Blessed Are the Children: The Miracle and Beauty of Childhood

This past week I chose a sort of picture book for my quiet reading time on Sunday afternoon. I picked up Blessed Are the Children: The Miracle and Beauty of Childhood. This is a beautiful coffee table book that captures your heart from the cover image and holds you within the spirit of its message until the last page.

It was a beautifully peaceful way to spend the afternoon. This is, as long as I was able to tune out my own brood of sweeties who were trying very hard to prove that they are in fact not sweeties. Sigh. Life is often very different from what we find in a book, isn’t it? I guess that’s why this particular book is important to me. It’s a gentle reminder that some moments, thoughts, and goals matter; others simply don’t matter as much as my very human mind would like to fixate on them.

The tone for Blessed Are the Children is set with the very first page. It quotes Gordon B. Hinckley as follows:

“Never forget that these little ones are the sons and daughters of God and that yours is a custodial relationship to them, that He was a parent before you were parents and that He has not relinquished His parental rights or interest in these little ones. Now, love them, take care of them. . . . welcome them into your homes and nurture and love them with all of your hearts.”

The illustrations are beautiful. The collection includes contributions by Simon Dewey, Greg Olsen, Robert Duncan, and Jean Monti, to name a few.

Each page contains poignant quotes from general authorities, presidents, poets, and philosophers—many of the greatest names of our time. They are quick, beautiful, and inspirational reads for any time you can steal a few moments. The quotes are given in a progressive or thematic order, but you can simply open up the book and wait for an image to capture your attention, then pause to read the thoughts on the same pages.

To give you a taste for the thoughts in store as you study and contemplate Blessed Are the Children, here are two more of my favorite quotes from its pages.

“When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way.

He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts.

The greatest forces in the world are babies.” E. T. Sullivan

“Grown men can learn from very little children, for the hearts of little children are pure. Therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss.” Black Elk

This is a book that belongs on the shelf of every mother and grandmother. It’s a sweet reminder of the goodness and purity of children especially on the days when they’ve vexed us beyond sanity. I’d suggest it as a gift for your next baby shower. That and the package of baby diapers just might save a young mother’s heart and sanity on a day when she’d rather just toss up her hands in frustration.

Thank you Blessed Are the Children for the gentle encouragement and inspiration. We can all use a few more reminders that children are the most precious gift we are given in this life. Think how boring things would be without them!

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Creating Clever Castles & Cars by Mari Rutz Mitchell

Still looking for the perfect gift for a younger child? Don’t panic. Go pick up a copy of Creating Clever Castles & Cars from Boxes and Other Stuff by Mari Rutz Mitchell and a stack of large boxes from your local U-haul store. Could it get any easier than that? No angry crowds in the toy aisle and no over-shooting your budget by a mile. Trust me. With Creating Clever Castles & Cars and a bunch of empty boxes, you’re all set for months of great fun that will stay in fashion way longer than the latest action figure or Barbie doll.

Do you remember a few times in your life when you gave a child a gift and they’ve been truly delighted—truly delighted with the box that is? Yep, it never fails, before the television and computer take over our children’s brains they can come up with some of the neatest ideas with the simplest things. I thought this time of year was a good time to mention a book which serves as a great reminder of that. As far as I’m concerned I’ve found the ultimate in rainy day, snowy day, creative play books. Or then again, maybe I just get way too attached to my favorite books! ;)

While going on a library treasure hunt with my home schooled son (we do a lot of variations, but it’s basically choosing a shelf in the library and seeing who can find the coolest books), we ran across this very fun book on kid-friendly playscape building. My kids have turned cardboard boxes into all kinds of things over the years but Creating Clever Castles & Cars turned out to be an awesome collection of really neat ideas. It’s designed for children around 3-8 years old, but my 10 year old son and I are having a blast. His little brother is a tad jealous and can’t wait for his turn at the book when he begins home schooling after Christmas. He’s plotting his first structure all ready.

Here’s a picture of my son’s castle. It looks a little sad now, but he made it over a month ago and we’re still using it, so it’s put off building any more creations (I wanted to build the pyramid next but he wants the pirate ship). But we’re still on the look out for boxes and we’ve been dutifully collecting milk jugs for our igloo. Plus, you just never know when the next cold, yucky day will hit when we’ll need to build an ant hill or a submarine. This book is just full of some of the most awesome recycling ideas I’ve ever seen. It was so cool that I had to break down and buy my own copy. I’d been hording the library’s copy for far too long as we drooled and planned.

