Surprise!

Last week, I misinterpreted my dad who I thought was inviting the young men of the family to help pour concrete for a new shed on Saturday morning at 10:00 am.

Mark and I drove down to my parents’ house on Saturday morning to discover that the extended family wasn’t gathered and someone had poured some concrete the night before. My parents were surprised to see us, but my dad, being the eternal Boy Scout, had just gotten home from picking up another dozen bags of concrete from the hardware store. At that moment, we had shade, helpers, and materials. So, even though it wasn’t in his morning plan, my dad built the forms and Mark began mixing concrete. Mark also got a few more cousins to come over and help, and just like that, another piece of the foundation was complete.

While I don’t like to surprise people into doing big projects, I am glad that my parents didn’t end up pouring concrete on their own on Saturday night, as my dad later confessed he was planning to do.

Independence Day

As we approach July 4th and all the family memories this evokes, I realize that it might be easy to believe that some years are for making memories and some years are for reminiscing.

My wish is that you can enjoy both this year.

He who binds to himself a joy

Does the winged life destroy

He who kisses the joy as it flies

Lives in eternity’s sunrise

Eternity, by William Blake

(And happy day to us, July 2 is the anniversary of the first day I saw our house in 2012 and knew that we should live here.)

Mark’s Senior Piano Recital

Well, we made it to our last piano recital, and it was a big one. It was a solo recital for Mark, and he played seven pieces.

I have heard nearly every practice session of Mark’s life in our home (11 years of lessons), but Richard and I enjoyed hearing his pieces played on this magnificent piano. Knowing all it took to get to this point made us really appreciate his interpretations and his growth as a musician and a person.

We had 44 in the audience. I wasn’t expecting that many, and we are touched that people came to cheer for Mark. Piano study is usually pretty solitary, unlike sports or band. So, having family and friends fill the recital hall to give one last hurrah for our youngest pianist made this a joyful night.

Relief from Burdens

Shouldn’t things have been easier for us, a future free of these kinds of burdens because we had devoted ourselves with full purpose of heart and mind to serving the Lord? I thought we were aligned with His will. But we, nonetheless, have had the burdens of mortality befall us.

Alignment of our heart and mind with the Savior isn’t a free pass to a life of ease. Instead, it is a conduit to His relief. Bound to the Savior through the covenants we have made with God, we stay aligned with Him and “can do all things through Christ [who strengthens us]” (Philippians 4:13).

To be aligned with the Savior, we need to give ourselves over to Him. We must avoid clinging tenaciously to our burdens and trying to carry them alone. Rather, we must make our burdens accessible to the Savior and allow Him to provide His relief.

President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President

I began reading this article without looking at the author. As I read, I kept thinking, wow, this woman has great insights!

The article can be found here:

Relief through Alignment with the Lord

Work

Mark hopes to spend a few days a week this summer working at Spring Lake. Last week, he left on Tuesday afternoon and came back Friday evening. I heard very little from him. This was the text exchange of the week,

I am thankful to my parents who welcome Mark to come and learn new skills.

Discover, Plan, Act, Reflect

While I was in Alabama, I realized that I should write a little song for Primary day camp, just a super short melody to help us remember a concept. I began writing and whittling down the song until it was just two lines. Richard transcribed it so we had readable sheet music and on Sunday these young women came to our house to learn and record the song.

This little song is to teach the kids at Primary Day Camp how to make goals. Hearing and watching these young women sing these words was a highlight of my week.

I have many gifts from God, and He wants me to grow;

I’ll discover, plan, act, reflect; Seek the Help of the Holy Ghost!

Image from the Church’s Children and Youth Personal Development book

Discovery

A few weeks after Mark’s Prom, I discovered a backpack he had carried that evening in a corner of our mudroom. There were a few objects still inside, and I smiled to see some of what he had collected in order to be prepared: antacids, safety pins (only one remained when the evening was over), toys for entertainment if they had a long wait at the restaurant, snacks, a toothpick, a pencil, and dental flossers for braces. He also carried an umbrella and some other things.

I took a picture to remind myself that Mark knows how to prepare for a journey and that he knows how to take care of himself and others. This is a comfort to me.

The work of Primary

This is a door to the Primary room in the old church building in Provo that I attended as a child. Last July, I took some time to walk the halls and open the doors of classrooms I inhabited year after year, one by one.

I don’t remember my Primary teachers’ names, but I can recall the words of the Primary songs that we were taught. I remember this room as it used to be, with its beautiful miniature wooden pews and a small rostrum where children gave talks. Today, all of those pews and the rostrum are gone, and stacking chairs have replaced the beautiful light wood benches. All that is left of the original woodwork are these doors with funky yellow glass. And yes, I remembered this beautiful double door. It’s odd to me that I remember the setting more than the people who served me as a child, but it helps me realize what is most important when working with children.

My ministry to Primary leaders filters down to the children who receive a benefit without realizing it. The children of our stake don’t know my name, but I pray for them, faithfully. They won’t remember my face, but they will remember the songs we taught them. They won’t remember every lesson given by their teachers, but I believe they will remember these classes were safe and happy places. And they will walk out the doors of their own Primary rooms with the gospel of Jesus Christ in their hearts, just as I did as a child. This is the work of Primary.