"Learning By Heart"

This morning I was eating breakfast and thought I'd pull out an Ensign to read, but couldn't because I didn't renew our subscription a month ago. (Go me, I do this everytime our subscription runs out, I wait for a couple of months to renew and than we miss three or four months.) My husband ended up renewing it recently, thank you!

Since, I could not find an Ensign I pulled out the BYU-I alumni magazine, which I never read, but felt compelled to at least look to see if there was a good article. Low and below I found a great article. It was the Dec 2007 commencement talk by Susan W. Tanner title, "Learning by Heart".

She tells of how her husband does not ask for tangable presents when it's his birthday or Chirstmas. He asks them to memorize a poem, song, or scriptual passage to recite for him. She says, "This way our offerings could be described the same as William Shakespeare describes mercy: 'It is twice blessed; it blesses him that gives and him that takes' (The Merchant of Venice, 4.4.186-87)."

I think that is an awesome way to give gifts. Let me tell you why. Susan Tanner goes on to say that by reading the "Proclamation to the Family" and "The Living Christ" she gained a love and admiration for these documents, but memorizing them forced her to linger over and repeat each word and sentence. It helped her not to learn by rote, but with the heart. These passages just didn't change her mind, but her heart.

The last little while I have been struggling with somethings and have desired a change of heart. I think this article was an answer to some prayers. By memorizing I hope I can change what is bothering me.

Another neat point Sister Tanner brought out was this way of giving gifts to her husband helped her know what was on the mind of their children, for they picked out what passages they memorized. With my kids growing I often think how can I help them develop their own testsimonies so when they are faced with challenges they will find the strength, which comes from the Lord, to overcome it. I think memorizing uplifting passages wll help them. I can remember my parents having us memorize scriptures and some of them I can still remember.

Hopefully I will look back on this post when I need a little reminder of what I want to do.