Traditions to Make Easter a Whole Season of Remembering
In this inspiring episode from the Measure of Her Creation podcast, Michaela welcomes longtime friend Catherine Arveseth to talk about rediscovering the sacred depth of Easter and creating meaningful faith traditions at home.
From a moving journey through infertility and long-awaited motherhood to a growing passion for honoring Lent, Holy Week, and the celebration of the Resurrection, Catherine shares how intentional worship can shape both our hearts and our families.
Together, they reflect on learning from the wider Christian world, embracing a slower spiritual rhythm, and finding simple, practical ways — even in busy seasons of motherhood — to help our children experience the story of Christ in a living, personal way.
Catherine Arveseth’s Holy Week Guide
Come Follow Me: A Special Easter Podcast
Maurine
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “That first Easter sequence of Atonement and Resurrection constitutes the most consequential moment, the most generous gift, the most excruciating pain, and the most majestic manifestation of pure love ever to be demonstrated in the history of this world. Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, suffered, died, and rose from death in order that He could, like lightning in a summer storm, grasp us as we fall, hold us with His might, and through our obedience to His commandments, lift us to eternal life.
“So today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced—to say nothing of our resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Where Justice Love and Mercy Meet https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/04/where-justice-love-and-mercy-meet?lang=eng .
Scot
Welcome to Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me podcast where this week we are studying that magnificent gift the Savior gave to us in the atonement and resurrection. Because we take tour groups to Israel and have done extensive photography there, we have often been to that Mount of Olives where Jesus suffered such agonizing pain in the Garden of Gethsemane for us.
We have walked down that Mount, shared testimony in an olive garden there, but one night stands out as singular. We wanted to photograph an olive grove on that mount in the nighttime to capture, as closely as possible, what that scene might have been like 2,000 years ago. Most visitors who go to the Mount of Olives visit the Church of All Nations, where ancient, twisted olive trees grow that date back more than 1200 years, and some claim to that very time when Christ was there.
Yet for our photographs, we went a little further up the Mount of Olives, since the scriptures describe Jesus as going further into the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the Mount of Olives, that means further up.
Maurine
We were there for many hours. The din and honking of the traffic gradually subsided to quiet. The crowds had dispersed and we were quite alone in the olive vineyard. Across the Kidron Valley, the ancient wall of the Old City wound its way with an occasional light upon the golden stones. In the quiet and stillness, we could just imagine how it might have been that night when Jesus suffered here so long ago.
We read aloud. We talked. You took hundreds of photographs, battling against some colored lights that cast the wrong glow into those photos. We used to use film when we shot at night, because then we could use exposures of various lengths. The longer the exposure, the more the surrounding light filled in the details of the photos on the film. But this was a digital shoot, and so you battled graininess in the photos in the darkness of that night.
Scot
With that time, trying to get the photograph I hoped for, we thought. Not far from here, from this very spot, Jesus came with his apostles to a place they knew well—the Garden of Gethsemane, which means the place of the olive press. Here he would know excruciating pressing himself, crushed. The only place the Lord describes this crushing, Himself, in his own personal words, is in the Doctrine & Covenants, “which caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink” ((Doctrine and Covenants 19:18).
Mark records that Jesus “began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy.” What could cause the mighty Jehovah to be “sore amazed?” Our mortal minds cannot conceive such an exquisite agony, but he said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful unto death…And he said, Abba, [which is the most personal form of calling out to a father, the equivalent of saying, “Daddy] Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14: 34,36).
Maurine
That night, we thought, not far from here and on a night maybe something like this, a line of men, carrying torches walked down from the wall of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley and to this garden led by Judas, bent on betraying Jesus, whom he had seen with his own eyes heal the blind and raise the dead. “And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, “Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master, and kissed him” (Mark 14: 44,45). Jesus was betrayed by His executors by a friend with a kiss.
A night like this, not far from here, Jesus faced an unjust and illegal trial, where shadowy, contradictory witnesses could not give coherent or convincing testimony, but he was convicted anyway. As for his supporters and disciples, Jesus had warned them, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad,” (Matt. 26:31) and they were, scattering into the night in their fear.
Scot
Not far from here, on a morning of Passover, that holy time the Children of Israel had celebrated for centuries to remember the angel of death passing over them because they had painted the blood of the lamb over their door, they would entirely miss the lamb when he stood before them.
So many of us in the world today are no different, searching frantically for peace and relief, when the Lord is right before us with His arms outstretched inviting us into the safety of His embrace.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “When I think of this, I am reminded of the Savior standing before the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontius Pilate, just a few hours before the Savior’s death.
Maurine
“Pilate”, Elder Uchtdorf said, “viewed Jesus from a strictly worldly perspective. Pilate had a job to do, and it involved two major tasks: collecting taxes for Rome and keeping the peace. Now the Jewish Sanhedrin had brought before him a man who they claimed was an obstacle to both.
“After interrogating his prisoner, Pilate announced, ‘I find in him no fault at all.’ But he felt he had to appease Jesus’s accusers, so Pilate called upon a local custom that allowed one prisoner to be released during Passover season. Would they not have him release Jesus instead of the notorious robber and murderer Barabbas?
“But the tumultuous mob demanded that Pilate release Barabbas and crucify Jesus.
“’Why?’ Pilate asked. ‘What evil [has] he done?’
“But they only shouted the louder. ‘Crucify him!’
Scot
Elder Uchtdorf said, “In one final effort to satisfy the mob, Pilate ordered his men to scourge Jesus. This they did, leaving Him bloodied and bruised. They mocked Him, placed a crown of thorns on His head, and clothed Him in a purple robe.
“Perhaps Pilate thought this would satisfy the mob’s lust for blood. Perhaps they would take pity on the man. ‘Behold, I bring him forth to you,” Pilate said, “that ye may know that I find no fault in him. … Behold the man!’
The Son of God stood in the flesh before the people of Jerusalem.
“They could see Jesus, but they did not truly behold Him.
“They did not have eyes to see.
Maurine
“In a figurative sense,” he said, “we too are invited to ‘behold the man.’ Opinions about Him vary in the world. Ancient and modern prophets testify that He is the Son of God. I do this too. It is significant and important that we each come to know for ourselves. So, when you ponder the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, what do you see?
“Those who find a way to truly behold the Man find the doorway to life’s greatest joys and the balm to life’s most demanding despairs.
“So, when you are encompassed by sorrows and grief, behold the Man.
“When you feel lost or forgotten, behold the Man.
“When you are despairing, deserted, doubting, damaged, or defeated, behold the Man.
“He will comfort you.
“He will heal you and give meaning to your journey. He will pour out His Spirit and fill your heart with exceeding joy.
“He gives ‘power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.’
Scot
Elder Uchtdorf promised, “When we truly behold the Man, we learn of Him and seek to align our lives with Him. We repent and strive to refine our natures and daily grow a little closer to Him. We trust Him. We show our love for Him by keeping His commandments and by living up to our sacred covenants.
“As you accept His sacrifice, become His disciple, and finally reach the end of your earthly journey, what will become of the sorrows you have endured in this life?
“They will be gone.
“The disappointments, betrayals, persecutions you have faced?
“Gone.
“The suffering, heartache, guilt, shame, and anguish you have passed through?
“Gone.
“Forgotten.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Behold the Man” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/behold-the-man?lang=eng
Maurine
We seek to “behold the man” and learn line upon line to truly understand the sacrificial and profound gift of the Lord to us. We spend our lifetime seeking to see Him more clearly, implant His sacrifice more deeply in our hearts because he is the only one who truly sees us.
My heart is breaking, my knees are slacking in despair. He says, “I see you.”
My weaknesses keep me in bondage, repeating the same patterns that have chained me before. He says, “I see you.”
My soul is withered under disappointment. My hope is slacking. He says, “I see you.”
Scot
We may cry like the Psalmist, “My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me…and horror hath overwhelmed me…Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then I would fly away, and be at rest…I would hasten my escape from the strong, stormy wind and tempest.” (Psalm 55: 4-8).
