Miss Becky's Blog

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!

Dear Chinese Friends . . .

You all have been in my thoughts as I've prepared to Celebrate the Chinese New Year with my family. Celebrating Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) in China was a very special experience for Ken and I ... we really learned a lot about Chinese culture AND now I love sharing that with our family, especially the grandchildren. In fact some of our grandchildren celebrate the Chinese New Year in their schools.

Each month I send stories and books to my grandchildren that live in other states to read with their parents -- I call it NANA'S BOOK CLUB. This month I sent them the story of how the 12 Years were Named and a calendar so they could figure out what animal they are. I also sent a few Chinese Folk Stories, some "red couplets" for them to color and cut apart and put on their doors, along with other decorations and New Year's Prints AND a small red envelop with a silver dollar and Chinese treat for each of them.

Tomorrow, February 18th, your New Year's Day will be Sunday. We'll have a special Chinese Family dinner, including Jiao zi (which is Ken/Smiley's favorite Chinese food). Our son, Jason and his family who live with us and our youngest son, Brady, will be here with us.

I plan to read some of our Chinese books to the grandchildren and we'll play MahJong with the adults. We may also watch a video I taped from the TV, an excellent documentary entitled: "China From the Inside".

Since Spring Festival is such a special time for Chinese families, I want to share with you some pictures of some of our family members.

This is our son, K.C., his wife Holly and two little girls Savanah (3) and Allie (1).

K.C.'s family lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our daughter, Amy and her family lived there for a couple of years, but now live in Arizona. Amy has three boys and they often return to Las Vegas to visit family and friends. The pictures below were than there a couple of weeks ago when Amy's boys went on a hike with K.C.'s family.

Here's Jack (5), Savanah (4) and Gavin (3) -- they really do LOVE each other and are great cousins!!!!

This picture shows the beautiful desert landscape in the Valley of Fire, near Las Vegas, where they were hiking.

Here are all four of the children. Savanah is hugging her little sister Allie, who is 2 years old now and our youngest grandchild.

Allie, the littlest one, gets a ride from her Dad. Gavin (3) was able to walk the whole way!! These are the kinds of things that our family like to do.

I hope you'll have a wonderful HOLIDAY with your family. I would love to hear from you to know how you celebrated the New Year!

Our best wishes for a WONDERFUL and HAPPY New Year to you and your family.

Love,

Miss Becky

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY . . .

February 14th is always VALENTINE'S DAY in America . . . It's a special day to recognize the people in our lives that we love.

THE STORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY . . . .

On Valentine’s Day we give cards, cookies, and candy to the people we like. In school, children decorate their classrooms with red hearts. They give valentines to their friends.

But do you know why we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Long ago, in the city of Rome, there lived a man named Valentine. He was kind and all the children loved him. One day, the King of Rome made a law. He said, “All young men will be in my army. They cannot ever get married.” The young men and women were very sad.

Valentine tried to help the young men and women and married several couples in secret. The King became very angry and threw Valentine in jail. The children were sad to see Valentine in jail. They made cards and wrote letters and sent them to Valentine.

One little girl, who was blind, brought food to Valentine. He thanked her and prayed for her. Then a miracle happened. The little girl could see! Valentine sent the girl a letter and signed it, “From Your Valentine.”

On February 14th, we remember Valentine. All over the world, people send cards called “Valentines” to celebrate this special day.

On VALENTINE’S DAY we show our LOVE for our friends and family with gifts and cards. And, like Valentine and the children of Rome, we remember that ALL GOD’S CHILDREN should LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

I believe that the POWER of LOVE is the greatest POWER on EARTH. My "valentine" to you will be some poems and song lyrics about LOVE that follow ....

LOVE YOU,

Miss Becky

THE REAL CHRISTMAS ...

The real Christmas comes to him who has taken Christ into his life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing force.

Christmas is a busy season. Streets and stores are filled with people making last-minute preparations. Travelers on the highways increase, airports are crowded—all Christianity seems to come to life with music, lights, and festive decorations.

