Ever ready to embrace each one of us

I did not hear the words you said; instead, I heard the love.

“We must constantly remind ourselves that He is God and we are not.”

Jeffrey R. Holland

“Both modern and ancient scripture are full of reminders of Heavenly Father’s eternal love for His children. I am confident that our Heavenly Father’s arms are constantly extended, ever ready to embrace each one of us and say to each one with that quiet, piercing voice, ‘I love you.’”

Paul E. Koelliker

“Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion,

toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

Dallin H. Oaks

If we all were a little more like angels, Earth would be a little more like heaven.

“Never make the same mistake once.”

The best time to do something worthwhile is between yesterday and tomorrow.

If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.

Mark Twain

We do not remember days; we remember moments.

How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it!

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbour.  Within a few days the whole community knew the story.  The person it concerned was deeply hurt and offended.  Later, the woman responsible for spreading the rumour learned that it was completely untrue.  She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage.
"Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck it's feathers and drop them one by one along the road."  Although she was surprised by this advice, the woman did as she was told.
The next day she went to the wise man and told him that she had done as directed.  He said, "Now, go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them to me."
The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay the wind had blown all the feathers away.  After searching for hours, she returned with only three. "You see", said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it is impossible to get them back.  So it is with gossip.  It doesn't take much to spread a rumour, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong."

Author Unknown

“Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.”

Charity is, perhaps, in many ways a misunderstood word. We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need,  or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate.  But really, true charity is much, much more.    Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself.  And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again.  It makes the thought of being a basher repulsive.  Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefits of the doubt or remain quiet.  Charity is accepting someone's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped.  Charity is refusing to take advantage of another's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us.  Charity is expecting the best of each other.  None of us need one more person bashing or pointing out where we have failed or fallen short.  Most of us are already well aware of the areas in which we are weak.  "What each of us does need is family, friends, employers, and brothers and sisters who support us, who have the patience to teach us, who believe in us, and who believe we're trying to do the best we can, in spite of our weaknesses.

Be one who nurtures and who builds. Be one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them. Be fair with your competitors, whether in business, athletics, or elsewhere. Don’t get drawn into some of the parlance of our day and try to “win” by intimidation or by undermining someone’s character. Lend a hand to those who are frightened, lonely, or burdened.

If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care.

May God help us individually and collectively to know and teach that bashing should be replaced with charity today and always, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Marvin J Ashton