If You Love Christmas So Much, Why Don't You Merry It?

Christmas this year was wonderful, a newborn, family I haven't seen in 6 years, and good food. Mom, like always, was hounding me to take pictures and as much as I love taking pictures, it is difficult when people on the receiving end do not want their picture taken! Nonetheless, here is my Christmas...

Goose and Colton on his first Christmas :)

Michael and his mittens

Chad and Kelly

Kelly and Michael 

My thrilled brother

Cousin Melisa

My favorite Sis-in-law and baby Colton

Cousin Robbie

Mom

The happy new family

Goose!

Kelly's son Talon

Grandpa Grant

The Grant men

Robbie and Talon

Mom getting the best gift ever and showing it :)

Chad hugging mom

Uncle Bob

Goose and her tin of cookies

Me and my brudder

Chad, me, and Kelly

The Grants: Michael, Francie, Kelly, and Robbie

Plan of Salvation.

For anyone that has investigated the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the above illustration rings a bell. Although I don't remember my life pre-earth, I have an innate feeling that I did exist before and this explanation seems to make everything connect, have meaning, and of course purpose. 

Ever meet a person and you connect so well that you feel you have known them forever? I don't think that is a coincidence, I feel that you knew them in pre-existence.  Call me crazy, many people do, but I know this is true. According to the LDS faith, everyone on earth existed in pre-existence and was in the grand courts with Heavenly Father.  Jesus had made the decision to come to earth for the glory of God overruling Satan's attempt to come to earth for his own glory and thus the war began.  We knew that it would be difficult but we made the choice to come to earth, to obtain a human body, endure life's trials and tribulations so that we could one day return to our Father in heaven. 

I don't write all this to preach, but I write it because today I will be attending the funeral of a good friend, George James who passed away on September 20.  Death gives me the constant reminder about this wonderful Plan of Salvation that we have.  It reassures me that although it is easy to be sad in the present because we have lost a friend, that we know where they are going.  George knew I was LDS and we had quite a few conversations about faith and religion but I never seized any opportunity to invite him to church because in my head, it was never the right time. Why is that for me to decide when the right time for someone is? I have learned from my membership in this amazing church that if we do what we are supposed to do, the Lord will present opportunities to share his gospel.  The Lord will prepare people, we just have to open our mouths. 

General Conference is this weekend... even if you don't have a TV, you can watch it live HERE. I have a testimony of conference and it's power to change lives. I need to hear these words now more than ever and I know there is something for every single person, we just have to open our hearts and listen.