A writer has said:

“Of all holidays there is none that enters so fully into the human heart, and stirs so many of the higher sentiments. The thoughts, memories, hopes, and customs linked with it are bound by antiquity and nationality collectively; and by childhood and old age individually. They embrace the religious, social, and patriotic sides of our nature. The holly and mistletoe entwined among the evergreens, the habit of giving gifts to those we love, the presence of the Christmas tree, the superstition of Santa Claus, all combining to make Christmas the most longed-for, the most universal, and from every standpoint, the most important holiday known to man” [Clarence Baird, “The Spirit of Christmas,” Improvement Era, Dec. 1919, 154].

The Origin of Christmas

The season is steeped in tradition, and its roots stem back in history. The commencement of the holiday lies in pagan worship long before the introduction of Christianity. The god Mithra was worshiped by the ancient Aryans, and this worship gradually spread to India and Persia. Mithra at first was the god of the heavenly light of the bright skies and later in the Roman period was worshiped as the deity of the sun, or the sun god—Sol Invictus Mithra.

In the first century [before] Christ, Pompey carried on conquests along the southern coast of Cilicia, in Asia Minor, and many of the prisoners taken in those military actions were brought captive to Rome. This introduced the pagan worship of Mithra to Rome, for these prisoners spread the religion among the Roman soldiers. The worship became popular, particularly in the ranks of the Roman armies. We find today, in the ruins of the cities of the far-flung Roman Empire, the shrines of Mithra. Mithraism flourished in the Roman world and became the chief competitor of Christianity in the religious beliefs of the people.

A festive season for the worshipers of the sun god took place immediately after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year—the time when the sun stands still after its annual dip into the Southern Hemisphere. The commencement of its climb from this low point was regarded as the rebirth of Mithra, and the Romans celebrated his birthday on the 25th of December each year. There was great merriment on this holiday—festivals and feastings, gifts given to friends, and the dwelling places decorated with evergreens.

Gradually Christianity gained a victory over Mithraism, which had been its strongest rival, and the festival day celebrating the birth of Mithra was used by the Christians to commemorate the birth of Christ. The pagan worship of the sun, deeply rooted in Roman culture, was replaced by one of the greatest festivals among Christians. Christmas has come down to us as a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing—a day of good cheer and goodwill to men. Although it has an earthly relation and significance, it is divine in content. The ancient Christian celebration has lived continuously through the centuries.

The Meaning of Christmas Today

How is Christmas regarded today? The legend of Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, the decorations of tinsel and mistletoe, and the giving of gifts all express to us the spirit of the day we celebrate; but the true spirit of Christmas lies much deeper than these. It is found in the life of the Savior, in the principles He taught, in His atoning sacrifice—which become our great heritage.

Many years ago the First Presidency of the Church made this significant statement:

“Christmas, to the Latter-day Saint, is both reminiscent and prophetic—a reminder of two great and solemn events, which will yet be regarded universally as the mightiest and most wonderful happenings in the history of the human race. These events were [foreordained] to take place upon this planet before it was created. One of them was the coming of the Savior in the meridian of time, to die for the sins of the world; and the other is the prospective advent of the risen and glorified Redeemer, to reign upon the earth as King of kings” [“What Christmas Suggests to a Latter-day Saint,” Millennial Star, Jan. 2, 1908, 1].

In Paul’s short letter to the Galatians, he showed great concern over their apparent disbelief and their forsaking of his teachings regarding Christ. He wrote to them: “But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (Gal. 4:18–19). In other words, Paul expressed himself as suffering pain and anxiety until Christ be “formed” in them. This is another way of saying “in Christ,” as that expression is used by Paul repeatedly in his writings.

