Christmas 2016 | Thank you Greenleaf Ward!

Instead of describing every detail of Christmas day, I'm just going to share one of my favorite parts of the day and let the pictures (and video!) do the rest!

Spending time with my family and opening those long-awaited presents was, of course, wonderful, but I loved being able to attend church that morning, and the Christmas Spirit was manifested to me that morning in the form of the Redding family, the Byers family, and the Wegner family. My children are very spirited, curious, energetic, and mostly-well behaved. When Alexa began to wander, Cathy Wegner took her calling in Nursery to another level and fulfilled it during Sacrament meeting, too. When Barrett got a little wiggly on my lap and stood up to look over my shoulder, there was the Byers family to provide a little entertainment for the cute little guy! And when looking over my shoulder wasn't enough, the Redding family was there to let him play with their glasses, hair, and whatever else struck his fancy. I'm convinced that David Redding is a baby whisperer because Barrett is pretty "stranger-danger" aware, but David has a way with the little ones. It was amazing.

We've been packing our house the past couple of weeks in preparation for our move happening just two days from now and throughout this preparation period, the thing that I've known I'd miss the most was the ward family that I'm a part of. I walked into this ward with immediate acceptance and love. I've experienced dinners prepared by loving women who just want to serve others and sacrament meetings next to the Wright family every Sunday because Becky is one of the kindest, most forgiving, most loving woman I've ever known. I've been a part of service opportunities along-side some of the most talented people and have learned from some of the most spiritually strong youth I daresay the world has ever known. This ward family has treated me so well and I have no way of repaying their kindness.

I asked myself (and my mother) why these men and women would be so kind and do so much for me and my family, even when they don't know us well at all. I've concluded that it is because they are following the Savior, Jesus Christ. They have the pure love of Christ inside of them and something like that is not something that can be contained. It pours and overflows in their lives, and it shows.