Lessons learned, Twelve days of Christmas

Everyday there are choices to make. The choice is ours of following paths that can lead us to eternal life or the way of the world. I made a stand today and was very blessed and was proud of myself for taking it. I was invited to go to a meeting, that had a prosperity plan that promised to make someone a lot of money. There is always a product of course and becomes kin to "missionary" work if you will.

I sat there knowing I would need to make a quick decision that would be honest and straight forward. I heard what the marketer had to say and mentioned he had worked for a company that enabled him to go to exotic places, and lived in Japan for six months and took his children 35 times in six months to Disney world there. That was the clincher for me. Read on.

Later as the meeting came to a close I was invited to stay and hear the spiel about how to fast start a business with this company and invest just $1500. Instead of taking the invitation I graciously asked my host who brought me to take me home. In the meantime I visited with several others who were outside the meeting area and started talking to them about what I do. They were even interested in the eye patch. I had one with me and the husband of lady who took me was all over the concept. He said I was fascinating and he drank in the process of what the eye patch does.

He agreed that he used to be so left brain he would have thought all this strange. Not so now he said. He said he was more open minded and liked what I was saying. He is retired now and has learned a lot in the last year or so about things like the eye patch. He committed to go buy one for himself and his wife and daughter still at home.

The subject came up about the business again. I told the others that I felt my work with the generational healing was really where my efforts would go for all the good that it accomplishes. Te money was really number four on my list. I also felt that what I do for the dead, the genealogy and the family search indexing etc was more valuable to me than going to Disneyland 35 times in six months. Their mouths dropped, but they had to agreed. I thanked them and told them the product was great and I believe in their product, but just would buy it as a customer rather than try to convert the world to their company's mission.

Twelve days of Christmas

On a more spiritual note, I was invited to go see the K's perform at the Seville for their Enrichment night. Lori told me about it and that K2,K3 and Hank were going to participate on the program. There were other people from their stake who came, one played a couple of songs on the harp, a violin and piano solos. Some one else read a story as was Hank supposed to do also. The second the lady got up to read her story, Hank discovered it was the same one he had chosen to read. He looked a little perplexed but seem to have everything under control by the time it was his turn to speak. He went and found access to the internet and printed off his story. It was his poem he wrote about the Olive leaf. The one about Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem. Everyone was touched by it. I was too. Hank told his brief explanation of our family tradition to write a poem every year and a gift that represented the holiday spirit and of Christ.

I hope Hank, that you make a collection of all the poems, not only penned by you, but all the projects we have done with poems so far. I envision them in a book, illustrated by Tara, and the other artists in your own household! Let's not just think or talk about it, but DO IT. It is a worthy project and deserves to be preserved. That is my suggestion anyway. The seed has been planted, now it just needs to be nourished to grow into full fruition. Go for it...

Syd Crockett had a twelve days of Christmas theme that she talked about that related it to the Gospel in the Dark Ages and how it was preserved through the Partridge on a pear tree allegory. Each of the days of Christmas represented a gospel principle so to speak.

I will attempt to list them, but if you want further explanation, Lori has a three page story that Syd gave to the sisters at Enrichment in their own ward. I found it very profound when she read it and loved hearing the symbolism and parable meaning of each day.

1. Partridge in a pear tree---Jesus Christ who died on a tree.
2. Two turtle doves--gifts of Old and New Testaments.
3. French hens--3 fruits of the spirit-Faith, Hope, and Charity
4. Calling Birds--4 gospels singing song of salvation
5. Golden rings--five books of Moses
6. Geese of Laying six days of creation
7. Swans of Swimming--seven gifts of the Spirit
8. Maids a milking--eight beatitudes
9. Ladies dancing--love, joy, peace, long suffering
10. Lords a leaping--10 commandments
11. Pipers piping--11 faithful disciples
12. Drummer drumming--12 points of the Apostolic Creed

Syd said that these were written during the time of the dark ages. The gospel was more or less banned and people could be persecuted, tried and murdered for openly talking about Christ, God or Holy Spirit. So they kept the Word, gospel alive by putting it into symbols so as to never lose its meaning of the good news.

One more blessed evening and feeling the sweetness of the Spirit to fill my soul and bring me joy in knowing my children all walk in truth. God bless us everyone.