We do have wings like a dove to fly away and be at rest. Those wings are the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who strengthens us, comforts us, feels with us, enlightens and expands us. He can do this because He sees us clearly. He sees the goodness in our hearts, our best intents. He knows that we are better than we sometimes seem. Like the words of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, say, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.” He knows that we don’t want to wander. He knows how to bring us back. He knows how to help us “come to ourselves.”
Maurine
He sees who we’ve always been before this world was. He sees who we will be stretching forward into the eternities. When we feel so stricken, so overcome, so beset with challenges that fly at us like lethal arrows, He knows. You may think no one understands me. No one can help me, but that is not true. There is One who perfectly understands and delivers the most healing balm to your wounds. There is One who, seeing you better than you see yourself, has made His entire focus your ultimate happiness.
Seeing you clearly, He lifts you from what hurts you most, which is your own weakness.
The Psalmist says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so pants my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before thee, O God?” (Psalm 42: 1,2)
No wonder we long for Him. He is the only one who can fill that hole in our being. He is the only one who can quench that thirst that is always upon us.
Scot
He is the only one who knows us so personally and completely, and therefore can succor us perfectly. Psalm 139 reads:
“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.”
When did He search us and come to know us? It was not only from the long view of having seen us through an eternity, but when He personally took upon Himself our sins, heartache, and pain as He atoned.
“Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Maurine
“Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art aacquainted with all my ways.”
What does it mean that he knows my downsitting and compassest my path? It means that what we do, what we are, what we think is entirely in His gaze.
“For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether” (Psalm 139 1-4). Or the NIV translation says, “Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely.” He knows my impulse, my hesitation, my failings, my joys. He knows what the natural yearnings of my ancient soul cannot live without. This is all encompassed in the atonement.
Scot
Elder Matthew Holland said, “Regardless of the causes of our worst hurts and heartaches, the ultimate source of relief is the same: Jesus Christ. He alone holds the full power and healing balm to correct every mistake, right every wrong, adjust every imperfection, mend every wound, and deliver every delayed blessing. Like witnesses of old, I testify that ‘we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but rather a loving Redeemer who descended from His throne above and went forth “suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind … , that he may know … how to succor his people.”16
For anyone today with pains so intense or so unique that you feel no one else could fully appreciate them, you may have a point. There may be no family member, friend, or priesthood leader—however sensitive and well-meaning each may be—who knows exactly what you are feeling or has the precise words to help you heal. But know this: there is One who understands perfectly what you are experiencing, who is “mightier than all the earth,”17 and who is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that [you] ask or think.”18 The process will unfold in His way and on His schedule, but Christ stands ready always to heal every ounce and aspect of your agony.” (Elder Matthew S. Holland, “The Exquisite Gift of the Son” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/26holland?lang=eng )
Maurine
As John says in Revelation, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more: neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7: 16-17).
Where we worked that night photographing in a garden on the Mount of Olives, the atonement had been given, not far from there. Yet, the Savior’s sacrifice is forever not far from the very core of our souls as our anchor and hope.
When I was a child in primary, I remember a teacher telling us a mistaken idea. She said that our sins were like nails being driven into a smooth board, and the Savior’s atonement removed those nails, but unfortunately the holes would always be there. She was wrong, of course, and I came to know that with the atonement there are no holes left. We are made so that all things are new in us. We are transformed. Born again.
Yet, as a child, I continued to think for a long time that the atonement was about individual acts like nails. You needed to repent; you needed the Savior’s atonement because you were irritated on Tuesday and lazy on Thursday when you should have helped with dishes. Or maybe the atonement was for bank robbers or people who did very bad things.
I thought sins were disparate events or transgressions that erupted here and there in our lives.
Though the Lord knows us, we come to know Him and what He has done for us only with time and effort. Life reveals our need.
We come to see that because we are mortal, we are blind and wounded and miss the mark all the time. We come to realize that weakness is in us, that unmet expectations are regular, that heartache comes, and that even death is part of our inheritance. We don’t need the atonement sometimes, or here and there, or now and then. We need it with every breath and in every cell where we find ourselves unable without his strength to be transformed. We need it to shed what hurts and what limits us.
Scot
It is about what is happening today in your life. It is about how you respond to the myriad of choices you make every day the minute you open your eyes. Are you responding with weakness or left in your own strength? Are you burdened with the betrayals and self-betrayals of your past? Are you frightened about the future? Or are you made new by the gift that was given to you? Are you living a life of stress, fear and burden, thinking it is all on you or has the atonement flooded your thinking so that you live with hope and trust?
Because life is so often about missing the mark, when Jesus suffered the atonement, He lived every second of our lives with us, even though we would be born 2,000 years later. Since as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord”, the Lord already comprehended and knew our fallen state, our stumblings while we grow, and our need for his strength, help and forgiveness.
The Lord said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for with me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Maurine
That night we photographed on the Mount of Olives, I was thinking about my ever growing awareness of the significance of the atonement. The need for help and comfort had created in me, an ever expanding love of the Lord. Life is not a do-it-yourself experience and I did not need to be haunted or fearful about what I am not yet.
But even then, I didn’t realize all He had given to me. When our oldest daughter, Melissa died many years ago, the pain was so red-hot intense I didn’t know how to make it through each day. All I wanted to do was escape this pain, or as the Psalmist said, “fly away and be at rest.”
In my struggles, I came to see that I hadn’t yet seen the entire gift that Christ had given me. All the times I had thought about Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and been grateful, I didn’t know that already in that garden He knew about my loss, experienced it with me, and had already paid a price to lift my mother pain from me with perfect understanding.
This, too? This too Jesus did for me and what more that I cannot see or dimly comprehend at this time? This gift is more profound than any of us can realize. We have not begun to see it.
Scot
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the “light that is endless, that can never be darkened.”3 It is the very Son of God Himself. In loving praise far beyond Romeo’s reach, we say, “What light through yonder window breaks?” It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun.4 To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His ‘more excellent ministry’ with a future of ‘better promises.’ He is your ‘high priest of good things to come.
Maurine
Elder Holland said, “I think of those who want to be married and aren’t, those who desire to have children and cannot, those who have acquaintances but very few friends, those who are grieving over the death of a loved one or are themselves ill with disease. I think of those who suffer from sin—their own or someone else’s—who need to know there is a way back and that happiness can be restored. I think of the disconsolate and downtrodden who feel life has passed them by, or now wish that it would pass them by. To all of these and so many more, I say: Cling to your faith. Hold on to your hope. ‘Pray always, and be believing.’ Indeed, as Paul wrote of Abraham, he ‘against [all] hope believed in hope’ and ‘staggered not … through unbelief. He was ‘strong in faith’ and was ‘fully persuaded that, what [God] had promised, he was able … to perform.’” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “An High Priest of Good Things to Come”, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1999/10/an-high-priest-of-good-things-to-come?lang=eng )
Scot
We have a Lord who is touched by the whole spectrum of our infirmities. He is not an indifferent God who sits in yonder heaven so far away and looks down upon us, but a personal God who walks with you. When you close your eyes to pray, you are not sending a message through the reaches of space, but to someone close by who not only knows your situation, but has experienced it.
We are shown in scripture how the Lord allows our plight to touch him. When Jesus was in Capernaum on his way to the synagogue to heal Jairus’s daughter, he was jostled and surrounded by many people. One woman who had had an issue of blood for 12 years and had spent all her money to no avail seeking help, crept into the crowd. A woman in this condition would have been shunned by the people of her time. Her health would have worn her to the brink, and she would not have ventured out for a very long time. It was great faith that propelled her to reach through that busy, oblivious crowd and touch the hem of Christ’s robe. He responded, “Who touched me?”
By any reckoning of that crowd, she was not a very important person, but of all the people, Christ particularly felt her need
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In turn, the Savior has a personal touch for us as well. When Christ turned the water into wine in Cana, He did not need to touch it, so it is evident that He could perform miracles without touch. Yet, the gospels repeatedly witness that Jesus touched people as He healed them.
He touched Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with fever (Matt. 8:15)
“And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.”