It is possible for Christ to be born in men’s lives, and when such an experience actually happens, a man is “in Christ”—Christ is “formed” in him. This presupposes that we take Christ into our hearts and make Him the living contemporary of our lives. He is not just a general truth or a fact in history, but the Savior of men everywhere and at all times. When we strive to be Christlike, He is “formed” in us; if we open the door, He will enter; if we seek His counsel, He will counsel us. For Christ to be “formed” in us, we must have a belief in Him and in His Atonement. Such a belief in Christ and the keeping of His commandments are not restraints upon us. By these, men are set free. This Prince of Peace waits to give peace of mind, which may make each of us a channel of that peace.

The real Christmas comes to him who has taken Christ into his life as a moving, dynamic, vitalizing force. The real spirit of Christmas lies in the life and mission of the Master. I continue with what the writer defines as the real spirit of Christmas:

“It is a desire to sacrifice for others, to render service, and to possess a feeling of universal brotherhood. It consists of a willingness to forget what you have done for others, and to remember only what others have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and think only of … your duties in the middle distance, and your chance to do good and aid your fellow-men in the foreground—to see that your fellow-men are just as good as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts—to close your book of grievances against the universe, and look about you for a place to sow a few seeds of happiness and go your way unobserved” [Improvement Era, Dec. 1919, 155].

In his contemplation of the Christmas season, James Wallingford penned these lines:

Christmas is not a day or a season, but a condition of heart and mind.

If we love our neighbors as ourselves;

if in our riches we are poor in spirit and in our poverty we are rich in grace;

if our charity vaunteth not itself, but suffereth long and is kind;

if when our brother asks for a loaf, we give ourselves instead;if each day dawns in opportunity and sets in achievement, however small—

then every day is Christ’s day and Christmas is always near.

[In Charles L. Wallis, ed., Words of Life (1966), 33]

A wise man has said:

“The most amazing thing about the Christmas story is its relevance. It is at home in every age and fits into every mood of life. It is not simply a lovely tale once told, but eternally contemporary. It is the voice crying out in every wilderness. It is as meaningful in our time as in that long-ago night when shepherds followed the light of the star to the manger of Bethlehem” [Joseph R. Sizoo, in Words of Life, 33].

It has been said that Christmas is for children; but as the years of childhood fancy pass away and an understanding maturity takes their place, the simple teaching of the Savior that “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) becomes a reality. The evolution from a pagan holiday transformed into a Christian festival to the birth of Christ in men’s lives is another form of maturity that comes to one who has been touched by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Find the True Spirit of Christmas

If you desire to find the true spirit of Christmas and partake of the sweetness of it, let me make this suggestion to you. During the hurry of the festive occasion of this Christmas season, find time to turn your heart to God. Perhaps in the quiet hours, and in a quiet place, and on your knees—alone or with loved ones—give thanks for the good things that have come to you, and ask that His Spirit might dwell in you as you earnestly strive to serve Him and keep His commandments. He will take you by the hand and His promises will be kept.

I know that God lives. I bear witness of the divinity of His Son, the Savior of the world, and I express appreciation for the blessing of having upon the earth a prophet of the living God.

By President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) Fourteenth President of the Church

Howard W. Hunter, “The Real Christmas,” Ensign, Dec. 2005, From a devotional address given at Brigham Young University on December 5, 1972.

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Happy Holidays!!!!

I'm writing to you from my Father's home in Provo, Utah (on December 3rd) as we watch a special Christmas program on TV. It's coming from New York City -- Christmas at Rockefeller Center. This is a traditional program for almost 75 years where they turn on the lights of a huge Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center ... it was started during the depression when some on the construction workers on the Rockefeller Building put lights on a small Christmas tree to give people hope. There are 100,000 people crowded in the streets there in NYC to see the program and the lighting of the tree AND thousands more across America are watching it on TV.

Two years ago I took my daughter-in-law and two grand daughters to NYC during the Christmas season and it was soooooo wonderful. We went ice skating at Rockefeller Center under the huge Christmas Tree and we saw the traditional Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall which is located at Rockefeller Center. It was a wonderful experience to share with those I love.

