Getting in the Spirit

For the past day or so, I've been listening to as audio book on my MP3 player.  I had heard it was a good book...in fact, several friends rated it well on a book-sharing website.  While I listened, I was putting together a scripture-based Nativity advent calendar for my Young Women.  And when the feelings that should be invoked by celebrating Jesus Christ's birth were far overshadowed by the sadness and despair of the story I was listening to, I decided that there is enough garbage in the world.  I turned off my player and left it alone for the rest of the day.  This morning, when I had a chance to plug it in again, I deleted the book.  Without finishing it.

You see, I've been teaching my beautiful Young Women for about two months now.  Last week, our lesson was on creating an uplifting environment.  I urged (strongly) my girls to eliminate the things in their lives that weren't uplifting--things that didn't allow the Holy Ghost into their lives.  As I looked at the lesson for this Sunday, I realized that I will be teaching all three Young Women's classes about "Return[ing] to Virtue."  Here I am, merely a few days later, listening to a book that didn't make me feel light or virtuous, but made me feel like the heavy, dark rainclouds that so often descend on the city where I live.  Hippocrite.  That's what I was.  I couldn't teach these things if I myself couldn't stand up for my own standards in such a small way.  And that's why I turned it off.  I don't regret it one bit.  I feel light again.  Bring on the housework!  I need an excuse to listen to the hours and hours of Christmas stories I downloaded to my player this morning.