publishing peace

In 2009, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a talk in which he addressed "those who are alone or feel alone or, worse yet, feel abandoned." I have often read this talk. It's encouraging to me that it's a common enough feeling for faithful people that an apostle felt the need to speak about it to a vast global audience. It reminds me of a Bible story that I only recently connected to this feeling. When Jesus had just been resurrected, he appeared to all his disciples -- all but one.  Thomas wasn't there when Jesus visited the disciples the first time. I can only imagine what he must have felt upon meeting his friends, only to hear that Jesus had miraculously shown Himself again. Mingled with impossible hope, surely there must have been some indignation, maybe even some anger, that Christ had chosen the time when he was absent to visit the disciples.  Part of me wonders if Thomas simply said that he didn't believe the Savior had come, not because he didn...

It took me until this year to feel similarly to how I feel at Christmas at Eastertime. I would never try to pit these two beautiful days against each other. One celebrates the beginning of Christ's unmatched mortal life -- the other celebrates His triumph over death, both physical and spiritual. I also understand the differences between these two days in the emotions that surround them. With Christmas, it is warm, and shimmering, and exciting. With Easter, it is more somber, as we contemplate the life that was given so we may have life eternal. But this year, perhaps more than any year before, I have come to appreciate Easter like I learned to appreciate Christmas as a younger Em. It was always easy for me, as a naturally happy person, to understand the joy that Christmas brings; but it hasn't been until this past year that I've come to understand, if not fully, then surely deeper than I ever have, the beauty of Easter, and the different kind of joy in its celebratio...