See, I wasn’t kidding. I’ve found the ultimate gift for just about any young child on your list. What could be better than giving them a book, except giving them a book that gets them thinking, creating, and excited about something other than their top level on the latest video game?

I think I’ll ask the neighbors to save all of their Christmas boxes, too. We’re going to need them. :)

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Three Angels for Christmas by Lori Nawyn

I was recently asked to review a small Christmas gift booklet by author Lori Nawyn and was pleased to do so. I enjoy meeting new people and reading new and interesting books almost as much as I enjoy a good dessert.

Lori is a member of the Books, Books and More Books group on yourLDSNeighborhood- hi Lori! So be sure to drop by her page or her blog and let her know what you think of her booklet if you get a chance to read it.

Lori created this booklet in response to the losses she has experienced in past years that have happened to correspond with the Christmas season. That is always an especially hard time to lose someone you love. That is why Lori felt it was important for her to create her own “angels” that would help her remember and honor those loved ones for what they inspired her with during their lives.

Three Angels for Christmas is a simple memoir that reflects on the lessons she learned from her grandparents. For me, the book was simply that- a personal expression best appreciated by close family and friends who can share in Lori’s love for her family. While I enjoyed her trip down memory lane and the lessons learned, the text seemed to just stop short. I had to re-read the last pages a couple of times, still looking for more insight on how Lori resolved her own issues and how the actual angels were created in her thoughts and heart. I wish there would have been more of that. I recognize that she was able to put things in perspective, but for me personally I never really got how she create those angels. I can derive the conclusions on my own, but I would have like Lori to spend a little more time putting the memories and lessons together with the angels.

My thoughts aside, Three Angels for Christmas does offer a special gift to those that you might know who have endured similar experiences with loss that becomes tangled up with what is supposed to be a heightened awareness of the Savior and the joy He would have each of us experience. That’s a tall order when your heart is grieving. You may know in your mind that the Savior’s love is real and that there are such things as faith, hope, and charity, in the world, but you often have a harder time finding them. So, prayerfully consider if Lori’s thoughtful little booklet might help them realize they are not alone in their sorrow, that you love them, and that there are ways to cope that can bring them lasting joy.

There just might be things you personally need to hear in her short booklet as well. The messages I most needed came on the final page:

“Choosing to fully embrace Christmas, despite our various trials, in a way that celebrates life and love, faith, hope, and charity, will yield the true joy the holiday was intended to bring.”

Nice thought Lori. Thanks for that.

She also encourages us each to spend time figuring out what each of these three angels mean to us personally. It might make a difference on our path this Christmas or to the paths of our family in future generations.

Three Angels for Christmas was published by O. Halverson & Co. Publishing, and retails for $4.95 with its own gift envelope. There are also three Christmas cards available depicting each of the three angels.

Lori Nawyn is co-author of three inspirational short story collections and one cookbook. In addition, her award winning fiction and non-fiction works have appeared in regional and national publications. She works as an artist and graphic designer. Lori and her husband, Brian, a firefighter, enjoy their four children, two grandchildren, and three dogs.

You can visit with her at the Neighborhood, or on her blog. I’m sure she’d appreciate hearing from you.

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Santa’s Secret: A Christmas Novel by Christy Hardman with Phil Porter

You know, Christmas is such a special time of year it’s no wonder that so many inspired things happen in relationship to that season. I’m not fond of all the commercialism, or of the hustle and bustle and “have-to’s” so many people make up for themselves. I am fond of the music, art and literature that come out of this season, though. To me, those are the places you can really find the spirit and joy of Christmas.

Santa’s Secret: A Christmas Novel by Christy Hardman with Phil Porter is one of those places. This book was a special treat to read because it puts Christmas into a unique perspective. When it comes to Christmas, there are just about as many different opinions about what the holiday should and shouldn’t mean as there are people who celebrate it. I’ve known people who embrace the concept of Santa with gusto. They spend half the year preparing for Christmas and the other half of the year recovering from it. I’ve known people who refuse to allow Santa into their Christmas at all, because they feel he has nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas. I have known people who use Christmas exclusively for Santa and celebrate the birth of the Savior on entirely different days of the year. I’ve known people who seem able to keep everything in perspective and others who ignore it all because they feel no matter how it’s done the whole holiday is too hyped up to carry the spirit of Christ.