He touched Peter, James, and John at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:7)
“And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.”
Scot
He touched the two blind men who were sitting by the wayside. They cried out, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of God”… and “Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight and they followed him.”
That personal touch was healing. Jesus touched the daughter of Jairus when He raised her from the dead. “And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Tallitha cumi;…Damsel I say unto thee, arise” (Mark 5:41).
There was the boy with the “foul spirit”, who they brought to Jesus, who was wallowing and foaming and often times casting himself into the fire. Jesus healed him and then “took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose” (Mark 9:25).
Maurine
How about the woman who “had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Luke 13:11-13).
What I love about seeing again and again in scripture that the Lord reaches and touches people is that you don’t touch a crowd. You don’t personally touch a stadium full of people. Touch is by its nature one on one. Touch says I see you.
Jesus touched Peter as he sank into the sea after briefly walking on water. “ And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
(Mat. 14:31).
Scot
What would have been most remarkable of all in that time period, is that Jesus touched the leprosy-affected. Because leprosy was thought to be contagious through touch and because in the law of Moses, leprosy made one ritually unclean, no one would touch a person with leprosy. Still, we learn in Matthew 8:3, that when the leprosy—afflicted man asked for healing, “Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediate his leprosy was cleansed.”
Maurine
Of Jesus’ touch of the leper, the nineteenth-century cleric George Macdonald wrote:
“Jesus could have cured him with a word. There was no need he should touch him. No need did I say? There was every need. For no one else would touch him. The healthy human hand, always more or less healing, was never laid on him; he was despised and rejected. It was a poor thing for the Lord to cure his body; he must comfort and cure his sore heart. Of all men a leper, I say, needed to be touched with the hand of love. . . . It was not for our master, our brother, our ideal man, to draw around him the skirts of his garments and speak a lofty word of healing, that the man might at least be clean before he touched him. The man was his brother, and an evil disease cleaved fast unto him. “Out went the loving hand to the ugly skin, and there was his brother as he should be—with the flesh of a child. I thank God that the touch went before the word. Nor do I think it was the touch of a finger, or of the finger-tips. It was a kindly healing touch in its nature as in its power. Oh blessed leper! thou knowest henceforth what kind of a God there is in the earth— . . . a God such as himself only can reveal to the hearts of his own. That touch was more than the healing. It was to the leper . . . what the [statement] Neither do I [condemn thee] was to the woman [at] the temple.”
Scot
So Christ’s suffering gift of the atonement, which includes resurrection, was for us to do what we could never do for ourselves—and it was personal. Your weaknesses, your grief, your sins, your halting before what is good. The atonement is all for the purpose of making you happy.
Elder Matthew S. Holland again, “We must never forget that the very purpose of repentance is to take certain misery and transform it into pure bliss. Thanks to His ‘immediate goodness,’ the instant we come unto Christ—demonstrating faith in Him and a true change of heart—the crushing weight of our sins starts to shift from our backs to His. This is possible only because He who is without sin suffered ‘the infinite and unspeakable agony’ of every single sin in the universe of His creations, for all of His creations—a suffering so severe, blood oozed out of His every pore.’
Maurine
So the question is how do we receive this great gift and be enlarged by it? We see that happiness is deeply tied to holiness. With humility, we recognize the need for the grace and power of the atonement in our lives daily.
President Henry B. Eyring shared this story: ‘Over a lifetime, my wife has spoken for the Lord and served people for Him. As I’ve mentioned before, one of our bishops once said to me: ‘I’m amazed. Every time I hear of a person in the ward who is in trouble, I hurry to help. Yet by the time I arrive, it seems that your wife has always already been there.’ That has been true in all the places we have lived for 56 years.
“Now ,” he continued, “she can speak only a few words a day. She is visited by people she loved for the Lord. Every night and morning I sing hymns with her and we pray. I have to be voice in the prayers and in the songs. Sometimes I can see her mouthing the words of the hymns. She prefers children’s songs. The sentiment she seems to like best is summarized in the song “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus.”
“The other day, after singing the words of the chorus: “Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do,” she said softly, but clearly, “Try, try, try.” I think that she will find, when she sees Him, that our Savior has put His name into her heart and that she has become like Him. He is carrying her through her troubles now, as He will carry you through yours.”
Scot
We will end with one last story, since we started talking about doing photography in Israel. One night we were trying to get a photo to illustrate the story of Nicodemus coming to see Jesus by night. We wandered down the many cobble-stoned streets of the Old City, and finally came upon a door opened to a set of stone stairs. Light spilled down those stairs and out the doorway as if it were an invitation to come in. It was the perfect image.
These were days when I was taking pictures with film and so to capture this lit, arched doorway against the dark street, I had to take a series of photos of different exposures—some two minute, some four minute, and an eight minute exposure to see how long it would take for the existing light to paint in the dark places on the film.
No one could walk through those photos while the film was being exposed, or the image would be destroyed. Nothing like having a living person walk through your photo.
Maurine
It was my job to stop anyone from walking through the scene—and it wasn’t an easy one. I stood in the sidewalk, asking people if they would please, please go around, because we were taking a long-exposure picture. They weren’t always happy about that. But onto the scene strolled a cat who didn’t follow my instruction and was quite sure of himself. He walked right into our eight-minute exposure, sat for awhile on the stoop, and then finally sauntered out like he owned the place.
Scot
We hoped our other exposures would work, because the eight-minute one was obviously destroyed by this oblivious cat. These were long before the days of digital cameras when you could see right on the spot what you had shot. Instead, when we got back home and developed the photos, we had to hope we had shot something stunning. We looked at the exposures. The two-minute exposures were too dark, and so was the four-minute exposures. Oh no, we had only one eight-minute exposure left, and we knew what that cat had done.
When we looked at the eight-minute exposure, the shot was astonishing. The light that spilled down the stairs had also come to paint the stones around it in the archway. And the cat? It wasn’t there. No trace of the cat that we thought had destroyed our photo was there. No little blur. Nothing. Apparently, the cat had not been in the light long enough to be recorded on the film.
Maurine
So our sins and distresses, our insecurities and fears, the burdens we cannot carry are like the cat in that photo because of the great gift of our suffering Savior. If we are true to our covenants, like the cat, they won’t be in our life’s picture when we finally get to see the image. They will have disappeared and not even a remnant or a blur will still show up. We will have received the gift because of our faithfulness, but much more so because of His in being the perfect Son of the perfect Father and being willing to partake of the bitter cup.
Scot
That’s all for today. We’re Scot and Maurine Proctor and this is Meridian Magazine’s Come Follow Me podcast. Find the transcripts at latterdaysaintmag.com/podcast and don’t forget to read the daily magazine. Tell a friend about the podcast or share it on Facebook. Thanks to Paul Cardall for the music and to Michaela Proctor Hutchins, our producer. Next week we’ll study Doctrine and Covenants 30-36, “You are Called to Preach My Gospel.”
A God Who is Touched by Our Infirmities
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Cover Image: I Am by Simon Dewey.
This is a companion piece to celebrate Easter to the recent article “The Lord’s Touch is a Symbol of the Atonement.”
One of the tenderest moments in scripture is the story of the prodigal son, who, having left home to pursue wild times, finally finds himself, instead, starving and degraded to eating husks with the swine. When at last he “came to himself” he turns his face home again.
What is so noteworthy here is that in that journey back, while he is “yet a great way off” his father “ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). How could there be a kinder, more tender, more meltingly forgiving embrace than this one? All the longing of a fond parent was poured into this moment with a son who hardly deserved such compassion.
This, father, of course, represents the Lord. Think of the level of rejection this parent had faced.
In requesting his inheritance the boy had essentially said, “You are as good as dead to me. I discard your teachings, your honor, your name, any life with you. “Then, in a fit of entitlement, he says, “I demand that you give me my inheritance.”
Did the father have to sell part of his business or his land to grant this inheritance? Did he impact his own security in doing this? We are not told, but certainly in every way this father’s dignity had been impinged. Add to that the years of agonizing worry he had experienced wondering how his son fared. The injury and rejection was certainly a mountain high.
