Connie

Howdy. Glad to have you.

Hi. Welcome aboard.

Bye.

Never heard of it.

Last book i read was The Immortal Nicholas by Glenn Beck. It was very interesting. I liked it, but i still feel like i'm in processing mode. This might be one of those books i need to read a second time to fully process. Anyone else read any good or interesting or traditional Christmas stories yet this year? I also recently read Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien. It was super cute and totally delightful.

If you're tired of it, give yourself a break. Go to a regular ward for a while. Maybe you will find you like it better or maybe you'll find yourself missing the YSA ward, in which case you can always go back.

Hi Bruce. It's very nice to meet you and welcome to the forums. I'd like to say thank you for your work in the nursery. When my oldest son was a little guy, he did not like women. That probably sounds funny, but he hated going to nursery if there were only women there. So we were very grateful for the men who worked there. He would only go if there were men. He was very much his daddy's boy. He only barely tolerated me. Funny kid. It took him years to get over that. I was actually just recently called as a nursery leader. Oh how i wish they would call some male workers. It really changes the whole tone of nursery. I think the kids behave better with a male presence.

Hello, saskah. It's nice to meet you. Welcome to the forums.

Christ and the New Covenant by Jeffrey R. Holland is a pretty amazing book and a great companion to Book of Mormon reading.

Growing up we always had an orange in the toe of our stocking. My dad was also very fond of nuts--the kind in the shell that you have to crack open. So we always had peanuts in our stocking, too, and we would have to crack them open and peanut shells would get everywhere. I'm too lazy to do that with my kids--I don't want to have to clean up nut shells. So i get the cans of already shelled (and salted) nuts and put some in little baggies. Then there was the salt water taffy, but that's candy so i'll shut up now.

Very nice. And nice to see you back, too, MorningStar.

I'm sorry. Ugh, i know what that's like. This is such a stressful time of year! In that case you will probably want to give yourself long breaks away from the piano. Soak in a nice warm bath with bubbles if you like and get your honey to give you plenty of back rubs. Then you can give him a back rub too. :)

Usually just getting lost in a good book works quite well for me. Listening to calming music also works, though I’m quite the fan of silence—it’s such a rare thing. Playing the piano can also help, and what’s nice about that is you can based it on your mood at the time. You can pound out something dark and vigorous if you’re angry or pull out the Chopin if you want to brood or just play something calming.

I’ve always liked my own name. I know it’s not unusual or anything, but it has been faith-affirming for me. My mother always told me it meant constant and true, and I have always tried to be constant and true to the Lord and His gospel. Hence, I’ve always had an affinity for the name Constance. It’s not my name (my name really is just Connie), but I like to call it my Nicholas name. Some more unusual names I’ve heard that I’ve thought were pretty cool and faith-affirming are America, Cumorah and Zion. Probably the most unusual one I’ve heard is Zerin, which some might recognize from the Book of Ether as the name of the mountain the brother of Jared moved.

Hi, Athena. It's nice to meet you. I'm Connie. I live in Southern Utah. Welcome to the forum.

If you're on a computer, you might want to try using a different web browser.

I think you are using a very specialized definition of the word. I certainly don’t think of full-on adult temper tantrums or Laman-and-Lemuel-type murmuring when I use the word. As you have defined it, I would have to agree. I realize this reeks of reluctant acknowledgement. I just really disagree with how you have defined the word. :laughingatmyself:

I agree. The spirit of the law is the letter and then some.

Whoa. This is getting all deep and wrinkly. :)

Whoa. That's like reading a creepy dystopia. :shudder:

It's a thought-provoking question. If i may ask some of my own for clarification and curiosity's sake, Vort. Do you consider it venting (according to your own definition of the word) when Christ drove the moneychangers out of the temple? For some reason some verses of Jacob 5 came to mind when the Lord of the vineyard starts to numerate all the things he has done for his trees and asks "what could i have done more?" when his trees don't respond with good fruit... would you consider this venting (possibly whining)? Why or why not?

I see paganism and satanism as two very different things. There's plenty of pagan roots with most holidays but nothing that i have been able to uncover with satanism, not even in my studies of Halloween. But i agree with others, make these holidays your own. It doesn't matter how others in the past or present have celebrated. Take what's good and incorporate it in your own way with what works for you and your family.

Hello LilyBelle. I understand what you are feeling. I’ve felt the same to a certain extent. I do think you are using too harsh a word for the situation. My advice for this would be to lean on Christ. Others have already talked about praying and asking what the Lord would have you do. And that is an excellent suggestion. What I am talking about here goes beyond that. Rely on the atonement. It is not just for sin. It is also for these times we feel overwhelmed and stretched and that we just can’t do it anymore. We can’t do it all. Not on our own. We need Christ’s atonement to strengthen us. Utilize the grace of Christ, sister. Grace was a topic touched on quite a bit during this last General Conference. Elder Larry R. Lawrence said “God’s grace is sufficient to help us.” And Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf called on us to “allow His grace to lift and carry us during our journey.” I would encourage you to study the topic. Lean on your Savior, sister. He can help you if you let Him.

Oh, that’s a good idea. I read the book in my teen years but really don’t remember much about it. When I tried picking it up again a couple years back, I didn’t get very far before I decided to let it sit for a while longer. It was so dark. My hubby loves it, and I bet if I suggest getting it from audible he would be ecstatic. How was the narration?

Last book i read was The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris. This is the second time i've read this book, and i was much less impressed with it this time around. It's funny how you can read a book and really like it and then read it a couple years later and be all meh about it. Anyone else ever had that experience?