Gifts

I love Christmas!  I love all that it's about and represents and reminds us of.  I love the Savior.  I'm grateful for His life.  I'm grateful for His love.  I'm grateful for our Heavenly Father's love and His plan.  I'm grateful for the gift of His Son.

After a visiting teaching lesson and talking about the "unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost" I started thinking a lot about the many amazing gifts we receive from a loving Heavenly Father, individually and collectively.  This time of year, as so many of us are thinking about gifts, I have been overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for very special and important gifts from Him - Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, prophets, miracles, love, hope, direction, family, beauty of the world, people to love.....the list could go on for a long time.....

I've never been a very good gift giver (or gift receiver for that matter).  I'm just not really good at gifts.  I want to find just the right thing, but it can be very hard to know what will be meaningful for the people I love.  I think as I struggle to give the right gifts I don't always notice or recognize the gifts given to me.  I think this is important and I want to be better at gifts.  I'm grateful for the words shared tonight by living prophets about gifts and giving and Christmas.

I'm grateful for the example of the wise men that traveled far to worship and honor the Savior with their gifts.  I'm grateful for the amazing gift of love our Father gave us - Jesus Christ.  I'm grateful for His gift of the Atonement.  I'm grateful for the gift of agency, repentance, and eternal life.

I'm grateful for gifts and how they remind us of Him!

Even in just these first few days of the season I have been inspired by the symbols of Christmas and I hope to share some thoughts in upcoming December posts on the blessings of Christmas and its symbols.