Happy Thanksgiving

Last week Americans officially began the CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SEASON by celebrating THANKSGIVING ... a special time for families to be together and give thanks for the many blessings we have. (The story of the FIRST Thanksgiving in America is told in the following article -- or click on the Holiday category to find it.)

I have soooooo much to be THANKFUL this year, including the peaceful passing of my Mother after years of poor health; the miracle of modern medicine in saving Ken's life; the joys and challenges of family life including all our special children and grandchildren; and the opportunity to care for and spend lots of time with my Father. He will be traveling with me to Aronzia next week -- I will be caring for my daughter's three little boys while she has some minor surgery AND my father will have some dental work done by my son-in-law who is a dentist.

I'm so very GRATEFUL for FAMILY -- I'm blessed to have had good parents and great brothers and sisters and wonderful children. I'm very grateful for all our special friends in America and China who have enriched our lives so much ... In fact I feel like we are all ONE FAMILY -- MANY HEARTS!

I'm also very grateful for all the THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of good people who have lived on this earth and many any contribution that has left the world a better place --- today we enjoy so many wonderful things and opportunities because of the faith and efforts of those who have gone before us.

Merry Christmas

Millions of people around the World will be celebrating Christmas this month ... there will be lots of TV programs, stories and books about Christmas; many family celebrations and traditions carried out; many parties with friends and family; lots of gift giving AND there truly is a special feeling of love and kindness in the air .... everyone seems more friendly, happy and willing to do things for others. Our family always does a special service project at Christmas time, usually it's being Santa Claus (providing Christmas gifts and dinner to a family in need). We are doing that this year.

The SUNSHINE Project started as a Christmas service project of the Nanjing University 4-H club I had organized there, but as you know this project continues thru the year and brings out the most important thing about Christmas:

Christmas is more than a day at the end of the year,

More than a day of joy and good cheer.

Christmas is really God's pattern for living

To be followed each day unselfish giving.

Then peace on earth will come to stay,

When we live Christmas every day.

I'll post more articles about Christmas in the coming day.

This is a busy but most wonderful time for me ... I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

Miss Becky

The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving

America was founded by men and women who came to these shores lifting eyes toward heaven.

In England four hundred years ago there lived a group of people we now call the Pilgrims. Their lives were not happy because they were not allowed to worship God the way they chose. When they tried to pray in their own way, they were thrown into prison or driven from their homes and jobs.

Finally, in 1620, they could bear it no longer.

Leaving all they loved behind, they boarded a small ship called the Mayflower and ventured out to sea. Perhaps they could practice their faith in that vast, far-off wilderness called America.

For two long hard months the Pilgrims crossed the stormy Atlantic Ocean. The Mayflower pitched and shook. Its beams groaned and its sides leaked. Men, women, and children grew ill. But at last they arrived in the New World.

They came ashore, fell on their knees, and thanked God for bringing them across the wide and furious waters. At once they began the business of founding their colony. First they built a large house for common use. Then they built smaller houses for each family. They named the village New Plymouth after the city in England from which they had set sail.

It was the heart of winter, and Plymouth Colony was in for a harsh, cruel beginning. The Pilgrims shivered in freezing winds and driving rains as they struggled to build their huts. The earth froze hard. Food was scarce - every night they wondered if there would be enough to eat the next day. And always they knew the Indians were watching. They heard their whoops and calls through the woods and

saw smoke rising from their fires.

Then came the sickness. Many of the Pilgrims grew

weak from lack of food and warmth. They lay in their beds, coughing and gasping for breath. Some-times only a handful of settlers were well enough to cook and care for all the sick. Half of the people died that long first winter. As the living buried their dead, they prayed and wondered if coming to America had not been a tragic mistake. But

still they, placed their faith in God.

Winter passed. The icy earth softened. One March day, as the settlers stared in wonder, a lone Indian strolled calmly into Plymouth, raised his hand, and

“Welcome!" In broken English he told the Pilgrims his name was Samoset. He had learned their lang-uage from English fishermen who had visited the shores of the New World. He told them that the Indians who lived nearby were called the Wampanoags and were ruled by a wise chief

named Massasoit.

