I was never a fan of this moody split pea soup room. Today I am supposed to be cool with Daniel flying halfway across the world without a send-off. In my cocoon, waiting to become yielded and still, I see that I must get rid of this color. Immediately.
Our Relief Society presidency was released last Sunday. I have felt all of the emotions about this change in my life, but have landed on joy, and that is where I will stay. I have no ultimate regrets or concerns about things left undone. I know I served with all I had, and was strengthened by God to go beyond that. I have loved this calling, and have thanked my Father in Heaven often for the privilege to serve in such a deep way. Most of all, I have loved the relationships I have been able to build with the people in my neighborhood. My presidency has been ideal for me and for the season we served. Each was so needed in her role, so perfectly prepared by experiences, personal gifts, and goodness. I asked Paige to make a simple sketch of our faces, close together, that I could frame or embroider. I love these women!
Elder Ross leaves for Chile on Monday. Usually in his letters, he shares funny quotes that he hears in his district and some spiritual thoughts. This was a fun letter. -A
Week 6 missionaries get colored dots for their nametags. We think it’s to show people that they hypothetically (on paper) should potentially-if they’ve been working hard-know enough Spanish to be somewhat competent in conversation. It’s actually impressive how much we’ve all learned.
I LOVED the Face To Face event with Elder Cook and two Church historians, Kate Holbrook and Matt Grow last night. I always cheer for Brother Grow. He is the father of one of Tim’s friends.
You can view it here:
They answer questions about transparency in Church history, the accounts of the First Vision, polygamy, translation of the Book of Mormon, and more. The historians’ words are eloquent and full of faith.
It’s a page-turner. But you don’t need a hard copy. You can read it on your devices here. There are links in the electronic document to take you to the primary and secondary sources. This is an approachable history and I am enjoying it!
P.S. Mark likes it, too.
He carries me.
In recent months, it has become very clear to me that empathetic people are powerful influencers. I think one of the things my sons have learned through my Relief Society service is empathy. They have been great supports these past 3 years, and this week, they had the perfect words to say in response to something that happened to me. Then they helped with dinner.
This weekend I learned that I lost the only record I kept of my time as Relief Society president: the calendar with the names of each sister I served every day. In my emotional fog after Daniel left on his mission, I attacked a stack of papers on my desk and tossed them in the recycling, not realizing my calendar must have been among these papers. This is a profound loss to me. I gave up writing in a journal during the years I have served, telling myself that this calendar was to be my record of my time as president. This calendar, God, and I are the only ones who know what I really did during these years, and I have a terrible memory. I have wept on the floor over this loss. Underlying this loss is the fear that what I have done just ascends as smoke and does not matter. But we all know that is nonsense, and in stronger moments than these I will feel better. Acts of love remain, and are never wasted.
Here is something I found from 6 1/2 years ago. Paige plays the piano, Daniel, Timothy, and Mark sing.
I read an interesting article earlier this year about an author and speaker who took back his productivity by carving out one day a week that he labeled, “untouchable.” He allowed no calls, no texts, and no interruptions. He planned for these weekly events sixteen weeks in advance. He analyzed the results of his untouchable days, and he was 10X more productive each week. He has a wife who cared for the kids, so children were not part of his schedule during work hours.
Mothers don’t really get untouchable days, but I have learned that while a whole day may be great, even a few hours alone and untouchable can be helpful. The key for this author and for me has been to make a good plan for the time. Last year, when I wrote my book, my schedule allowed for about three hours a day for personal time. (This many hours was unheard of when I had all the kids at home.) I used one hour for scripture study and two for writing. Years ago, in an Ensign article, a man wrote about his mother who found her productive time was one hour before her ten children got up each day. This was never something I could do without regretting it by 10 am. My untouchable, personal time needs to be in the late morning, after I have done a few jobs around the house so my mind can focus.
I guess with school back in session, I am thinking a lot about productivity and creating good habits. New this year are the little cell phone baskets in the kitchen and we have each made a list of things we want to accomplish with all the time we will have because we are giving our phones a rest. On my list is to write another book and pick up the violin more often. There is a phrase that circulates through the Church of Jesus Christ, and that is that we are trying to raise a “sin resistant generation.” This is a different version of the idea of being “untouchable,” but I believe that taking back our personal time is one way we become spiritually resistant to sin, or untouchable.