May has arrived. Our children are expected to be in 3 places at once sometimes. Baseball, extra piano rehearsals, church activities, work, school concerts, and performances pull them in many directions. With 4 drivers and 3 cars, we are just scraping by. But wait. Richard and I have to be in all of these places and more. I take it back. It is impossible. Last night there was no dinner. We just ate cereal or whatever we could scavenge. Someone said that she felt May was busier than December. It really is, but there is little baking required. No wonder it feels so difficult. May is December without the carbs.
Grandma’s mailboxes
A few weeks ago I was looking for something at my parents’ house that our family left there by mistake. I went into the craft room where my mom has a shelf for each grandchild to store things. She often uses these to put misplaced items after the grandchildren leave. Inside my kids’ baskets on the shelves, I found the most amazing assortment of notes, drawings, and cards to my kids from their young cousins, who have been using these baskets as mailboxes. My family didn’t know it!
For Family Home Evening last night we decided to write back. We will slip these into their baskets when they aren’t looking. Shhhh! It’s a surprise.
People at work
This is what Paige moved home to last week, but we finished and she has a bedroom again.
So much of my life, our lives, feels like it’s under construction right now. We are stretched. We are challenged.
Paige finished her second year of college, moved home for the summer, and begins her job search tomorrow.
Daniel learned to dance the Lindy Hop in ballroom. This is a seriously difficult dance.
Timothy is filming sketch comedy each day after school. I knew he would be drawn to this eventually.
Mark and Paige painted her room with me.
The boys have a big piano ensemble performance this week.
AP test weeks have arrived.
Richard left in a snowstorm to go camping with the Boy Scouts on Friday and came home happy.
Life is full. I am learning that many things I spend my time doing, thinking they will make the family happy, don’t do this at all. A few examples:
Clean house? Not important to them.
Clean clothing? Important to them.
Conversation at 11pm? Important to teens only.
Talking TO them? Not welcome.
Listening to them? Always important.
Milk and cereal always on hand? Important.
Telling them about what I am reading? Not important. A real turn-off.
Using what I am reading to be more empathetic? Important.
Seasonal decorations? Not important, except at Christmas time.
Freshly painted baseboards? Not important to them.
Much of what I do is just for me, after all. It’s ok to do what I love, but I need to be honest about who I am really serving. Wrapped up in things only I care about under the guise of serving my family is counterproductive. This makes me unapproachable and busy. This is not how I want to be.
Confession
I am addicted to this show. It’s my reward and my escape. I almost didn’t watch it because the editing in the first episode created so much tension that I was nauseous. Then I told myself it was just a bunch of people baking breads and cakes, and the drama was just contrived. I haven’t gained any baking knowledge or skills from this show; I watch it for the people. My favorite bakers are the ones who either keep their humor or remain calm under pressure and tough scrutiny. I love watching people be resilient, how about you?
More than a robot
https://youtu.be/mtE6Va6oOhU
Daniel has been on a robotics team, but it was much more than that. This video made me tear up a little. We are proud of team 6411, rookies who qualified for the world championship competition being held this week.
The 2012 list in 2017
I have never had a to do list last for 5 years. We work at this old house all the time, but it’s mainly things you can’t see, and by “we,” I mean Richard. My contribution is to decorate (put pictures up over all the nail holes) and keep everything clean. Beginning today, I am going to focus on finishing the painting. I will paint with the minutes I have each day until it’s done. I have had it with shabby walls and ceilings.
Daniel is in Houston
Daniel is in Houston with his robotics team this week for the world championships. Today they did a little sight seeing before the competition starts, a visit to Houston Space Center and an Astros game. As the team planned the trip, I told him how much he loved the space center when we lived in Texas, but then I remembered it was only Paige who made it there 19 years ago. Daniel wasn’t even born. Ha!
Easter Journals 2017
How do you teach children to rely on the Savior? How do you help them see a need for a relationship with Jesus Christ? What teaching method will work for ages 10-17? How can I share my testimony in a way they will hear it?
