Enjoying Scriptures with All Five Senses

Now that I am taking a creative writing class, I get to do 15 minute free writes every day.  I am absolutely loving this type of playing and figured I would share some of my favorites with family and friends.  Our textbook told us that writers need to eat the world!  My new observation journal is doing just that.  So here goes: 

The other day in primary we were singing the familiar song, “Singing a Song is Fun to Do”.  I had the kids think of some new year’s resolutions and then we inserted the verb along with an action to the tune of the song.  One of the kids wanted to read more books.  What action could we use?  Many kids turned imaginary pages, and some pantomimed using their fingers to follow the words.  As I looked to the back of the room where our senior primary sits, I noticed an interesting action….Swiping!  Oh how times have changed.  Obviously, these kids were used to reading on either their kindles or ipads.  The other adults in the room were equally surprised as I was.  Of course when we sing Scripture Power, all the kids hold up their scriptures in various forms.  Some have the missionary blue Book of Mormon, some have the quad combination, some have an Ipod, some of the teachers of have ipads they hold up.  The scriptures come in so many different mediums now but oh how I miss turning the pages of my own old seminary  triple combination scriptures.

Obviously the words we read in the scriptures are what matter most but what if we could experience the scriptures with all five senses?  My nine year old daughter commented the other night as we were getting ready to read the scriptures before bedtime that she loved the sound of the scriptures!  I guess I had never thought of it but that’s why I don’t like reading digital versions of the scriptures.  I love the sound too!  It’s one of the most soothing sounds I can think of.  As she held my scriptures in her hand, she made the book go in a wavelike motion where you could hear a deep, low crunkle of the whole book.  “That’s nothing,” I said,” listen to this!”  I then proceeded to turn the pages one by one.  To me, there is nothing in the word like the sound of turning the pages in a set of scriptures.  Sometimes as the pages make their crinkling sounds, it sounds like the pages are going to rip right out of the binding, but they never do.  I am always amazed at how such thin the paper is able to hold such heavy messages!  The other thing I noticed is how the paper looks plain on the edges until you shut the book and then my daughter  joked, “It looks like the gold plates!”  The gold shimmers as if inviting the reader to come find the hidden treasure inside!   Scriptures have a definite smell too.  Mine smell like brown leather and colored pencil.  The smell that I know hides in its pages is a salty residue from the many tears I have cried as the Holy Ghost has brought comfort, and answers to deep heartfelt prayers.  We covered four of the five senses which leaves taste.  Obviously I am not going to lick my scriptures but I can promise you that I can’t wait to feast on them!