Mary's Story

I have always been intrigued by Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.  What kind of woman must she have been to be entrusted with the incredible task of bearing and raising the Savior of the world?  She must have been one of our Father in Heaven's choicest spirits.  This must have been true about Joseph as well, to be humble enough to raise Jesus as his own, and to love and honor his mother, Mary.

Elder Robert J. Matthews said this about Mary:

"When we consider the strong influence that a mother has on the personality and attitude of a young child in the home, we sense the responsibility that our Heavenly Father gave Mary by entrusting her with the rearing of his chosen and Beloved Son.  This would require adequate training of Mary, both as a premortal spirit and as a young woman in mortality.  Notwithstanding her pre-earth assignment, Mary would not have been worthy to bear the Son of God and give him a body of flesh and blood unless she was clean and pure in mortal life."

When I first read the quote above from Elder Matthews, I was overcome with a feeling of admiration, respect, and love for this very choice daughter of God.  I am so thankful to have such an amazing example of a woman to study from the scriptures.  She truly exemplified faith, obedience, humility, and love.

Finally, Elder Bruce R. McConkie said this about Mary:

"As there is only one Christ, so there is only one Mary.  And as the Father chose the most noble and righteous of all his spirit sons to come into mortality as his Only Begotten in the flesh, so we may confidently conclude that he selected the most worthy and spiritually talented of all his spirit daughters to be the mortal mother of his Eternal Son."

I recently wrote a short story which was posted on my writing group's website for Christmas.  It is a portrayal of the story of Jesus' birth, as seen through the eyes of Joseph's donkey, who carried Mary on his back on their journey to Bethlehem.  I really enjoyed the opportunity which it gave me to think more about what Mary and Joseph must have really been like, what their daily life would have looked like, what the challenges were that they faced as they made this necessary trip to Bethlehem.  It made me appreciate even more the sacrifices that they each made, in order to bring our Savior into the world.  It also helped strengthen my testimony of our Father in Heaven's plan for each of us, and the joy which we can receive by following the example of Jesus Christ.

I am so thankful for a Father in Heaven who loved us enough to send his Only Begotten Son into the world, who would provide the way that we can return to live with them again one day.  Jesus Christ truly is the light of the world, and I hope that I can share that more fully with those around me, even if it is through the simple means of sharing a sweet bedtime story.

I hope that you have time to enjoy my story:

"Samuel's Stable" by Heather White

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all our beloved friends and family, near and far!

Our hearts are full of gratitude today for the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ, for His life and example, and for His atoning sacrifice on our behalf. Our wish this holiday season is to share His light and love to all we meet.  May God bless you and your families.

It's Time

A few nights ago I took the kids to the Country Buffet for dinner, as Eric was out of town and I needed a night off from fixing dinner.  I was not all that impressed with the meal, but Erica and Elise had fun eating from all the assortment of desserts and sweets.  Erica got herself all sticky from a big pink ball of cotton candy, and Elise's face was covered in chocolate pudding and whipped cream.  She returned back to her pudding cup again and again, scraping it clean, trying to get another taste of chocolate.

By the time we left, with full bellies and bright balloons tied to sticky hands, the girls were pretty wound up.  Elise laughed the entire drive home, entertaining herself with her signature blown raspberries.  It wasn't long before Erica tired of the noise and laughter, however.

In a sudden outburst, Erica yelled in frustration:

"It's time to stop farting, and start shutting up!"

After a moment of shock, Heidi, Ethan and I burst into laughter.  I couldn't imagine where she had come up with that one.  We don't even say "shut up" in our house.

I guess a girl can only take so much farting.

The Heather Show

Yesterday was a big day for me.  Not only did I give a talk in church and sing a special musical number with my quartet, but our ward's annual High Priest Christmas Fireside was that night as well, in which I was a part of three different numbers.

It sort of felt like The Heather Show, which was a little embarrassing, but each of the performances turned out great!

I don't have a recording of us performing in Sacrament meeting, but it was lovely.  We sang a beautiful arrangement of "Still, Still, Still" a capella (without accompaniment).  It was a little difficult to sing directly following my talk, as I was a little choked up, but it still went well.

My violin trio went well too.  I thoroughly enjoyed playing on the rented violin.  The sound it made was so pure and sweet in the cultural hall, which is a difficult place to perform in, as the acoustics are difficult.  I am hoping to track down a recording of that performance as well to share.

Here are some video clips of The Serenades' performances that night.  Notice that we have four microphones this time around, which was a great improvement!

Enjoy the pieces and....

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas from The Serenades!

Violins and Washing Machines

What do violins and washing machines have in common....?

 

This isn't a trick question.  They actually don't have anything in common, other than both having malfunctioning issues in the White house at the same time.

 

Tomorrow night is our ward's annual Christmas Musical Fireside, in which I have been performing with my singing group for the last five-plus years.  This year I am also playing in a violin trio.

 

On Thursday night I was at our violin practice, getting ready for tomorrow's event.  When I opened my violin case I was shocked to discover that my A string was completely broken.  It had snapped at the base.  I had just seen Ethan messing with my violin prior to leaving for the practice, so I suspected that he unwittingly broke the string while loading the violin back in its case.