We are not told how the father knew that the son had turned his face back home or where he was in his return journey when he ran to greet him. It could have been others who passed the word along. Or perhaps the father was so keyed into the boy that he ‘just knew.’ Either way, this running while the son was still a great way off speaks volumes about the depth of his love. No indignity or prior offense stopped the father from running to his repentant son. No indiscretion or riotous living had quenched the father’s love. He fell on his neck to embrace him because being the father he was, he could not do otherwise.
A Touch is a Personal Thing
It is the love of the Lord this story teaches, a God who falls upon us who are all sinners, with an embrace when we come home to him. This is a God who touches us rather than remain in some distant heaven, far away.
The Lord’s touch is individual, meant for us personally. One can hardly touch a crowd. No matter how many children He has, He is still able to touch us one at a time where we are. What’s more, though, his is a customized touch. It is meant just for us–for you–to soothe the pain and weariness that all of us carry. It is a touch of relief and knowledge.
He Lets us Touch Him
Though in an earlier article I discussed how the Lord touches us, it is just as compelling to realize that He also allows the reverse. He let’s us touch Him! This personal, connecting touch goes both directions.
We see examples of literal touching in scripture. The woman from Capernaum who had had an issue of blood 12 years decided to actually reach out and touch the hem of his garment hoping for healing. Her touch, and more, her agonizing condition, penetrated His being. He felt her touch as he perceived that virtue (or power) had gone out of Him. She was healed from that very hour.
Again, the people in the New World were invited to come and touch him one by one. This is not a small commitment or passage of time when you consider that 2500 people were present—each with a personal invitation to come and touch him. “The multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth” (3 Nephi 11:15).
via Columbia Pictures film, Risen.
More than Just a Literal Touching
That the Lord can be touched by us is not only literal. It is also meant in much larger terms that is captured in this scripture, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
He is touched by our pain, our longing, yearning hearts. He is touched by our weakness our cries in the night. He is touched by our infirmities.
As Elder David A. Bednar said, “There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first.”
This is not meant in some general way. He has traveled where you’ve traveled. In fact, in some way we don’t fully understand, since time is all present before God, he got there before you. He has felt the pain, the heartrending pangs of every separate man, woman and child.
There are those who might cry out—how can the Lord allow the pain of this world? How can He stand to send a young man to war, watch a woman be tortured or a helpless child abused? Where is He when the cancer patient cries out in desperate pain or a young wife loses her husband? Where is He when the depressed cry or the mourning grieve? How can He watch us writhe before rejection and failure or size up our entire life as a disappointment? What does he know of bipolar mood swings or mental breakdowns? Can he possibly get the anguish of the abandoned wife, the empty arms of the infertile? How can He comprehend the scarred face of a burn victim, the innocence blasted of the molested?
Oh, how we have nothing to teach Him of any of this. Every place we’ve been He went in advance. Though the atonement took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross two thousand years ago, in some way we don’t understand it is also very present. He sent Himself already into our lives and knows of every injustice we’ve endured, every weakness we’ve cried about, every sin that became addictive.
When we are in the midst of any of the many trials that rock our world, the illness that eats away our body or the sin that robs us of our wholeness, He has been there with us. He has let out entire experience already touch Him so that He in turn could reach out and touch us.
As author Shalissa Lyndsey says, “God hasn’t forgotten how much it hurts. In a sense He is still feeling it all.”
This gives new meaning to Psalm 139: “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O lord, thou knowest it altogether.”
How could He know all these things so intimately and personally? When did he search me and know me? In one way, it is because He is omniscient. He knows all things. But in a more personal way, it is actually because He has felt all things with us. He has lived our lives with us in that Garden of Gethsemane—every paltry and tedious moment and every anguish and agonizing cry, every dark or selfish thought, every time we gave in to being less than we are.
Sometimes when we are pained, we are tempted to shake our fist at the Lord and scream out, “Why don’t you just relieve me?” We are tempted to think He is stingy with his blessings. It is in these moments that we are blind. We have scales upon our eyes. He is there in the Garden, having felt it with us, so that He can perfectly heal us in the right time and in the right way. He is our only total companion in the darkness—our only companion because no one else will ever entirely know how we feel.
This mortal life with its burdens must have been necessary for us in ways we cannot now completely see because the Lord Himself allowed this collective agony to come upon Him that he might succor each individual in their times of need. What a generous God to walk with us on this path. What a kind Savior to endure all things to the point of being “sore amazed” that I never be alone. How can I say how much I love Him?
Several years ago, our oldest daughter, Melissa, died unexpectedly. Our world came crashing down and my grief felt boundless, an infinite sinkhole in my soul. When I cried on my pillow and shouted at the night, I felt something also profound.
Because we lead tours to Israel every year, I have spent many hours in Gethsemane, contemplating the Savior’s atonement. What I never knew, all that time, was that when he suffered there, He was already suffering for my aching, seemingly impenetrable grief, taking it upon Himself so that He could perfectly heal me.
My grief was not impenetrable. He penetrated it. This grief He knew for me, long before I knew it for myself. All those times I had been in Gethsemane, I didn’t know He had already felt something there for me that I could not have imagined. Yet in those hours and hours of tears, I could feel Him with me. I hungered for the words of solace that so many kind friends sent. I lapped up the love that was shed upon us from neighbors. But only Christ was entirely there with me. He had been all along.
I celebrate a Savior who reaches out and touches me. I rejoice in a Savior who also lets everything about my life and circumstances touch Him. The atonement has forever connected us. For all of us, every day is Easter.
Why We Mourn with Hope
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The following is an excerpt from a new book entitled, His Majesty and Mission. It is a compilation of presentations given at BYU’s annual Easter Conferences published by the Religious Studies Center at Brigham Young University in cooperation with Deseret Book. Authors include Sheri Dew, Kevin J. Worthen, Eric D. Huntsman and others.
The following is an excerpt of a presentation by Hank R. Smith, an assistant professor of ancient scripture at BYU.
Click here to get your copy of ‘His Majesty and Mission’.
On the spring morning of Sunday, 20 March 1842, Joseph Smith stood in a grove of trees near the construction site of the Nauvoo Temple. He was speaking to a group of Saints who had gathered to hear him preach on baptism. However, because of the recent death of a young child, a two-year-old girl named Marian S. Lyon, the Prophet had altered his remarks to include thoughts on death and resurrection. At one point in his sermon, the Prophet said, “[We] mourn the loss but we do not mourn as those without hope.”
Joseph’s statement may be taken to mean that in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we do mourn the deaths of our beloved friends and family members, but we mourn differently than others. One might say we mourn with hope. Where does the hope that Joseph spoke of stem from? The answer to this question is significant. Death is both universal and personal–perhaps more than any other experience in mortal life. All of God’s children must deal with deep loss throughout mortal life, and all must eventually contemplate their own assured death.
The Sting of Death
Each individual has experienced or will experience the aching and sometimes overwhelming grief that comes with the passing of a cherished individual. Our Heavenly Father has given each of us a remarkable mind. With concentration, we can recall in our minds the voices and the laughter of those we love who have died. The human mind’s ability to draw on memories from even decades ago is astounding. In our minds eye, many can still recall a smile of a loved one now passed on or a familiar phrase they would often repeat. Despite the time that has gone by, in a still moment we may hear the voice of a cherished family member or friend echoing across our memories, often with incredible clarity–a voice of a person whom we long to see again, to talk to again, to laugh with again. In such moments we feel both sweet happiness and piercing heartache. These experiences bring to mind the scriptural phrase, “the sting of death”–the deep and inescapable pain of missing terribly a beloved mother or father, grandmother or grandfather, sister or brother, aunt or uncle, a close friend, or perhaps most painful of all, a child.
