Happy New Year Sisters!
Here we are at the end of another Christmas & Holiday Season, and at the beginning of a brand New Year. It seems the traditional thing to do is to look back at the past year and reminisce, and look forward to the New Year coming up and make some changes, or goals for improvement.
In 2010 we learned how to do many new things, welcomed several new girls into the ward, got to know each other better through service, and lived the Relief Society Motto quite well, that “Charity Never Faileth”. We had 17 babies born, had some families in great need at Christmas, and a million other things all year where you took care of each other and showed such charity and the True Love of Christ, as you filled those needs, often without signing up for it on a sign-up sheet, or being prompted in any external way, just through the promptings of the Holy Ghost and your good hearts. I ‘m sure the Lord is pleased with all the good things you do to take care of each other.
While many of you were away for Christmas with your extended families, the Bishop spoke in Sacrament Meeting on something he felt was a great need we have to improve on. Another form of charity. Charity towards each other, not in the things we do, but in the things we say about one another. An ugly word for it is Gossip. Most of the time, I don’t think we are trying to be malicious about the things we say, but just want to share about the struggles others are having, or want to fill others in on the latest news. We need to be careful that we are being kind when we do that, and think “if it were my problem, would I want others discussing that, or saying that about me behind my back?” There is a fine line between informing others of struggles and trying to come up with a solution to help, and just passing on hot and juicy stories about others. An old fashioned saying is: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” That is still a good one. Sometimes you are in a group, and haven’t said anything unkind, but someone else does. It’s a hard thing to do, but you can kindly turn the conversation around and lead the way into a new direction and stop gossip in its tracks.
Perhaps this New Year we could make some improvements in this area, and look at what we say about others a little differently, look at it as though you were being charitable in the things you say, like you are in the things you do.
May the Lord Bless you for your goodness, and give you a wonderful year of growth and blessings!
President Morris
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