 

I took my violin in to the music store the next morning, only to discover that all the strings were about ready to snap and the bridge was out of alignment.  It would need to be restrung, and the bridge properly placed.  The only problem was that they send that kind of work out, and it would not be back in time for our fireside.

 

Rather than risk a catastrophic mishap during my Sunday performance (I could just imagine strings snapping all over the place, heading right for my eyeball), I opted to rent a violin instead.

 

Eric would say that was a huge mistake.

 

I took the new violin home, pulled it from it's fancy new case, admired the beautiful sheen on the instrument, coated the pristine horse-hair bow with rosin, and proceeded to play.  I couldn't believe the sound that came from that instrument!  The sound waves just seemed to resonate from the box, creating a tone that I had never been able to accomplish before in my life.  I actually sounded half-way decent playing the thing, rather than squeaking along like I usually do!

 

Now I want this violin.

 

Eric isn't too happy about this new musical enlightenment.



I love this photo I found online, picturing the first washing machine in Eatonville, WA. Maren Christensen's new Thor machine makes laundry so effortless, she can even read while she works, ha ha!

As for our other malfunctioning dilemma, our washing machine has been emitting warning signs of an upcoming breakdown for a while now.  Finally this week, we noticed that while the machine still ran, it wasn't agitating anymore.  Our clothes, towels, and more particularly, the dirty diapers, were no longer coming out clean.

 

We needed a new machine pronto.

 

Eric first investigated what it would take to repair it, but quickly discovered that the machine wasn't worth the money it would take to fix it.  A new machine then, right before Christmas, when savings accounts are at their lowest.  Ugh!

 

The good part of utility breakdown at this time of year is the fabulous sales.  We got a great deal on a brand new set of front loading Samsung machines, complete with steam cycle and sterilization options, perfect for those stinky diapers!

 

While we were purchasing the new washer and dryer, Eric saw me eyeing the stainless steel refrigerators and ranges and shook his head.

 

Maybe next year....

 

In the meantime, I will be playing sweet music from a sweet violin, hoping to win him over for at least one more purchase....

What Does the Kid Say?

I think that I have watched this video about fifteen times today...and I still can't stop laughing about it! :)

On the Edge

This past week has given new meaning to the expression hanging by your fingernails.

Just before the Thanksgiving break, my boss informed us that he and his family would be relocating to Virginia, that the practice was already in the works of being sold, and that our new boss would be starting after the break.

Say....WHAT?!

It was a major bombshell.  None of us saw it coming, so we were all in shock over the Thanksgiving break.  I was very nervous about the entire situation.  Change can always be scary, especially an unexpected one.  Plus, I really liked working with my boss.  I considered him to be a friend, as well as an employer.

I met the new doctor when I went back to work on Tuesday.  She is wonderful, personable, and a fantastic dentist.  I am excited to get to work with her.

I am still recovering from the shock of the change, however.  The days have been longer and more stressful, because everyone is still trying to figure out what is expected, how to do things, and what needs to be changed.  There is an adjustment period, for sure.

So I was a little stressed from work this week.  I was also stressed from home.  I've gotten behind on taking care of the house, the kids are grouchy and temperamental, I have two performances coming up next weekend with my singing group, The Serenades, I have some writing deadlines to meet, and I was just asked to speak in church next week.

On our way home from church today, Erica was screaming at the top of her lungs about being hungry.  Of course, there was nothing to offer her and she went ballistic.  It was all I could do to safely make it home without throttling my beloved five-year-old.  It went downhill from there.  Making the lunch, cleaning up, getting everyone ready to head back to the church again for a meeting with the Bishop, and changing multiple stinky pants, all put me over the edge.

I came back home in a daze, with my head fuzzy and spinning.  All I could think of was "Where is the chocolate?!"  Nothing.  We have no chocolate!  How could I be so ill-prepared for a melt-down?!  I found the leftover remains of some ancient jelly beans.  I am hoping they are not clear from Easter, but chances are pretty good that they are.

I just finished off the bag of jelly beans.

In case you were wondering if they helped: No, jelly beans are not a chocolate substitute.

I think that I better file down my nails to prepare for another week of dangling on the edge.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week.  Since family was so far away, we decided to invite some friends to share the meal with.  I invited a coworker friend with her son, as well as the sister missionaries who are currently serving in our Ward.  We had a great time together laughing and talking, and had a big laugh over Elise and her antics.  She gets pretty excited with an audience, and even more excited with new friends to show off to.

Sharing time together as a family, plenty of food to eat, a warm comfortable home to live in....we are truly blessed.

I am so grateful this holiday season for all that the Lord has blessed us with.  We have enjoyed good health this year, successful and stable employment, satisfaction and fulfillment in service opportunities at church and in the community, and happy and active children.

Most of all I am so grateful for the way my family has been blessed by being members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We receive peace in knowing that, through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to improve ourselves each day, drawing us closer to our Father in Heaven, and closer to our family here on the earth.

******

On a fun side-note, I wrote a Thanksgiving-themed short story for my writing group's website. I hope that you will read it and enjoy it, and remember all the things that we have to be grateful for....especially FAMILY!

"A Thanksgiving Week," by Heather White