gets home from shopping! As I skimmed this document, Kevin simply described the different ways he felt the love of the Lord each day. As I was reading, I felt very blessed that my brother was willing to share with us these excerpts and what a truly amazing gift he has given us this year. I also felt almost guilty(do not take offense Kevin!) for not being more aware of the blessings in my life. I have found new resolve to be more devoted and dedicated to studying the scriptures and words of the modern prophets everyday, as well as recognizing the tender mercies of the Lord. I also felt more inclined to reach out and serve others without waiting for the opportunity to present itself. Sometimes I get so caught up with my busy schedule (which is nothing compared to those of you who are parents--I don't know how you do it!) that I forget about those who may need a phone call, a note, a visit, etc.

To my friends who may not share the same religious beliefs as me, I know we have one commonality. We have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who knows us by name. They know our wants and needs; they know when we feel joy and when we are feeling sorrow; they are aware of every concern that we have; and they love us more than anyone could ever comprehend. They want us to be happy and will continually bless our lives each day...all we have to do is take a step back and recognize those blessings! Merry Christmas to all!