Sephora's Speech from The Ten Commandments

My daughters and I found Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments on TV over Easter weekend. We watched parts of it together. I was struck by Mr. DeMille's deft portrayals of the power of women. Princess Nefertiri surely showed woman at her worst, vain, selfish, lustful; bitter, and vengeful. Sephora (or Zipporah in Hebrew) was a woman at her best. I loved this speech she made after Moses put off choosing a wife from her sisters. Of course, after this speech he chose her. I had to find it and put it where my daughters could refer to it again.

Sephora:
She was very beautiful,
wasn't she?

This woman of Egypt, who left
her scar upon your heart.

Moses:
Her skin was white as curd,
her eyes green
as the cedars of Lebanon,
her lips, tamarisk honey.

Like the breast of a dove,
her arms were soft...

and the wine of desire
was in her veins.

Yes.
She was beautiful...
as a jewel.

Sephora:
A jewel has brilliant fire,
but it gives no warmth.

Our hands are not so soft,
but they can serve.

Our bodies not so white,
but they are strong.

Our lips are not perfumed,
but they speak the truth.

Love is not an art to us.
It's life to us.

We are not dressed
in gold and fine linen.
Strength and honor
are our clothing.

Our tents are not the columned
halls of Egypt,
but our children
play happily before them.

We can offer you little...
but we offer all we have.

A Sonnet for Memorial Day by Garrison Keillor

We're here to honor those who went to war

Who did not wish to die, but did die, grievously,

In eighteen sixty-one and in two-thousand four

Though they were peaceable as you or me.

Young and innocent, they knew nothing of horror---

Singers and athletes, and all in all well-bred.

Their sergeants, mercifully, made them into warriors,

And at the end, they were moving straight ahead.

As we look at these headstones, row on row on row,

Let us see them as they were, laughing and joking,

On that bright irreverent morning long ago.

And once more, let our hearts be broken.

God have mercy on them for their heroic gift.

May we live the good lives they would have lived.

II Peter 1:1-12

1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

A friend shared this scripture with me recently. I love the reminder to remember the wonderful promises we have been given if we will follow Jesus Christ. Life can be pretty discouraging at times but the Saviour has promised us that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Putting our trust in him can give us the peace we need in times of trial and doing his will and keeping his commandments can allow us to live with him again someday. I am so grateful for that.

President Monson Recommends...

President Thomas S. Monson spoke in a Stake Conference broadcast to much of the Southeastern United States on January 27th. He mentioned in his talk that people often write him and ask what his favorite books are and then he listed a few. With the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley that evening, I knew President Monson would become the new prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I thought it would be nice to start with the books he mentioned as favorites that day and add to the list as he quotes from other great works. Fittingly, in his first address as prophet to the membership of the Church, at the Worldwide Training meeting of February 9th, he reiterated a message he has shared before (see "Hallmarks of a Happy Home", Ensign, Oct '01) and asked us to establish a pattern of prayer, a library of learning, and a legacy of love in our lives. You can find what President Monson said at the bottom of this page.

As well as James A. Michener, President Monson quoted Margaret Thatcher in his address. So our library of learning begins with President Monson's recommendations...

• A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
• The Mansion, by Henry Van Dyke
• Les Miserable, the musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the book by Victor Hugo
• James A. Michener
• Margaret Thatcher

Incidentally, the following authors were also quoted in the Training Broadcast:
· Elder Holland quoted James Thurber
· Sister Tanner quoted John Milton
· Elder Oaks quoted Pearl S. Buck

Virtuous, Lovely, or of Good Report or Praiseworthy...

Paul wrote to the Philippian saints with strong counsel. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise think on these things." (Philip 4:8)

Our Refined Heavenly Home

"The nearer we get to God, the more easily our spirits are touched by refined and beautiful things."
-Elder Douglas L. Callister