My Favorite People to "Hang Out" With

Most young people, as they approach or enter their teens, find that their own families are insufferably embarrassing and often boring. This begins a period of "weening away" which can be painful for both the teen and the "parental unit." Among what I like to call "good kids," there are fairly frequent periods of truce and what the Soviets might have called "Rapprochement."

Parents often lament that the child, whom they inexplicably still love, couldn't have remained tiny, cute, soft, and malleable. Once they develop a mind and opinions of their own, they often seem to be a lost cause. Sometimes, their personal pulchritude seems to be all that saves them from utter destruction. Personal names of our extended family members will not be used here so as to avoid offending those who have, in the fullness of time, become honest, kind, loving citizens. And whom I never ceased to love for a second.

Family togetherness is never more poignantly delightful than at Christmastime. Last night we were all hosted to a delightful meal and even better company at Jake and Lisa's place. Such occasions never fail to comfort me. A few were missing, but a lot were there, and the result was the spirit of family. It touched me deeply to see my sister-in-law being moved by the memory of my father who was with us for so long and - it seems - so recently. In her recent blog post, Autumn wrote of their calling to be temple workers on Tuesday evenings. She feels her Grandfather's spirit there. And her mother's. And, I suppose, HER mother's. I look forward to sharing Shayne's journals with Aubey when next I see her.

It is astonishing to me how quickly our mortal probation passes. We really have to get on the stick and repent and live this gospel as if - - IT's TRUE! The reason we say MERRY CHRISTMAS is that this day which all Christendom agrees to celebrate His birth, is a physical confirmation that we really do believe that He is the son of God. That we do believe that He is our elder brother. That, under the direction of Heavenly Father, He constructed this earth for us. That He died and was resurrected for us so that we will have a glorified, perfected, resurrected body ourselves some day. We do all this each year to manifest in visible, audible, physical ways that we really do believe that He took upon him all our sins so that, by constantly growing and repenting, we can be WITH Him and eventually become LIKE Him.

Josh was at supper tonight. He says that, in the Army, no one is allowed to discuss religion at all. Sixty-some years ago, the battle-cry was "praise the Lord and pass the ammunition." Political correctness has gradually filled everyone -- even the DoD and the General Officers -- with fear of being called intolerant. And the result is that "the devil laughs and his angels rejoice."

To everyone I know on both sides of the veil: MERRY CHRISTMAS !