The wintry day

One of my favorite rarely-sung hymns is "The Wintry Day, Descending to Its Close." The lyrics of the first verse read as follows:

The wintry day, descending to its close,
Invites all wearied nature to repose,
And shades of night are falling dense and fast,
Like sable curtains closing o'er the past,
Pale through the gloom the newly fallen snow
Wraps in a shroud the silent earth below
As tho 'twere mercy's hand had spread the pall,
A symbol of forgiveness unto all.

With the significant (two feet!) snowfall we just received, I thought of this hymn last night. This morning, I read in 2 Nephi 2:8 that "no flesh can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah." And how can I come into the presence of God except I be forgiven of my sins? And how can I be forgiven except I truly repent? I love Preach My Gospel's explanation of repentance. It says that repentance is "making the necessary changes to bring [my] life into agreement with His teachings" (p. 2).

 (the backyard)

So on this snowy, Sunday morning, I am thinking of the "necessary changes" I need to make so that I may be forgiven and clean again, like the snow outside my house.



And although it's always embarrassing and shameful to admit my sins to Heavenly Father, I always feel happier afterwards. So repentance and forgiveness are actually be quite joyful instead of something to dread.

Hooray for snow! (unless school is canceled all week, and then go away, snow)