Living After the Manner of Happiness

Photo by   Em bé khóc nhè  on  Unsplash It seems 2020 has been a year of mourning. The past few weeks I found myself once again mourning what was supposed to have been a time of family … all together at last. We’ve had a couple of these trips planned this year only to have them all canceled. I’m sure you have had similar experiences of anticipating and planning only to have them canceled.   I have seen such parallelism to the private and public battles we are dealing with this year woven throughout the war chapters as I’ve studied the last couple of weeks. Have you recognized them as well? I’ve had the overwhelming feeling the Nephites completely understood what it means to have a tough year (or years). Yet, tucked in the middle of their difficult years is this nugget:   “… there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than the days of Moroni; yea even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges” (Al...

photo credit: Becki Simonsen I am a lover of light! I decorate more with light than things. I eagerly throw open the shutters each morning allowing the morning sun to fill our home with light! Sitting with the majestic view of Mount Timpanogos in front of me studying my Come Follow Me one morning this week, I was reminded of my first visit to her cave many years ago. Have you ever visited a cave? The darkness, the change in temperature, and the unique formations can make you feel as if you have entered another world. The only way to see the Timpanogos cave system is on a tour. There are lights highlighting the cave formations and helping to light the way. Many of the walkways and staircases are narrow with very low ceilings. The natural beauty inside the cave is breathtaking. On my last trip, I remember thinking this must be the “awesome wonder” the familiar hymn describes (“How Great Thou Art,” Hymn #86). At one point, in the middle of the tour, the rangers turn off all the ...