I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Merry Christmas, everyone! It's less than a week away; I can't believe it. I have a request from all of you. Don't worry; it's not hard, and it will take less than ten minutes. Here's what I want you to do:

1) Find a quiet spot, preferably near a fireplace or other warm spot. (This part isn't essential, but it sure adds to the ambiance.)

2) Make some hot chocolate or cider (especially if you don't have a fireplace).

3) Watch this video. It's the story of how the Christmas hymn, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" came to be as told by Ed Herrman at last year's Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. Ever since I saw this last December, I have been trying to find a way to see it again. I finally found it today, and I feel compelled to share it. It is a powerful story of what it means to find hope on Christmas morning.



4) Think about your blessings. When I hear this story, I can't help but be grateful for my family, safety, warm homes/cars/clothes, good food, a stable job, and all of those things I often take for granted. Finally, I am grateful for Longfellow's beautiful verses that capture so much truth:

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

A Christmas advent calendar... without the candy

As a child, I loved advent calendars--the anticipation of opening a new box each day, the taste of waxy chocolate (any chocolate was great to a five-year-old), and the thrill of seeing fewer and fewer days until Christmas.

This year, I don't open windows with chocolate, but I have made a habit of reading a "Christmas Advent Thought" each day. This article from The New Era magazine pulls together songs, scriptures, quotes, and a daily challenge. It's been a great way to bring a little Christmas cheer into my day and remind me why I love this holiday so much. So, if you feel so inclined, download it yourself. I think it's definitely worth the 45 seconds a day.

Here is today's thought:

“Despite all we can do, we cannot have a fullness of joy in this world or through our own efforts. Only in Christ can our joy be full. This is why the angel proclaimed: ‘I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day … a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10–11). We are able to have a fullness of joy only when spirit and body are inseparably connected in the glorious resurrection to celestial glory. That joy, of course, comes only through the mercy of the Holy Messiah” (Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Nov. 1991, 74).

“And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name. … And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world” (Mosiah 3:9–10).

Express your love and gratitude for the Savior in your prayers.

“It Came upon the Midnight Clear,” Hymns, no. 207.

The Light of the World

One of my favorite things about Christmastime is twinkle lights. There are few things more magical to me than turning off all the overhead lights, sitting on my couch with a mug of hot cider and a blanket, and losing myself in the glow of a Christmas tree covered in white lights. This year, for whatever reason, the symbolism of light has struck me as particularly profound. Representative of the star in Bethlehem, lights are a reminder of the coming of Christ, "the light of the world." Light is often linked to knowledge and truth (hence the dark ages were a time where little progress in knowledge and truth was made). It is also linked to happiness (why do you think smiley faces are traditionally yellow?).

How grateful I am for the many sources of light in my life: books, friends, my family, experience, church membership, and most importantly the Savior himself. His teachings bring light to the dark corners of my life, revealing things both good and bad that I hadn't known about myself before. He teaches me little by little, allowing me to clean out the dusty corners and making the beauty sparkle more brightly. Slowly but surely, he brightens the light inside of me, until someday I will be like him.

An enigma...

As most people know, my guilty pleasure is books. Picture books, novels, comic books, cook books, biographies--most any kind of book, really. The smell of the paper and the thrill of knowledge yet to be gained brings an indescribable giddiness to me. For the record, I know I'm a nerd. Also for the record, I am proud of it.

Accordingly, no one will be surprised to hear that I wound up at Barnes and Noble this morning buying a book. I wandered through the aisles for the better part of an hour, making a list of books I'd like to get from the library and those to keep my eye out for at book sales. I had a little birthday money to spend, and I decided to treat myself to a book unlike any that I currently own. It's called, The Big Book of Riddles, Puzzles, and Enigmas. I bought it because I thought it would be a good end of class activity for my students, but I am finding that I am intrigued by it. I love testing my logic skills and bending my brain. To help you join in the fun, here's an enigma from the book.