Jacob, the fifth son of Lehi, described death and hell as a monster. With this unique description, Jacob may teach us, at least in part, why human beings are naturally afraid of death. The word “monster” might take us back to our childhood bedrooms. How is death like the monsters of a dark closet or the dreaded monsters we were sure were lurking under our bed? What is it that children actually fear? Perhaps our fear of a monster was actually fear of the unknown. Without knowing what the monster actually looked like, our young imagination was free to create the most hideous and fearsome creature it could devise. We knew the monster was both powerful and merciless. We knew that no matter how we struggled to fight or how sincerely we cried out for sympathy, the monster could not be stopped and would choose to stop until we were destroyed.
Perhaps Jacob used this description because death may seem both unknown and merciless. The fear of death is natural to our human experience and it, amid other reasons, keeps us striving to stay alive as long as possible. Like children, we feel vulnerable in the face of the unknown, the powerful, and the merciless. Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher wrote, “Against all other hazards it is possible for us to gain security for ourselves but so far as death is concerned all os us human beings inhabit a city without walls.” In other words, death brings a sense of vulnerability unmatched by any other fact of life. We stand in its path, completely exposed and without any form of defense.
When we experience the passing of a loved one, we may, in the grip of inescapable grief, even cry out in anguish or anger against the monster of death and hell. Said Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Sorrow makes us all children again–destroys all differences of intellect. The wisest know nothing.” The monster seems to steal our cherished loved ones without remorse.
….
Said Roman poet Horace, “Death with impartial step knocks at the huts of the poor and at the palace of kings.” All humanity will experience death–both as an observer and participant. Sorrow, fear, and despair are the common response, especially to those without knowledge of the plan of salvation. Modern philosopher and Cambridge professor Stephen Dave has said, “We have to live in the knowledge that the worst things that can possibly happen one day surely will, the end of all our projects, our hopes, our dreams, of our individual world. We each live in the shadow of a personal apocalypse. And that’s frightening. It’s terrifying.” British novelist Howard Jacobson wrote, “How do you go on knowing that will never again–not ever, ever–see the person you have loved? How do you survive a single hour, a single minute, a single second of that knowledge? How do you hold yourself together?” Ancient Greek playwright Euripides wrote to a loved one who had passed away, “Come back! Even as a shadow/even as a dream.”
…
Light, Life and Hope
When the people of the Book of Mormon were encompassed in the overwhelming darkness described in 3 Nephi 8, the record states that they were “mourning and howling and weeping” (3 Nephi 8:21). Sometime toward the end of the three days of complete darkness, they heard a voice. Amid the message given to them they heard, “I am Jesus Christ the Son of God…I am the light and the life of the world.” Not long after the voice had spoken, “the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land..and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing…did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer.”
Not long after, the resurrected Lord appeared to the Nephite people. Their confusion about what was happening slowly turned into comprehension. As they processed the reality of his presence, and all that it meant, they fell to the earth in worship. This was not a dream. This was not a hallucination. It was Jesus Christ. He was right there in front of them to see, hear, and touch. It was overwhelming in every sense. Among many other things, his presence was an irrefutable witness of life after death–his life after death and the life after death of so many loved ones. Annihilation quickly became a myth of yesterday. After this day, all about yesterday would seem like a completely different life. It is no wonder why Elder Jeffrey R. Holland referred to it as “the day of days!”
The Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, our brother and friend, turns darkness into light and mourning into joy. His entire existence witnesses the reality that death is not the end. Like the first glimmer of dawn turns into a glorious morning sun after the darkest and coldest of nights, he has gloriously risen as the supreme embodiment of light and life. Weeping did endure for a night, but joy has come with the rising Son.
To read the full presentation from Hank R. Smith and the other incredible Easter messages in “His Majesty and Mission“, get your copy by clicking here.
Cartoon: Easter Eggrolls
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Finding Peace Through Gratitude #PRINCEofPEACE
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Throughout the course of this Easter week, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites you to find the peace and comfort that can come from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
As we approach the celebration of His wondrous resurrection, visit Mormon.org to learn more about principles of peace highlighted from the life of Christ and about members just like you who have had personal experiences with them. Each day’s principle also comes with suggested ways you can incorporate that principle into your week as we approach Easter this coming Sunday.
Today’s principle is finding peace through GRATITUDE.
“Reflecting on the innumerable blessings Jesus Christ has made possible in his life helped Jon put things in perspective—allowing him to dwell on the good instead of the bad. Watch how his gratitude blessed him and others as well.”
Invite your friends to develop peace through compassion. Use #PRINCEofPEACE.
Selecting and Baking Your Holiday Ham
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Get 2 dinner roll mixes for $1.00 each! Sour Cream Potato Dinner Rolls! Use code “DOUBLE” at checkout.
Limit 1 double-pack. Not valid with other coupons. Valid in the store with a $20 purchase.
Use this guide to help you select and prepare your baked ham for that special meal. With this guide, you will be able to identify and understand the various types of hams and select the best ham for your family. We’ll even tell you how to bake your ham.
This guide is organized in a question-and-answer format for easy reference.
What are the different types of hams that I should consider?
A ham is cured pork, specifically the entire back leg of a hog. But ham is very different than uncured pork. It’s the curing process that changes the flavor and texture of the meat. Cured hams can be either cured in brine—the most common—or dry cured. There are four major types of brine-cured hams: fresh, cured, canned but not pasteurized, and canned and pasteurized. With the exception of some dry-cured hams, any ham that is not pasteurized must be refrigerated.
Dry cured hams are usually more expensive, are quite salty, have a unique flavor, and are not commonly used as dinner hams. A country ham is a dry cured ham that is usually heavily salted and soaked to remove some of the salt before it is cooked and eaten. Dry cured hams are not generally found in grocery stores. Dry cured hams include prosciutto, serrano, and similar types.
Hams may be whole or half. A half will be labeled either as a rump half or a shank half. In some cases, a half ham has had a cut removed and is therefore a rump portion or a shank portion. A shank portion will have more connective tissue and will be less meaty.
What about water content?
Except for dry cured hams, hams absorb moisture from the curing brine either by soaking or injection. In smoking and drying, that moisture may be removed. The government dictates that the moisture level must be indicated on the labeling. The driest product labeled “Ham” will not exceed ten percent added water. A product labeled “Ham with Natural Juices” is the next driest, then “Ham Water Added” and finally a “Ham and Water Product” which has as much as 35% water.
Should I be concerned about nitrites?
The brine used for curing is a combination of water, sugar, salt, and sodium nitrite. After several days of curing, the ham is washed free of brine, cooked, and is sometimes smoked. According to government allowances, the finished product cannot contain more than 200 parts per million of nitrite. All processors are regularly inspected by the USDA to assure compliance.
The nitrites used are approved by the FDA as safe in the concentrations allowed.
How do I select a quality ham?
Hams may be one of those items where you usually get what you pay for. Mass produced, inexpensive hams may be processed in as little as twelve hours. More expensive hams may not be ready for market with less than two weeks of processing. Additionally, the best hams come from selected pigs that have been fed high protein diets prior to slaughter.
Processors may vary the amount of salt or sugar in a ham to meet company specifications. Additionally, the smoking process may vary. When you find a ham that has the flavor that you like, stick with it.
Color and appearance are important considerations in selecting a ham.
Select a fresh ham that is a bright grayish-pink. Those fresh hams that have a pale, soft, watery appearance are less desirable. A fresh ham that has a greenish cast may indicate bacterial growth and should be avoided.
Select a cured ham that has a bright pink color. A lighter-colored pink or a non-uniform coloring may be the result of improper curing or exposure to store lights. Again, a greenish cast may reflect the presence of bacterial growth. Avoid those hams that have a multi-colored appearance. It may suggest the presence of bacteria.
Avoid those hams that have excessive marbling. These may have a greasy taste.
The general rule is to plan on six to eight ounces of boneless ham per serving and eight to twelve ounces of bone-in ham per serving.
It is the opinion of some that bone-in hams taste better.
How do I prepare my ham?
Most hams, including many canned hams, require refrigeration before baking. Unless it is pasteurized and states that refrigeration is not required, keep your ham in the refrigerator.
