I remember my first Christmas after getting married. I was with my in-laws and it was my first Christmas away from home. I was homesick, navigating a new family dynamic with new personalities, and trying to connect with everyone around me. I wasn’t doing it all as gracefully as I wanted.
One night, my husband’s close family friend pulled me aside and said, “Hey, I just want to let you know, I think you fit in great here. You are a wonderful addition to the family, and I’m glad you are here.”
He didn’t need to say it. But he did.
I have never forgotten those words.
In Doctrine and Covenants 93, God says, “I will call you friends, for you are my friends.”
Kind words.
And these words, too, were not forgotten.
Because Joseph Smith said in the Kirtland temple dedicatory prayer, “And as thou hast said in a revelation, given to us, calling us thy friends.” (D&C 109:6)
At this point in time, some of the people closest to Joseph became his loudest opponents.
Many of the people he trusted, the people he shared significant spiritual moments with, doubted him and apostatized…
Friends turned to enemies.
But God took the time to remind Him that He was a friend who would never leave.
And His words obviously meant a lot to Joseph. They were a buoy for his soul during a challenging time, important enough for Joseph to repeat.
Kind words are free..so let us speak them freely.
Because “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” (Mother Theresa)
Or, as President Monson said, “Perhaps you will forget the kind words you say today, but the recipient will remember them for a lifetime.”
Let us choose kindness today—
Caring less about what others think of you and more about what they think of themselves when they leave you.
Your kindness won’t soon be forgotten.
come follow me daily 