Attribute #1 - Purity

"I felt that light, joy, and desire to do good when our first great-grandchild was born. I looked down on her and thought, 'She seems to glow with a beauty I didn’t think was possible.' In an instant I realized that the beauty I saw and the glow I felt when I looked at her face came from her purity and, to me, by the Light of Christ."  President Henry B. Eyring

As I thought about what sort of Christmas Countdown to do this year, I realized that we currently have 24 descendants, something that hasn't happened before and won't happen again, and since I had also pondered doing something with Christ-like attributes, I decided to combine the two. I had already thought of purity to go with "unnamed baby girl" and the above quote by President Eyring, which I discovered while preparing for a Relief Society lesson, is just perfect.

Purity: Freedom from anything that debases, contaminates or pollutes; free of foreign or inappropriate elements. Someone who is pure is unblemished, clear and straightforward.  

2 Nephi 9:14
"The righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness."

I can't think of anything more pure and holy and perfect than a newborn baby - except for our Savior, Jesus Christ. As I strive to develop this quality in my life, I know who my role models can be. Thank you, precious Lynelle, for being a part of our family. We're looking forward to watching you grow into a beautiful young woman radiating the Light of Christ* for all to see.

*When her father had just arrived in Africa to serve his mission, I was struck with this comment he made in his first email home:  "It is really weird, but here it is a lot easier to see that light of which people speak that members of the Church have about them." We hope if Lynelle ever goes to Africa - or anywhere else - it will be obvious that she is a follower of Jesus Christ.