As with all meat products, make certain that your ham is properly baked–though a ham marked “fully cooked” does not need to be cooked again. A meat thermometer is essential. Measure the baked temperature of the meat in the thickest portion of the ham and in at least two spots to make sure that the thermometer is not inserted into a pocket of hotter fat. Make certain also that the thermometer is not placed against the bone.
To be safe, a fresh ham should be baked to 170 degrees and a cured uncooked ham baked to 160 degrees—many bacteria can survive to temperatures of 140 degrees. If you are warming a fully cooked ham, heat it to 140 degrees.
If you are purchasing a bone-in ham, be certain of your carving skills. Carve at right angles to the bone. Let the baked ham set for five minutes before beginning to carve.
What about glazes for my ham?
Glazes are a very nice touch for you ham. You can make a glaze or simply glaze your ham with a jelly. Red currant jelly is the traditional favorite followed by pineapple jelly. Pomegranate jelly which is bright and clear and sweet is our favorite. All three are available at The Prepared Pantry.
See more ideas for ham glazes.
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho and the author of “How to Bake: The Art and Science of Baking” available as an E-book or as a Kindle book on Amazon. Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and six beautiful granddaughters.
Finding Peace Through Compassion #PRINCEofPEACE
Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please CLICK HERE
Throughout the course of this Easter week, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites you to find the peace and comfort that can come from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.
As we approach the celebration of His wondrous resurrection, visit Mormon.org to learn more about principles of peace highlighted from the life of Christ and about members just like you who have had personal experiences with them. Each day’s principle also comes with suggested ways you can incorporate that principle into your week as we approach Easter this coming Sunday.
Today’s principle is finding peace through COMPASSION.
“Jesus Christ’s selfless acts of service brought peace to the blind, the leprous, the lonely, and the sin-laden. Watch how the Burnetts followed His example to find peace in the midst of tragic loss.”
https://youtu.be/tcFGZA6P4qc
Invite your friends to develop peace through compassion. Use #PRINCEofPEACE.
The Sweetest Easter Ever
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With the words of General Conference last weekend still echoing in our heart and the promise of Easter Sunday less than a week away, it is Holy Week! While members of the Church do not mark each special, historical day as actively as many Christians, it is a sweet and important week to both remember our Savior’s sacrifice and to prepare for the glorious message of Easter Sunday.
For me, Easter is especially precious this year for two unique reasons, a book and my Mother.
1) At age 62, I have just completed my first reading “Jesus The Christ” by James E. Talmage. Though I had sincerely tried several times at different points in my life, it was extremely daunting. I finally realized about a year and a half ago that I would need to slowly and diligently savor what I could understand with this complex writing, not worry about reading every word and sentence, and that there was no need to hurry. It quickly became rich and fulfilling … almost too tender to talk about. Some days I read a few pages. Some days just a few paragraphs, but it was thrilling overall. I cannot wait to start it again.
I do not know why I could not read it before, but that’s not what matters. What matters is that He knows I have read it and that I understand His life so much more — because of it. He knows that I love it, and that I love Him so much more.
Because of this book, Easter and the glorious message of His empty tomb will never be the same for me.
2) My Mom, at age 94, passed away on June 1, 2016, after many years of cheerfully enduring to the end. This is our first Easter without her, and her first Easter with her beloved Savior.
She’ll probably want to share her Peeps with Him.
There was no one who was more delighted with Easter than Barbara Brewerton Lee. From the message of the Atonement, to the Easter choir music, to little girls’ Easter dresses, to happy stickers on the Dollar Store Easter cards she loved to send, and especially Easter baskets and packages for grandchildren that always included her favorite marshmallow Peeps. In fact, she loved Peeps so much that I always made sure we sent her a little package with her Easter card.
She had experienced some injuries in her earlier years that left her with serious pain and compromised mobility. She struggled with bowel and stomach challenges. She didn’t let it slow her down and was a full-time temple worker until she was 85 in the Washington DC Temple. She was the happiest soul alive and didn’t let her ailments dominate her thoughts or define her activities.
She loved life, but she also loved thinking and pondering about the next life! Not in a morbid way, but in a way that reflected her deep love for the Savior and superior understanding of the entire mortal experience. She anticipated meeting the Savior and her special time of passing into the next life like a little girl counting the days until her birthday or Christmas! She missed my Dad, who had died in 1990, and was sure it couldn’t be much longer before her turn came. She jokingly remarked on occasion that she would love to quietly pass away right in the temple on a work shift and just be carried out.
When she left the Washington D.C. Temple in 2006, She just knew it would happen soon!
Only life – and death – don’t happen that way. There is no schedule or ticket.
The next ten years, from 2006 to 2016, were filled with many physical challenges as her ability to independently and physically care for herself diminished greatly. The last five years were spent nearly 100% fully in bed, although her mind, spirit and eyes stayed sharp and clear. Most thankfully, she was able to feed herself and enjoy reading both from books and on her computer to the very end.
She stayed busy with extraction work and deep study of the scriptures and gospel doctrine, visiting with family and friends on the phone and the computer, reading the works of excellent writers and watching the best of old movies and the new PBS dramas on TV, as well as Fashion Runway and Dancing with the Stars.
She was continually surrounded by family, neighbors, ward members, and health workers who just couldn’t get enough of her joyful ways of listening, teaching, sharing and loving. But the days were long and the nights longer still.
It would take volumes to describe all that transpired during each “last year” of her life, as she touched and blessed so many – from her bed. It was not easy for her or her caregivers, calling for measures of faith and trust and courage that no one had expected she or they would ever need, especially for someone who had been so valiant, so independent and so active for her entire life.
Just before the Memorial Day weekend of 2016, the hospice nurses told us her time was drawing short. We immediately made the long twelve-hour drive to Austin, Texas where she lived in a beautiful facility close to one of my sisters.
I had a few hours alone with her. She asked about each of our children and grandchildren by name. She was very firm with me that I must “do everything possible to share Dr. Miller’s herbal detox! Everyone needs to know about this! The angels brought this to our family and you’re meant to continue with this!” It had changed her health and life immeasurably for the good at a critical time when she was really suffering with stomach and bowel challenges. (Click HERE to read her story and even sing about it all ….)
During our two days there, she came and went from one side of the veil to the other. There were long, quiet hours where she was quietly gone and we knew to not rouse her. We expected each breath to be her last, and then she’d come back and visit, chat and counsel some more.
At one point while she was alert, she asked, “If whoever just walked by is real … could you help me with the bathroom?” We knew that the room was filled with angels as it had often been in her last six months.
As we (my sister and our husbands) were having the sweetest and last conversation I would have with her in this life, she said, with her eyes closed and in between heavy, slow breaths, “Let’s have some fun! Carolyn, the Peeps you sent at Easter are still there in the closet. Can you pass them around?”
We all laughed, and I got out the Peeps! So … my dear friends that I cry the sugar-free message to, there IS a place for them! I did, indeed, enjoy a little Peeps bunny with her. The most important message of Peeps and my Mom at Easter: We always get to choose where and when … and how much!
She passed away a day and a half later. She was a legend in her own time among everyone that knew her. There was not one service, but two large ones for her, both in Texas where she’d been living with my sister, and the other in Utah with all the family and friends where she was buried.
She finally got her wish! And this year, she is joyfully celebrating Easter right where she has wanted to for so long … on the other side with the Living Christ!
She was not perfect, nor would she want us to pretend so, but oh how she loved the Savior! Oh, how she wanted all to come to Him. Oh, how she knew that it is through His perfect life Him that we can find peace, happiness and wholeness with the imperfections of our own.
Throughout her life, she, like me, struggled with her weight and an emotional compulsion for treats, along with a wish for a different size/shape/body. In the end, she was able to graciously and gratefully accept the little body that, though pain ridden and not the one she would have chosen – served her beautifully until the very end!
In the end, I believe she mastered her sweet tooth as well.
Those Peeps that we shared in our last moments together were from Easter, two months before! (I am not one who can just “leave it” like that.) She had become much more masterful than me in saving it for appropriate times.
I’ll long remember our last conversation, her desire to leave us all with something fun to remember by sharing those little Peeps.
