By the way

One morning last week, my second counselor and I made a visit to a ward Primary leader. We were with her for about a half an hour and I shared a scripture and we prayed together before we said goodbye. As we walked to the car, I was feeling good until we saw the dog.

This large, unleashed dog saw us at the same moment that we saw him and he charged toward us to greet us. I have childhood trauma from mean dogs, and I never want to see a large dog running toward me, friendly or not. So, I was definitely not at my best when I saw this happy? savage? dog running straight for us. “I don’t like anything about this,” I said, and Barbara tried to divert the dog’s attention from me. (Bless her.)

But the owner of the dog was also there, unseen on his skateboard in the street. He ran over to fetch his friendly dog. Still, I hadn’t started breathing yet, and the fight-or-flight chemicals in my veins definitely continued to react.

But then I really looked at the young man. I recognized him! He had been on Tim’s ultimate Frisbee team before the pandemic. And in that moment I knew that I needed to be a friend to him.

I began where I was, flustered, not quite myself, and said, “I know you!”

And suddenly, I remembered his name, which was one that I hadn’t uttered in probably 5 years, and then we were having a surprisingly vulnerable conversation about church. Church!

When he said he wasn’t part of our church, the words, “That’s just fine, we love you all,” came out of my mouth. The young man swept back his hair and we talked for a few more minutes.

“Did I just tell this young man that we loved him?” was the shaming thought that came to my mind as we left the scene. But as more hours and days have passed, I have realized that the words I spoke were really not my own. I also remembered that some of my favorite stories of Jesus happened during unexpected meetings. The woman with an issue of blood was not his original focus or destination, and neither was the Samaritan woman, but these “scenes by the wayside” show his disciples the perfect pattern:

Take time to talk to someone. Be real. Offer hope. Share love. The people you meet by the wayside might just be the ones you are meant to talk to that day.

Ward conferences report

This is my view as I think about my experiences over the past few months. Paige’s watercolors are on one wall. The large canvas print is one I ordered from the Church History Museum gift shop.

We finished a very intense ward conference season on Sunday and I feel a mixture of emotions. As stake Primary president, I have had speaking assignments, teaching opportunities, and ministering visits which have taken my energy and some of my health (cold and flu season stuff), but I miraculously rallied each weekend thanks to the prayers of good friends.

I have felt the love of God for his children, and Primary children in every ward were well behaved and anxious to participate. I have seen a leap in their knowledge and understanding during the past few years because families are teaching them from the scriptures at home. The Come Follow Me program has amazing results!

The passing of my first counselor Anne’s husband in the midst of these conferences has been a source of deep sadness. These words from the Book of Mormon are true of my inspired and faithful presidency, “But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless, they stand fast.” (Alma 58:40)

Here are some words from the song that I taught in each Primary that summarize my thoughts, “I know He lives, I will follow faithfully, my heart I give to him, I know that my Savior loves me.”

I enjoyed this devotional.

The chapel where I watched this devotional had fewer than 50 women in the room. I think many women stayed home to watch online, which is understandable and good. I decided to celebrate Relief Society with my church sisters, and it was a sweet experience.

I keep thinking how much I have grown under the mentorship of President Russell M. Nelson.

He has guided my development in many spiritual skills to make me a better disciple of Christ. Tonight as I listened to him speak, I wrote in the margin of my notebook that he is a friend to women. He is a true friend to me.

Chilly

I haven’t taken any interesting pictures lately, so here is our living room in some rare afternoon sunlight. Ha!

It’s been cold lately. My space heater, hot water bottle, and cozy scarves are keeping me comfortable. I have been prone to being cold for most of my life, but I try not to mention it too often. One of these days that sunlight should break the chill.

Parenting through the veil

I am remembering the anniversary of my grandmother’s passing, Rebecca’s passing, and now my counselor’s husband’s passing. My friend shared a quote with me and I have reflected on it a lot this week. President Nelson said this at his daughter’s funeral, directed to her children. So, this is not something he shared at General Conference. I find it very comforting and it affirms my faith that familiar angels minister to us.

“She can minister to you in what I call ‘parenting through the veil.’ She can see us more clearly than we can see her. We cannot forget her. We do not cease to love her. We are sealed to her by eternal ties. She loves us now more than ever. Her desire for our well-being will be even greater than that which we feel for ourselves. So, dear family, stay tuned.”

Russell M. Nelson

Finished baby quilt

Just a few more weeks until baby McLaughlin comes. We are so excited!

I have waited several days to photograph this quilt because the sun has been elusive. In the end, it is still a moody March light that you see in these images.

Children’s Book Illustrator

Little Baby McLaughlin will be lucky to have Paige as a mom for many reasons. She knows how to raise boys, she is patient and gentle, she is a woman of faith, and she is an artist. It is fun for children to watch a parent draw something well. I bet he will ask her to draw all kinds of things and he will be delighted with the results. Lucky baby.

These children’s books were illustrated by Paige and they were privately published, so they are not available for sale. They were my Christmas presents. I am such a fan of Paige’s work. 💕

To see some of her work, you can look at her website, paigemclaughlinart.com.