Faith, Hope & Charity

The end of the year is always a time for reflecting on the past year and thinking about the new year to come. This scripture articulates what keeps us going during challenges.

"And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.

And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.

If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure."  (Moroni 7: 41-48)

What Do I Really Want?

 “What are your deepest desires? What do you really want to experience and accomplish in this life? Do you really want to become more and more like Jesus Christ? Do you really want to live with Heavenly Father and with your family forever and live as He lives?

“If you do, you will want to accept many gifts offered by the Lord to help you and me during our time of mortal probation.”

 

Four of the gifts Jesus Christ gave to all who are willing to receive them:

-Jesus Christ gives the unlimited capacity to love

-The Savior offers the ability to forgive 

-The Savior gives the gift of repentance

-The promise of life everlasting

Russell Nelson 

Christ's Gifts To Us

“Our Savior, Jesus Christ, offers to us four incomparable gifts—the capacity to love others, the ability to forgive, the blessing of repentance, and the promise of life everlasting.

These four unique gifts will bring us more and more joy as we accept and act upon them. They were made possible because Jehovah condescended to come to earth as the baby Jesus. He was born of an immortal Father and a mortal mother. He was born in Bethlehem under the most humble of circumstances. His was the holy birth foreseen by prophets since the days of Adam.

 Jesus Christ is God’s transcendent gift—the gift of the Father to all of His children (see John 3:16). We joyfully celebrate His birth this Christmas season."

First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

He Was Born For You

Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Kirkland

Puddle Jumpers run towards the Christmas tree

Park Lane

foggy morning at the lake

One of the treats after the tree lighting ceremony was a sledding "hill" for the children. Snow was brought down from the mountains. 

This is how it looked two days later

American Printing House for the Blind

Founded in 1858 in Louisville, Kentucky, American Printing House for the Blind is the oldest organization of its kind in the United States. From 1858 until the Civil War began, APH organized its operation and raised funds to create embossed books. After the war, APH resumed operations and produced its first tactile books. By the early 1870s, APH was operating on a national scale.

APH received a federal mandate in 1879 when the Congress of the United States passed the Act to Promote the Education of the Blind. This act designates APH as the official supplier of educational materials to all students in the U.S. who meet the definition of blindness and are working at less than college level. (APH website)

When I was working, first with the Ohio Resource Center for the Visually Handicapped and then with the Ohio Resource Center for Low Incidence and Severely Handicapped, I drove to Louisville 3-4 times a year for meetings. I served on a number of committees throughout the years and, along with our staff, coordinated the expenditure of Federal funds for materials for students with visual impairments. 

 At the APH museum - bottom right is a picture of the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. Established in 1837, it was the first public school for the blind in the United States.

Helen Keller's desk from her 44 years at the American Foundation for the Blind

The desk went on display at the APH museum the day before my visit.

During my visit I went on a fascinating tour. We saw people recording books for the free national talking book program. Then we saw various items being printed. The product line has greatly expanded since I was working with them - many more technology products. 

***************

See the green tree to the left of the entrance in the top picture? It's a holly tree. It's probably the same one I saw decades ago when I first visited APH. That's the first time I saw holly growing as a tree. 

The current building surrounds the original structure built in 1883. On the tour, we could sometimes see parts of the original building. Click here for a picture of the original structure. 

Generosity

Be generous with kindly words, especially about those who are absent. Johann von Goethe