A Slightly Late Christmas Message

On Sunday, we sang the song "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day", and for the first time, I understood the words of the song. 

The lyrics go:

1. I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

2. I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th'unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

3. 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."

4. 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."

5. Till, ringing, singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

The story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is far better explained by historians, so I'll let them take care of that. But, to be simple, this song was written at time of despair for Longfellow. He had every reason to be angry, lose faith, or worse. The third verse of the song illustrates that perfectly. He didn't take that path, however. The Christmas bells, and perhaps the love of Christ, pealed louder and deeper, "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep"!

Anyways, I was inspired by this song and hoped you would be as well.

Some more links:

https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/i-heard-the-bells-on-christmas-day?lang=eng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJQ2ajszyhU

A Word Of Encouragement

We all have bad days. Sometimes, we have bad weeks, bad months, or even bad years. Let's face it, life is pretty brutal sometimes. But it's okay. Sure, it stinks in the moment, but you'll come out better than you went in.

I was reflecting on something my class discussed in Seminary the other day. In the Book of Mormon, one of the most ubiquitous phrases tends to be the most encouraging and uplifting: 

AND IT CAME TO PASS

What's so significant about this? There are 2 key lessons we can learn about hardships. Of all the terrible things (and, for that matter, all the joyous things) told, there seems to be a universal truth: they came, and they passed.
Trying times will come. It's inevitable. It's part of this life. They will also come to pass! By that token, happy times will come and go as well.

And if that's not encouraging enough, remember everything you still have going for you. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. You have a kind Father in Heaven who loves you more dearly than you can even comprehend. No matter how far off the path you've wandered, there is always hope and light. And if that still doesn't help, a living Savior paid for your sins. If you repent, if you seek Him, he will not leave you comfortless.

"Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you"

And if you'd like some uplifting songs, try a search for

• Be Still My Soul
• Master, the Tempest Is Raging
• A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

Start Here

Well, here we are. I'm talking, and I'm pretty sure nobody's listening. But that's okay.
I named my blog Simple Gifts, because I'm mostly going to be using this to chronicle great, wonderful, and simple things.

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

Something about this old tune just resonates with me.

That's all for today.