"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace^.

^{In the} world ^{ye shall have} tribulation^{: but be of good} cheer^{; I have} overcome ^{the world."}

The Christmas Devotional was soooo good. When President Uchtdorf talked about how even the smallest light penetrates in the dark... I pictured a pitch black room and when you open the door even the slightest, a beam of light shoots through the darkness. The light disrupts the darkness and the room is no longer enveloped because of even the tiniest opening of the door. I felt comforted and inspired by this. I think it’s probably fair to say that I am a light in a very dark room (my family). However little the light may be, it CAN be seen and there IS hope.

Christmas truly is about light. President Uchtdorf told the story of the little boy who said all he wanted for Christmas was a bowl of oatmeal when asked what he wanted. This made me think of all the people around me.. how many of them JUST want a bowl of oatmeal? I can certainly give them that. Where are they? What can I do for them? Certainly there are plenty of people who’s only expectation for Christmas is that of a meal. He also said that if Christ were here, we would find him administering to the meek, the humble, the sick, the poor. If we are to love as he loved, and if Christmas truly IS about light.. I need to be found doing the same thing. I need to share that light. I really want to start a tradition of working at homeless shelters or asking donations of food/clothing from stores and giving them out at skid row.. or anything. I want to make a habit of administering like Christ did. And just like President Eyring said, "We should have year long charity." I don’t want be to found doing these things just because it’s Christmas, I want to do them year ‘round. We always say we’re busy and that we don’t have time for things like that, but how much time do we waste watching tv or chatting or being on facebook? All those precious minutes turn into hours and hours into days and days into weeks. At the end of the year, how much time have I really wasted just thinking of myself? President Eyring said that the Savior was the greatest gift ever given. I realized, HE is the greatest gift I can give too. I want to give HIM as a gift and I want to give the gifts HE would have given. I can do this through missionary work, inviting people to church activities, being a friend.. or even just being an example and sharing the light of Christ... just loving and being kind and catering to the needs of others.

Something President Eyring said that I really really liked was in his closing remarks. He said that it is his prayer that we can "have and give a joyous Christmas." It struck me that he chose to use the word "give." It really is true though.. we CAN "give" a joyous Christmas to others. All of this really inspired me to want to do something. As I was driving home from my branch president’s house (that’s where we watched it), I texted everyone to see if they would be interested in going caroling and hanging out at some old folks homes this Saturday. A lot of people said yes. I’m excited. I’m going to call the two convalescent homes by my house tomorrow to see when a good time for us to come would be.

I loved President Monson’s talk. When he was telling the story of Jesus, he said that the innkeeper would have said about Christ, "If only I had known who they were, I would have made room for them." This made me think of a quote by President Hinckley who said, "Even the least, the most inferior soul now upon this earth, is worth worlds." It also made me think of the quote by Clive who said, "It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship... there are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Next to the blessed sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses." So.. "If only I have known who they were, I would have made room for them." – Innkeeper who denied Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus. Do I know who the people I interact with really are? Do I see them as children of God with infinite worth? Do I make room for them?

It was the perfect end to a fantastic Sunday. I really do love Sundays. In sacrament, I bore my testimony and said the closing prayer. I’m getting really good at feeling the spirit and realizing how grateful I am while being able to control myself. I didn’t even cry. It was awesome. Lol.

So I've got this list of things I keep of things I want to remember for when I'm married. They're things about how I want to run my home, govern children, decorate, how to manage finances, manage  my relationship with my husband.. all kinds of things. It's pretty much anything and everything I've ever observed and liked and have wanted to incorporate in my future. The list is comprised of very "intimate" things that only me and my husband will ever know about .. all the way to places I want to travel.. and techniques for raising children. Anyway, I realized two things on Sunday that I've added to my list: #1) I want to arrive to sacrament meeting early. This is something I’ve been thinking about the past few weeks. I want to partake of the sacrament calm and collected and fully focused on The Lord. Last week I was running late to church and as I got there and was taking the sacrament, I was a little bit stressed and my mind was busy. I hadn’t had time to calm my nerves and stop thinking about the outside world. I just think that as we get to church early, we have time to be quiet and calm down and clear our minds. #2) I want our home to be a place of refuge for those who are seeking a place of love and peace. One of the women in Relief Society told a story of when she was a little girl and how there were these two kids that always came to their house after school because the kids’ parents were never home. They would tell her mom that they were hungry or they would say that they just didn’t feel like being home alone. Her mother always welcomed the children and fed them and allowed them to stay as long as they liked. I also remember when I was growing up, that I sought the Dehart home as my place of refuge. I wasn’t always welcomed there and it hurt me. I had no place else to go when I just wanted to get away. I want to be the kind of woman that people know they can come into my home and I will feed them. I want my home to be a safe haven from the world where people will know they are welcome and will be able to find peace and love.

(I’ve also added leather couches to the list. I have a testimony in leather couches with children around. Lol.)

Sunday was also fantastic because I found a quote that I’ve been looking for ever since conference. "When someone asks you what you think of someone else, what will you say? Step away from the opportunity of sewing seeds of disunity."– Pres. Eyring.