WOLF, GOAT, and CABBAGE

Accompanied by a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage, you must cross a river to get home. Unfortunately, you have a tiny boat which only permits you to transport a single load at a time. Therefore, during each trip, you must leave two unguarded on the riverbank while making the crossing. How will you manage to get all of them safely across, without one of them being eaten (the wolf will eat the goat, and the goat will eat the cabbage)?

Can you figure it out?

A LONG ROAD...but worth the newfound sleep

Last week, I bought a new bed! I had forgotten how wonderful it feels to lay down on a soft bed and relax into the comfort of a warm down comforter. Why, you may ask, did I buy a new bed? Well, let me tell you the story...

Back in June, my roommate began to get some weird bites on her arms and legs. After several weeks and a lot of searching on the internet, the diagnosis was BED BUGS. Yes, those still exist. I thought they were a thing of nursery rhymes and cliche proverbs, but, no, they're real. Apparently they've made a comeback in the last decade or so. Seriously, someone should tell them that, like the 80s, they should NOT resurface.

Bed bugs are not fun creatures, if you haven't guessed yet. They are small, good at hiding, migrate from one bed to another (lucky me!), and give lots of itchy bites (I counted about 40 from one night).

Anyway, to make a long story short, after four months, many hours of cleaning, and two exterminator visits, we decided to throw away our beds. It was actually a very liberating experience. See how happy I am?

For the next month, I slept on an air mattress, which was fine but not a good solution long term. I just didn't want to buy a new mattress just to have it infected as well. Finally, I went to RC Willey's Outlet and bought a bed. I have had it for a whole week now, and I love it! Here's the new bed.

You can't tell how comfy it is in the picture, but if you ever want to come sit on it, I think you'll agree that few beds are better (or maybe I'm just easy to please after an air mattress).

So, I have henceforth banished the "don't let the bed bugs bite" proverb, and I'm putting this new one up for approval:

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book." ~Irish Proverb

HALLOWEEN!!!

I thought I'd post some pictures of the fun my friends and I had for Halloween this year.

At FHE on Monday, we carved pumpkins. This is by far my favorite part of Halloween. I spent the better part of an hour carving, and I love the happy, goofy face I ended up with. All of Halloween should be this harmless-looking. Don't you think?
Now, I have a confession. I don't actually like Halloween much. I mean, I like carving pumpkins and candy, but I could do without the rest. I don't like scary movies, haunted houses, or trying to come up with a clever costume. Still, this Halloween I was pretty proud of what I came up with for a costume. In the great movie, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Lucy says, "A person should always choose a costume that is in direct contrast to her own personality." How did I do?
I decided that as much fun as it was to be Luna Lovegood, I should not go blonde permanently. I thought Amy made a cute Alice, Danielle was a rowdy cowgirl, Emily was a roaring flapper, and Brenda was a creepy dental assistant. I think the most fun part of the evening was the process of getting dressed and taking pictures. What great friends!

I Should Have Been an Accountant

Last weekend, I realized that I've been in the wrong career for the past four years. I mean, sure, as a teacher I get summers off, endless entertainment from my students, and a candy bar during teacher appreciation week. None of these perks, however, can hold a candle to the vast lengths accounting firms will go to in order to convince potential employees to sign over their lives to the world of numbers.

On Saturday night, I went to a recruiting event at BYU for Ernst & Young, one of the big four accounting firms. No, I was not contemplating a career change (though, now that I know about the perks, I'm thinking about it), I was just keeping a friend of mine company. I had never been to such an event before and was floored by the lengths to which the company went to ensure they got their pick of the best employees (though I'm not sure who picks their career based on a coffee cup).

The event was a private concert by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, which was cool all by itself. We sat in the second row and the band sang right to us! They are great entertainers, and sing one of my favorite songs, "Dream Big." Still, not to be outdone by the sweatshirts, backpacks, wireless mice, and myriad of other toys given out by the other big three firms, Ernst & Young sent their potential employees (and infiltrating English teachers) home with a free CD of the band, a bag of Halloween candy, an orange (random), and several cookies from Smart Cookie (the best ever). All in all, I felt like it was a productive evening. As I looked around at all the people and thought of how many other recruiting events they must go to, and all the goodies they must get at those events, I couldn't help thinking...I should have been an accountant.