A few days later Massasoit himself strode into Plymouth village with several of his braves. The Pilgrims spread a rug on the floor of an unfinished house and invited their visitors to sit. They ate and drank and talked together. They promised to live as neighbors and signed a treaty that kept the peace between the two peoples for many years.

Massasoit brought with him an Indian named

Squanto, who spoke English. The settlers were amazed to hear this man's story. He had once been kidnapped by a sea captain and taken to Europe to be sold as a slave. Making his way to London, he had lived several years in the Pilgrims' own homeland before sailing back to the New World with English

explorers.

It was Squanto who now stayed with the Pilgrims and helped them learn how to live in this strange, wild land. He showed them how to plant corn. He taught them how to fish, and catch eels in the rivers, and dig in the mud for clams. He taught them how to hunt for deer in the forests. He showed them which berries were good to eat and which ones would make them sick. If not for Squanto's wisdom and aid, the little Plymouth colony may well have vanished.

Summer came. In the warm weather the Pilgrims grew stronger. With stout hearts they went to work in their fields and gardens. God blessed the land with sunshine and showers. The men and women of Plymouth watched the crops push up through the soil and prayed, for they knew they could not make it through the next winter without a good harvest.

The growing season passed and the days grew shorter. Fruit ripened. The pumpkins swelled orange and round. Autumn came in a blaze of glory, dressing the forests in gold and red and brown. The Pilgrims gathered the harvest, stored their food, and prepared themselves for the long, cold months that lay ahead.

They had much to be thankful for. The corn had grown well. The rivers and woods teemed with fish and game. The little houses were finished and ready for winter. The settlers had recovered their health and strength, and they had all good things in plenty.

It was time to celebrate the harvest and thank God for the blessings He had bestowed upon them. The Pilgrims sent a message to the Indians, inviting them to join a feast. Then they set about preparing. The men went into the fields and forests to hunt ducks, geese, and turkeys. The women stood beside the fires kneading, slicing, and roasting. The settlers set up long tables outside and placed rough benches beside them.

King Massasoit arrived with ninety of his braves. They brought five deer, their gift to the feast. Then the Pilgrims and Indians shared the bounty of the land. They ate fish and wildfowl and venison. From the bay there were clams, scallops, and oysters. From the forests came nuts and berries, and from the gardens came carrots, turnips, and onions. They feasted on stewed pumpkin, corn cakes, and bowls of chowder.

They celebrated with games as well. The settlers and

Indians held shooting contests with both guns and bows. The young men challenged each other in foot races and wrestling matches. The Englishmen did jigs for the Indians, and the Indians in turn showed off their own dances.

For three days the feast continued. The Pilgrims knew well that more days of trial and hardship lay ahead. But for now, they rejoiced together over the gifts they had received. They thanked God for bringing them across the stormy ocean and seeing them through the long, harsh winter. They thanked Him for the bountiful fruits of their labor. They gave thanks for their Indian friends. And they gave

thanks for this new land, where they could worship as they pleased.

Every year we in America remember that long-ago feast called the First Thanksgiving. On the fourth Thursday of each November, we rejoice that friends and loved ones have gathered safely together. We celebrate the fruits of our labor. We recall that throughout our nation's past, our ancestors risked their lives so we might be free. We bow our heads in thanks for all the bounty of this land and for the many blessings we have received.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ever since this First American Thanksgiving celebration and feast, Americans would celebrate something like this during the fall. In different states it was observed at different times.

Then, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, signed a Proclamation, asking the American people to observe the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving for the victories and blessings of the year.

The Proclamation begins: “The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added . . .

“In the midst of a civil war of unequal magnitude and severity . . . peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict.”

So from this time forward Americans have celebrated THANKSGIVING on the last Thursday of November (now the fourth Thursday of November). Family members and friends gather together to enjoy each other and give thanks to God for all the things he has blessed them with.