Today is a Gift!

Wow. I can hardly believe that November is over and December has begun. I haven't even cleaned out my garden boxes yet. (I haven't unpacked all my moving boxes either, and we have now been here more than 2 years...but that's a blog for another day.) sigh.

Anyway, our daughter Micaela came home from school a  couple of days ago totally excited about a challenge from her Seminary teacher. She showed me a handout that maps reading the entire Book of Mormon in the month of December -- with Christ's appearance landing over Christmas. Micaela challenged her siblings to join her in this journey. A couple of her older sisters accepted the challenge. I decided that if my daughters, whose time is filled with cooking, cleaning, caring for babies, church callings, and school can do it, so can I.

I'm not usually keen on just reading nonstop through the scriptures. I'm a "take time to read the footnotes" kind of gal. But I had an experience earlier in November that has given me a renewed sense of gratitude for this sacred work:

"November 11, 2011 -

As I began my scripture study this morning, I found my mind wandering all over the place -- on work, on school, on home, on writing my book -- everywhere but on the scriptures. I decided I needed to start over with prayer. As I asked for the Spirit to be with me and help me focus, I found myself asking the Lord if I might sit at His feet and hear and listen to Him teach me. In our Stake Gospel study class, Kelli Ford discussed how if we had enough faith, we too could see the Savior...just like Nephi and the brother of Jared did. I am not nearly worthy of that experience, to see the Savior face-to-face, but I hope that someday that will come to pass. For now, I can feel His love and recognize his hand in all things, for all things testify of Christ. I felt the warmth of His love as I prayed and saw a picture in my mind of truly sitting at the Savior's feet and felt great peace and excitement."

I will forever remember Linda Whiting"s testimony when she told me that reading her scriptures every day was the most difficult part about knowing she would soon depart from this earth. As she read her scriptures and pondered on the words of God to us, she realized that any day she would actually be hearing His voice with her own ears and seeing His face with her own eyes and literally feeling His arms around her.

I am accepting my daughter's challenge. I feel like a kid who can't wait any longer and has to peek in the package now! The best part is that no matter how many times I open the gift of the Book of Mormon, it just keeps on giving. My scriptures are always exactly what I need when I need them.

Life is beautiful. Open your gift today!!!
hugs~