Really, who can resist Peeps?
My daughter Emily sent me the darling “Peep in a Twinkie Car” photo from Pinterest below. It is so much fun to imagine this for kids of all ages, including me! I’m tempted to run out and get the ingredients for making special gifts! But, true fact: I’m helpless about eating the cookie, cake and candy bits, not to mention the frosting-used-for-glue when making these things.
Like someone with a handicap that requires wearing a brace, I must always remind myself of the physical and emotional price I (and those around me) pay when I get started with Easter, Halloween or Christmas candy. It can quickly derail me from focusing on the precious, true messages and experiences of the holiday with moods and responses that do not invite the Spirit.
Is that what I want this special Easter? Does sugar affect you or others you know this way?
Question: Could it be that just the picture and fun thought of the cute Peeps bunny in a Twinkie car is enough all by itself to tickle us? Do we really NEED to eat or make it for the delightful lift it brings to our spirits? (Unless, of course, you’re better than I am at avoiding the sugar while you make them!)
Fact: There’s always a healthier way! Would we have just as much fun making veggies look like bunnies???
I quickly found these healthy bunnies and springtime foods. You can find lots more fun ideas on Pinterest and Google images!
I have a terrible time with “just a little” … so I need powerful reminders like the article “This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Sugar” included below.
I am hereby committing to one and all that I will enjoy the upcoming week to Easter in ways far, far more important than candy! I will prepare for the true joy of Easter Sunday in a sweet way that doesn’t include Cadbury Eggs. Easter and Spring are filled with such precious sights, comforts and true joy, that I don’t want candy and sugar to color my moods and body so that I experience the real purpose of the Easter celebration to the fullest. How about you?
What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Sugar
For me, there is not ONE NEW THING in the list of eight below. But oh, how I need a reminder that I want to stay sharp and look great, not just for me, but for my loved ones! And at EASTER when we want our hearts and spirits to be in tune with the God’s great love, sacrifice and beauty around us.
We all know to go easy on the sweet stuff, but what actually happens to your system when you indulge? Here are eight ways sugar affects our bodies:
1. Your brain suffers
Fructose—the sugar that naturally occurs in fruit and is a component, with glucose, of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and table sugar—lights up the brain’s reward center, says pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig, MD, of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco. But over time, a diet packed with fructose (especially from HFCS) can make it tougher to learn and remember, animal research suggests. To stay in peak mental shape, try sticking with savory snacks.
2. You want to eat more
By revving the brain’s reward and appetite center, fructose can interfere with feelings of satiety, research reveals. Translation: That extra cookie may not curb your craving after all.
3. Skin ages faster
Too much sugar can hinder the repair of collagen, the buzzed-about protein that keeps skin looking plump, studies show. A steady diet of sugary treats can result in reduced elasticity and premature wrinkles. Indulge your sweet tooth with fruit instead. Experts say it’s A-OK to eat two to four servings of the natural sugar source each day.
4. Excess sugar is stored as fat
Pause before you slip that additional packet into your a.m. coffee. The liver has an innate capacity to metabolize sugar and use it for energy—but only to an extent, explains Dr. Lustig. The fructose that’s left over is converted into fat in the liver, raising your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
5. Your cells pay a steep price
Fructose accelerates the usual oxidation process in our cells, says Dr. Lustig. The result? Proteins, tissues, and organs can become damaged, and our risk of health conditions, including liver disease, kidney failure, and cataracts, rises.
6. You get hooked
Eating sugar leads to the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that makes us like something and want more of it. “As dopamine receptor neurons get overstimulated, the number of receptors to bind to decreases, so you’ll need a bigger hit of dopamine to get the same rush,” explains Dr. Lustig.
7. Stress eating begets stress
Sweets can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the near term, research shows. But continue OD’ing on sugary refined carbs and your risk of insulin resistance, which stresses the body from the inside, goes up. To find your calm, sweat instead: “Exercise is the best treatment for stress. It makes you feel good and reduces cortisol,” says Dr. Lustig.
8. Energy surges, then bottoms out
Refined carbs, like those in white bread and pasta, quickly cause a rise in glucose in the bloodstream, so you might feel extra energized—for a while. But this short-term fix can actually leave you more sluggish later on (when you eventually crash). Instead, opt for natural protein snacks between meals, such as fresh berries or fresh veggies and hummus. They help stabilize blood sugar and keep you going longer. Link below for the source.
(Courtesy of Antea Levi, https://www.health.com/nutrition/sugar-health-effects)
Well, what an article! What help! I can raise my hand and personally acknowledge that each of those are physical truths that I have experienced far too many times in my life. That’s just how it is.
I am choosing and inviting those who struggle with sugar as I do, to spend Holy Week peeping into the future — by preparing for Easter in the sweetest way possible.
My plan is to spend more time outside (especially in the evening), getting my flowers in, more time reading the books and scriptures that fill my heart, more time listening to the uplifting LDS music and talks that are so easily available which help us connect with more important LIFE MATTERS than Peeps, Cadbury eggs and chocolate! YES. We’ve got this in control!
Here’s to the sweetest Easter … Ever!
What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Sugar by Antea Levi
Link: https://www.health.com/nutrition/sugar-health-effects)
Carolyn Allen is the Author of 60 Seconds to Weight Loss Success, One Minute Inspirations to Change Your Thinking, Your Weight and Your Life. She has been providing mental and spiritual approaches for weight loss success both online since 1999, having presented for Weight Watchers, First Class, Fairfax County Adult Education and other community groups while living in the Washington DC area. She and her husband, Bob, are the parents of five children and grandparents of twelve. They are now happy empty nesters in Jackson, Tennessee, close to Memphis, where they center their online business for an amazing herbal detox. CLICK HERE.
Spiritually Preparing for Easter
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Cover Image: He is Not Here by Walter Rane.
When I was growing up, the week before Easter was a major focus of worship for my Episcopalian teacher and friend, Vera. She and her family called it “Holy Week.” I’m missing her today; she died several years ago. I’m also missing hearing her tell about her Easter preparations. Something deep inside me is longing to be more aware, worshipful, and focused on the wonder and meaning of Christ’s Atonement, death, and resurrection.
The book The Infinite Atonement gave me so much more understanding of the vast importance of the events we celebrate this Easter Season. With Tad Callister’s permission, I want to share some quotes from Chapter 7, which he called, “The Consequences If There Had Been No Atonement.”
“What might have been, even for the ‘righteous’ If there had been no atoning sacrifice, stirs the very depths of human emotion.
“First, there would be no resurrection, or as suggested in the explicit language of Jacob: ‘This flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more’ (2 Nephi 9:7).
“Secondly, our spirit would become subject to the devil. He would have ‘all power over you’ and ‘seal you his’ (Alma 34:35). In fact we would become like him, even ‘angels to a devil’ (2 Nephi 9:9).
“Third, we would be ‘shut out from the presence of our God’ (2 Nephi 9:9), to remain forever with the father of lies.
“Fourth, we would be without hope, for ‘if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. . . . If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable’ (1 Corinthians 15:14).
“. . . If there had been no Atonement, the rising of every sun would be a reminder that for us it would one day rise no more, that for each of us death would claim its victory, and the grave would have its sting. Every death would be a tragedy, and every birth but a tragedy in embryo. The culmination of love between husband and wives, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters would perish in the grave, to rise no more. Without the Atonement, futility would replace purpose, hopelessness would be exchanged for hope, and misery would be traded for happiness. If there were no Atonement, Elder Marion G. Romney declared, ‘The whole purpose for the creation of earth and our living upon it would fail.’ (Conference Report, Oct. 1953, 34.) (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2000, 54-57.)
Is there any way we can comprehend the importance of what Jesus did for us? Is there any way we can sufficiently express our gratitude?
Palm Sunday and Lent
On “Palm Sunday,” the Sunday before Easter, many Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into the city, the day when the multitude waved palm branches and shouted Hosannas. I want to wave palm branches and shout Hosannas too! I want to focus my thoughts and study on the Risen Lord.
