Musings on Mother's Day

Hi Jessie,

It was so nice to visit with you today, and even more so since Grandpa and Grandma were here to visit with you too.  Family is so important.

Mom and I were wondering - could Sis. Jolley join our p-day visit some day?  You (obviously) know her better than we do, and it seems like you have lots of fun together.  We've enjoyed the little glimpses we get of her through your shared videos (rapping in the car, climbing out of a fridge, etc.)  We'd love to get to know her a little better too.  Just a thought.

Sorry today's email is longer than usual.  Today was a nice day and I wanted to capture some it to remember.

We love you very much!

Love,

Dad

Happy Mothers Day!  We didn’t do anything fancy for breakfast today, but we did get the house tidied up before Julie woke up.  Dad, Mom and Randy came over for the sacrament and lunch today, and we had a very nice time. 

The sacrament was nice.  Randy blessed the water, and that was a neat experience.  As I thought about my week, the areas I want to improve, etc., I felt a determination, “This week I am going to do better!”  Almost immediately the thought came, “No, I can’t do it on my own, but together with Jesus, we can.”  Good thought.

After the sacrament Camilla asked if we could sing I Will Walk with Jesus, a new song the primary children are learning.  Emma and Camilla both have the chorus memorized and sang it so well.  The message of the song was so powerful; I had a hard time singing it.  If we get back to Church in time for a Primary Program this year and they sing this song, I’ll be a joyful, teary mess.

Lunch was pasta y fagioli soup made with smoked turkey broth, and it was amazing.  Homemade brownies and ice cream for dessert.  Oh yummy.

Often on Sunday we do “scripture prop charades.”  We choose one object that is the only allowed prop that needs to be used for each scripture story acted out.  Today’s prop was a backpack, and it was so much fun.  Abbie acted out the story of getting the brass plates, putting the backpack on every time she was Laban, taking it off to be other people.  Spencer did Elijah and the priests of Baal.  His face and actions as Elijah mocking the wicked priests were priceless.  Randy and I did Daniel and the Lions’ den; I was a lion.  We had Gideon and the fleece; the allegory of the olive tree; getting the 16 stones for the Jaredites’ barges; the iron rod and tree of life; and more that I can’t remember now.  It really was a lot of fun with creativity and fun interpretations.

We enjoyed visiting with Jessie today for a Mother’s Day visit.  It’s so interesting how things change.  Just a few years ago, there were only two calls home each year – one for Mother’s Day and one at Christmas.  My first Mother’s Day came just a couple weeks after I arrived in South Africa, and I was just starting to get over some serious homesickness, so I decided not to call home.  (I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the same time the family was processing the news that Stephanie was pregnant and she and Scott would be getting married.  In hindsight, that was probably a double-good decision.  I know I wasn’t emotionally prepared to deal with that situation.)  Now with weekly video chats home, the opportunity to visit on special occasions feels more comfortable and less frantic.  We don’t have to compete among the family for time with our missionary or block out hours to visit because we’ll have the opportunity to do it again a few days later.  I think that’s a great blessing.

After dinner (pot roast and roasted vegetables; also fantastic) we joined a Mother’s Day fireside with Elder S. Gifford Nielsen and his wife.  Jessie gave the closing prayer.  That was really neat.

Julie wanted to take a family Mother’s Day picture.  We took lots of pictures, and have lots of funny faces on one child or another in most of them.  Now Neil and Isaac are running laps downstairs because they’re “not tired.”  Humph.  Dad is tired.

Thankful: I am thankful for the women in my life.  Julie is a wonderful wife and mother.  Being a stay-at-home mom is what she wants more than anything else, and she is amazing at it.  She sacrifices her time and interests to bless our family, and does it so well.  I cannot imagine being more blessed than I am.

I am thankful for Jessie.  I know being a missionary isn’t easy for anyone, and she is no exception to that.  In spite of that, she is doing her best and using her talents to contribute to the gathering of Israel.  The friend they met in Spain wants to be baptized.  I’m in awe of the way the Lord is moving his work forward, and the opportunities today’s missionaries have to be an influence for good.  And if all that can be done without tracting, even better! 😊

I’m thankful for my Mom.  I feel like we have a special relationship and understanding.  We’re just on the “same wavelength” in many ways.  I remember coming home from college following her around the house telling her what I was learning in my astronomy class while she went about her tasks.  That’s a memory I will always cherish.

I’m thankful for my mother-in-law.  In popular society, the mother-in-law is supposed to be intolerable and a burden.  It’s not like that for us.  I’m so glad we enjoy doing things with Julie’s mom and dad.  We have had them spend multiple weeks with us at our house, and last summer’s 19 day road trip included lots of time with them.  I feel it is a great blessing that we get along well and enjoy being together.  Truly the Lord is kind.

Ministering: It wasn’t a whole lot of ministering, but we visited with our neighbors the Bates a bit more today.  They are digging a five-foot hole in their front yard to replace a buried stop-and-waste that has failed.  The little girls sat and watched them dig for longer than I realized.  Spencer and I offered to take turns to help dig, but they graciously declined the offer.  We were just getting ready to change our clothes and go over anyway when some friends of their showed up.  We would have been in the way.  But maybe there will be an opportunity to help in the next day or two.

This entry ended up much longer than I expected, and I need to go to sleep.  More later…