Read, Read, Read!!!

At first I was just going to write this message to my family and then I read in the Ensign this morning that we should not be afraid to Blog our testimonies. So, with this is mind along with hoping everyone that reads this will remember that these are just my thoughts and feelings, I will proceed.

What is important to me today that I express is: I think reading is one of the most important skills and interests anyone could acquire. I keep telling my daughters (and now my sons in this blog)that as they rear their children, they must be sure to encourage them to seek out a spouse that loves to read and does so with the purpose to learn. I would encourage them to find a spouse that seeks learning by learning from others experiences that are shared in a good book. Does that make sense? If a person fills his free time with learning opportunities in a good book instead of using his free time simply for entertainment, he gains wisdom and understanding from those that have had experience--he is progressing and gaining knowledge that he or she will carry for the rest of their lives. I could not have reared my children nor made the progress I made as a homemaker if I had not been blessed to read books written by other women that shared their wisdom and experience.

A few weeks ago a young man in our ward gave this scenario. Picture your self trying to get to the Savior. He is on an upper floor and you are trying to go up on an escalator that is going down. If you ever stop climbing, you immediately lose ground. It takes effort and perseverance to get up to where Christ is. That is how our eternal progression is. The only things we can take with us beyond the grave is our knowledge and our relationships. If we aren't progressing we are retrogressing.

I am not saying I am perfect at what I am encouraging. I waste a lot of time on entertainment in front of the television or movie screen. Sometimes it's nice to relax and do nothing. I know, however, that one must be very cautious. We can get in the habit of allowing ourselves to be mesmerized (this is Satan's tool and it is a form of hypnotism). We can also become mesmerized in front of the computer screen and on video games. I am always amazed at how much time passes when I get into a computer game of solitaire. And I can never, never recapture that time that has passed. Often, I reflect on what I could have learned from reading a good book during the time I lost playing the insignificant game.

And while I am encouraging my children's children to find spouses that read, read, read, I would be amiss to not say, "Dear grandchildren, you must learn to read, too. And you must read to learn. You will then be prepared to be a spouse to someone whose grandmother encouraged them to find a spouse that reads a lot, too."

One more thing (and this is just my musing). We know that the Savior understands everything that we are going through. I have often wondered how he could if he never sinned. How could he understand the feelings of a thief, an adulterer, a time waster, someone that feels inadequate, someone that is friendless, someone that is an abuser? I have had the thought that he learned from others as they shared their experiences. He learned from reading, he learned from visions and dreams. Our Godhead have given visions and dreams to prophets that have shared what they have learned in written form. Always, always, we should take time each day to learn from the scriptures. I have written enough therefore you have read enough (but only on what I have to say on this subject today!). Now go and read, read, read!!!