Because of my positive experiences with Vera, I was motivated to go online and research Christian traditions for the preparatory celebrating of Easter.
Here are some of the things I read:
1) Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and continues through Holy Thursday—when the Sacrament was instituted at the Last Supper—and Good Friday, when Jesus was tried, crucified, and buried.
2) Scripture reading: When facing temptation in the desert, Jesus relied on scripture to counter the wiles of the devil. It is a formidable weapon for us as well.
3) Lent (the 40-day period before Easter Sunday) is to be a season that includes fasting (which is usually defined as having only one meal a day), self-denial, spiritual growth, conversion, and simplicity.
Lent comes from the Teutonic (Germanic) word for springtime. I loved the idea that it can be viewed as a spiritual spring cleaning: a time for taking spiritual inventory, and cleaning out anything which could hinder our relationship with Jesus Christ and our service to Him. Lent is a time of stripping down to essentials, as each Christian focuses on his or her individual relationship with God. Lent represents a spiritual training time to overcome evil. The goal is to transform the entire person: body, soul, and spirit, to become more like Christ. (Surely this is a fitting goal for any of us!)
Many traditions associated with Lent have a long history, such as fasting, almsgiving (which they define as service of any kind), reading the scriptures, and prayer. (Again, all practices which are not only appropriate, but also essential to all of us.
Author Dennis Bratcher had some interesting thoughts on Lent and Easter. He said that Lent is a way to place ourselves before God in a humbled state, a way to empty ourselves of false pride and rationalizations that blind us to the beam in our own eyes.
He indicates that through prayer we can hear anew the call “Come unto me!” We can recognize and respond afresh to God’s presence in our lives and in our world. As we place our needs, our fears, our failures, our hopes, our very lives in God’s hands, again we can come to worship Him on Easter Sunday with a fresh victory and hope. (Dennis Bratcher, © 2010.)
The Vital Importance of Experience
Stanley E. Winchester, in his manuscript His Grace is Sufficient, said, “I think the difference between Jesus’ pre-Atonement knowledge and post-Atonement knowledge was physical and emotional experience. He already knew everything intellectually, but He had not physically or emotionally experienced our sins, sorrows, and pains until Gethsemane and Golgotha. Even though Jesus knew exactly what was coming in Gethsemane He prayed that He might not have to actually experience it, but as always He submitted to the Father’s will. So, even though Jesus is all-knowing, He still had to experience all in order to ‘[finish His] preparations unto the children of men’ (D&C 19:19)!
“In my mind and heart I know Jesus somehow was able to take upon Himself our individual life experiences, including all the pain, sorrow, suffering, and sins in the sacred Garden of Gethsemane and in so doing He began the process of overcoming hell by descending into the very depths of hell.”
No amount of intellectual knowledge comes close to the impact of actual experience; it is so important that the Lord said to Joseph Smith, “if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7). To know that the Lord Jesus Christ has experienced it all can give us the most solid trust in Him.
The Powerful Contradictions the Savior Suffered
Mike, a Meridian reader, shared in an e-mail, “The Savior voluntarily took upon himself not only the cumulative burden of all sin and transgression, but also the cumulative burden of all depression, all loneliness, all sorrow, all mental, emotional, and physical hurt, and all weakness of every kind that afflicts mankind. He knows the depth of sorrow that stems from death; he knows the widow’s anguish. He understands the agonizing parental pain when children go astray; he has felt the striking pain of cancer and every other debilitating ailment heaped upon man. Impossible as it may seem, he has somehow taken upon himself those feelings of inadequacy, sometimes even utter hopelessness, that accompany our rejections and weaknesses. There is no mortal condition, however gruesome or ugly or hopeless it may seem that has escaped His grasp and suffering. No one will be able to say, ‘But you don’t understand my particular situation.’”
This is but a glimpse of His awful load, the immense, unimaginable burden the Savior bore. (See Isaiah 53:4; Isaiah 63:9; D&C 133:53; Alma 7:11; Mosiah 3:7.)
President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “There is no human condition—be it suffering, incapacity, inadequacy, mental deficiency, or sin—which He cannot comprehend or for which His love will not reach out to the individual.”
The scriptures are emphatic on this point – “He comprehended all things” because “He descended below all things” (D&C 88:6; 122:8).
Joseph Smith said, “[Jesus] descended in suffering below that which man can suffer; or, in other words, suffered greater sufferings, and was exposed to more powerful contradictions than any man can be.” (Lectures on Faith, 5:2.)
Mike commented about “the powerful contradictions” the Savior suffered. He said, “After thinking and wondering about what these “contradictions” could be for a long time, even years, the answers came while I was driving home one evening, pondering the question yet again. Suddenly, ideas came to my mind, one at a time, clearly, like bullet points – completely formed. As each one came, it seemingly overwhelmed my mind, like waves in the surf…I would just reach the surface, only to have another wave of thought overpower me.
“I came home and wrote the thoughts I could remember:
- He who loves us with perfect love – suffered the combined results of all hatred, malice, evil intent, bigotry, persecution
- The Great Healer or Great Physician, who brought about the Resurrection for us – suffered the pain and indignity of all disease and illness, physical and mental; murder, torture, starvation, addiction, suicide
- The Great Creator and Prince of Peace – suffered the torment of war and violence, fear and death, mangled bodies and lives, families and nations torn asunder, great pollutions, pestilence, environmental disasters, holocausts, floods of refugees seeking safety after being separated from homes and loved ones
- He who delights in purity and chastity – suffered the disgusting insults of rape, incest, pornography, homosexuality, prostitution, adultery and all other unspeakable perversions
- He who loves Children, His little ones – suffered the sorrow and consequences of abortion and crack babies, child abuse of all kinds, divorce, loneliness, neglect
- He who was willing to give all, even His perfect life for us, unworthy creatures – suffered the combined effects of selfishness, greed, avarice, poverty, materialism
- The Great Liberator – suffered the effects of slavery, captivity, bondage, false accusation, unjust imprisonment, secret acts of violence and evil in countless dungeons over millennia
- The Master Teacher – suffered the effects of ignorance, stupidity, superstition, deceit, lies, fraud, incorrect traditions
- The Author and Giver of the Law – suffered the injustice of broken law, prejudice, abuse of power, mobs, secret combinations, evil conspiracies, all criminal misdeeds & lawlessness
- The Only Perfect One – suffered the consequences of all error, miscalculation, failure, omissions, misunderstanding, bad choices, inadequacy, improper judgment, humiliation, and rejection.
“If you can get your arms around it, He suffered all this and more, more than we could suffer or experience collectively, so that we might have hope in and through Him….that we might know He can reach us wherever we are and heal us if we will but believe, repent, and obey.”
The Lord is so compassionate that He even rewards our desire to have more faith. Remember when the father of the stricken son “cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” This limited faith was rewarded with the miraculous healing of his son. (Mark 9:17, 24; see also verses 17-29.) Alma confirms this when he said, “But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.” (Alma 32:27; see also verses 27-43.) Our Savior wants to bless us; He wants to heal us, and because of His Atonement He knows when our faith is sufficient.
Summary
I’m so grateful to know that the Savior understands, truly understands. I’m so grateful for all He has done for us. I know that Jesus, the Son of God, was sent not only to wash away our sins but to also bear our grief and wipe away our tears. When I walked through the valley of the shadow of death and grieved with deep sorrow when loved ones have died, I felt the great solace of the Comforter. I give thanks for the assurance of a glorious resurrection and reunion. I know that my Redeemer lives and that His resurrection broke the bands of death for all of us. His resurrection assures each one of us a glorious resurrection. That is the message of Easter!
When I feel the pain of recognition of my sins, I can yet rejoice and give thanks for the knowledge that as I repent the Savior not only forgives my sins; He also heals my heart. I know, because, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, He is doing that for me—in spite of my glaring inconsistencies, in spite of my faults and failings and personal weaknesses. And that is the message of Easter!
These are saving truths; these are precious gems confirmed to my soul by the Holy Ghost and offered to you with a humble prayer that they may be confirmed in yours.
FEATURES