That’s why I love Santa’s Secret. It takes the two things many people try to find a happy balance in and places a very Christ-like perspective on them. Santa’s Secret tells the story of one man who began playing Santa Claus as a way to make ends meet at Christmas, but in the process discovers the “magic” of the season as well as his own testimony of the Savior and the spirit of love that should be associated with His name. It’s a beautiful thing to watch Phil Porter don a Santa suit and at the same time put on the mantle of disciple of Christ. He is a force for good that many of us forget about in all the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I loved every minute of my time with Santa’s Secret. There were many sweet tears shed and closeness to the Spirit that can sometimes be overlooked when sources like this book aren’t available to remind me how much I’m loved and blessed by my Heavenly Father.

Here’s a neat hint: I love the fact that Santa’s Secret is divided into 11 chapters. That set up makes it very convenient for reading each night for the last 12 nights before Christmas. The first 11 days you get a chance to see how Santa should fit into Christmas, on day 12 you read the nativity story and feel the power of how it really does fit, in terms of truth and light, not commercialism. I’ve already earmarked this title as a gift for several people I know. Read it early on in the season and I’m sure you’ll find yourself saying, “Yes, this is exactly what so-and-so needs right now.”

There are also convenient discussion questions in the back of the book that are not overly complicated or expect you to philosophy on some message you didn’t even know the story had. (Yes, I was traumatized by a few AP English classes in my day.) These can also be used to help your family (or a family you know) focus on what they can take away from the story. I appreciate it when books I want to make an impression on my children make that “talking” process easier for me.

I firmly place Santa’s Secret on my recommended reading for each of you, my readers, this Christmas. It will make a difference in how you see the season. I promise. Hey, if it doesn’t you’re always welcome to bomb my house with chocolate or something.

Okay. Here’s a related, but unrelated, side note: I’m really getting tired of all this crying business. Why do you guys have to write such awesome stories that always make me cry? Somebody please send me a good book to review that does nothing more than make me laugh my guts out, I’m begging you!

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The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch-Anderson

Talk about receiving a wonderful early Christmas gift, I just got one. I’ve been privileged to review The Santa Letters by Stacy Gooch-Anderson, and it really was a treat to do so. Here is a set of messages we all need to reflect on during the Christmas seasons, presented in a sweet and endearing way.

Take a moment to view this beautiful book trailer that portrays the heart of this book’s premise and message.

Did you catch the spirit of the messages this book contains? They really are beautiful and timely. No, the basic gospel themes aren’t really all that new and original. In fact, I can guarantee you have heard them before in many different Sunday School and Relief Society lessons, but I think you’ll “listen” a little more attentively this time. There is nothing here but a sense of love and a desire for everyone to know the peace of gospel truths at Christmas, or any time of the year.

The Santa Letters are all about healing and remembering the many blessings we each enjoy, whether they readily occur to us or not. Each “Santa” letter comes with a bit of inspiration, a bit of advice on how to understand the joys of life better, a bit of the gospel, and a lot of Christ-like love. They all work together to form an uplifting experience for anyone who might be feeling a little overwhelmed. I’d put it on the must read list for most of us, if only for the letters themselves. If your children are a little bit older, The Santa Letters might also be a great read-aloud kick off for your own family’s Christmas season.

There are times when the characters feel less than real to me, and times that the writing lacks the smooth, poetic flow that I appreciate with the type of poignant message The Santa Letters contains, but all-in-all it’s a very sweet book for a first time novelist. You can find Stacey’s own account of the inspiration behind this book and sample the first chapter on her website www.thesantaletters.org. (Word to the wise, however, mute your sound while browsing. The background musical flourish was a nice touch when I opened the site but not so much after it kept repeating every few seconds!)

As many of us start to look toward finding the Christmas spirit, I pray we can take a little of The Santa Letters into our own hearts and lives. We all need more McKennas and Santas in our lives. Who can you be for someone else this year?

My suggestion: buy a bunch of copies and you’ve got an instant Christmas present appropriate for almost anyone on your list. Need to do a little more than just a book? Go through and find the topic of each letter, wrap a small gift for each topic to include with the books and instructions to read the book together, opening their own gifts after reading that specific letter. Plus, the story, “A Strange Visit” that the book mentioned being given to the family is included in the back of the book for you, as well as a few ideas for simple goodie bags. Need more help? Then visit the Santa Letter Shop on Stacy’s site. You’ll find downloadable Santa letters to start you on your way.

There. Christmas is all done. You can thank me by sending massive amounts of chocolate. Errr, maybe you should send Stacy Gooch-Anderson the chocolate instead. After all, they are her words and thoughts that can touch just about any heart.

Stacy is on virtual book tour this month, promoting The Santa Letters. You can check in on her progress and say “hi” from here.

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