Although it was seventy seven degrees outside today, some radio stations are playing Christmas music, and the Santas are already at the mall, it doesn’t seem much like Christmas yet. This year, I have proposed a “service Christmas” for our family. I didn’t get much of a response; I think they were all too busy chewing their potatoes to notice.

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I am so full of gratitude right now. (I guess that’s better than plenty of other things I could be full of!) I am grateful for such talented writers who have contributed so much collected wisdom in this magazine. There is enough wise counsel that if followed, it could change all of our lives for the better.

I’m grateful that I have had the chance to read and absorb this counsel already, and it will be preserved in one place for me to use as a reference volume on gratitude.

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This issue of Desert Saints Magazine marks our seventh anniversary of monthly publication. In fact, this setting reminds me of when we put together our first issue. It was an uncertain time, in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks. People were paralyzed with fear. No one seemed to know what to do. Our whole world was turned upside-down.

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I turned a page in my life today. As I write this, it’s the first day of school. I sent three kids off to school this morning, leaving me with only two little ones at home for six hours. This year, I don’t have a kindergartener, tying me to three daily bus schedules. Nor do I have a newborn, tying me to nap schedules and nursing times in between three bus schedules.

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Imperfect and flawed though our families are, it is the deepest desire of every human heart to have a loving family. Some days it’s easy to love my family, and some days it takes a fervent prayer to love them! But we must love one another. The Lord told us, “I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27). President James E. Faust added to that, “Unity in the Church will always be a reflection of the unity in our homes.”

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During this patriotic time of year, we collectively pause and give thanks for our nation: from its tenuous beginnings, upheld by the hand of the Almighty; to its rise in wealth and power; to the restoration of the gospel with the ordinances and covenants that lead us to eternal life. In counting the blessings of our lives and of this land, our list is long indeed.

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At the end of each day, when my husband walks through the door, the chorus begins. The toddler squeals with delight and yells “Dada! Dada! Dada!” The four-year-old runs to meet Dad at the car, then hides behind a front-porch pillar to yell “boo” and scare him. His mock terror gets the happy giggles flowing.

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I had a motherhood epiphany today. I was nestling my baby down for a nap, watching her relax and unwind into a gentle slumber, her sweet, soft breath on my cheek. The thought came to me that things are better when the children are close.

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As the United States enters a period that I can only euphemistically call “interesting,” the timeless counsel of Church leaders rings in my ears. We have been counseled for decades to put our lives in order; put our homes in order; draw near to one another; draw near to the Lord. We have been warned that these days would come. And now they are truly “at our doors.”

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So much has changed in the last month! President Hinckley passed away after our February issue was already printed, and now that time seems like a world away.

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I love a happy ending. And when a happy ending is also a wonderful beginning, so much the better. So it is for most weddings. A young couple has survived the slings, arrows and disappointments of single life, and found someone with whom to build a life. They cast off their “old” lives and start a new one together as husband and wife. When these steps are taken in obedience to eternal law and the marriage is solemnized in The House of the Lord, a unique and wonderful partnership is formed.

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Welcome to a brand new year and another chance to start fresh. This year, rather than the normal list of resolutions, my personal list involves just one: my heart condition.

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Amazingly, it’s Christmastime again. I never imagined that I would be this young and repeating clichés about the speed of time. Yet I am!

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I was so touched by last month’s general conference.

In addition to wonderful addresses, we saw the great principle of succession displayed. Elder Eyring and Elder Cook will serve honorably and with distinction.

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You will, I’m sure, be happy to join with me in a prayer of thanks that we have survived another desert summer heat wave. This is the time of year that we desert rats emerge from our summer hibernation in the air conditioning, greet our neighbors, go to the park, and rejuvenate our suffering yards. In another week or so, we’ll remember why we live here. That memory will sustain us until next July, when we again consider packing it in and moving to some cooler clime.

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