These are a few questions I have been thinking about. I know that these questions can’t be addressed with a one-time effort, but I wanted to make something our family could do each day leading up to Easter to bring us closer to Jesus Christ.
I made an Easter journal for each family member with a scripture to read and a question to answer each day for five days. I printed out questions and art and mounted them in the journals to help inspire writing.
We promised each writing activity would only require 10 minutes. We shortened it to 5 minutes after one day. We read the scriptures aloud and then set a timer for each of us to write in our little journals. I promised I wouldn’t make them share what they wrote and we wouldn’t read what they wrote. We had a short discussion after each journal entry, sharing experiences and ideas. I gave them each a container of Jelly Bellies to eat as they wrote. Richard and I also wrote in journals.
How did it go?
- I don’t know what went on in their hearts, but there was a good feeling in our discussions after we wrote.
- We couldn’t make it happen every day. We had to double up a few times when we had everyone together, in a good mood, and awake.
- They ate a lot of Jelly Bellies.
- We had fun talking about many other things once the activity was over each evening.
These were the scriptures I chose, based on our family’s needs. They are Book of Mormon scriptures to compliment the Bible verses we read every Easter.
- Alma 7:11-12 …That he may know… how to succor his people
- Alma 26:12,16 In his strength I can do all things.
- Alma 38:8-9 No other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Jesus Christ…
- Moroni 9:25-26 May Christ lift thee up [over difficult circumstances]
- Mosiah 16:6-9 He is the light and the life of the world.
Here are a few things we said about Jesus Christ this week in our family:
- He is in every genuine smile, true friendship, beautiful scene, and good family relationship; he is in every act of patience, kindness, and generosity.
- He knows what it’s like to be “us.”
- When he bore our infirmities, this means he took on everything that makes us fall short of perfection.
- Repentance is a joyful thing, and easier than carrying guilt.
- Repentance is simple, like the children of Israel looking to the brazen serpent to be saved from the snakes.
- Repentance is also like Namaan being told to wash in the Jordan 7 times. It is basic and we can be clean.
- He helps us do difficult things like learn a language, be a missionary, and take tests.
- Because of him, can see our family members again who have passed away.
- He is accessible through good music, acts of charity, walking in nature, and taking time to be still.
Happy Easter!
Book Club
There are several women in this photo who are moving or leaving soon for an extended time and they mean a lot to me. I am grateful that our lives overlapped these past few years. One member of our book club passed away a few weeks ago. We were discussing the book she recommended tonight. It was a good book, Carol.
Study Notes
Here are some of my notes from last month’s study of the Book of Mormon. You may have noticed that my scripture projects are always evolving. This last complete reading of the Book of Mormon, I chose to focus on four topics and write down references and quotes related to each. I chose the following topics: faith, prayer, family challenges, and the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Of the four topics, the biggest number of references were about the atonement. I wrote 11 pages of notes about it. The other topics supplied 6 pages of notes each.
Here are a few basic things I gained from this exercise of seeking deeply by topic:
- The Book of Mormon is what it claims to be: another [powerful] testament of Jesus Christ. There were nearly twice as many references about the atonement compared to the other topics I studied.
- Abinadi is my new favorite Book of Mormon prophet because his message is so heavily centered on Jesus Christ. I wrote more of his words (and his Messianic quotes from Isaiah) under the topic of “atonement” than any other Book of Mormon prophet.
- There are no ideal families in the Book of Mormon. What I found in Book of Mormon families was sometimes heartbreaking, but I focused on what parents did in response to the challenges. This was so helpful.
- A common word used to describe how to pray is “pour”, e.g. we need to pour out our souls in prayer. The meaning of this grows as I ponder this simple word.
- I saw that acts of faith always brought miracles, and always required incredible courage. Miraculous outcomes do not always manifest themselves as immediate physical protection. I need to embrace this concept.
These ideas seem simple and basic, but that’s how it is with profound things. Truth is simple. It’s deep, but discernable. I am learning to love the Book of Mormon this year more than I have before.