Tuesday, March 30, 2010

mar 28 awards


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

mar 21 awards

mar 14 awards

 

Friday, March 19, 2010

the best of the best!


for the past two and a half years i have worked with the young single adults (ysa's) at church as an institute teacher.  this assignment has led to my falling in love with the best calling in the church, and the most amazing group of young people you could ever meet!  truly the best of the best!

BEST calling - i don't know of a single other calling where people come to your class just because they want to. think of it - every other church class is a scheduled part of sunday church, or seminary, or ym/yw.  in that way, this is unique.  it is also wonderful because class is filled with people who know and love the scriptures. i love that i don't have to say, 'let's see what it says in ezekial about that. ....that's in the old testament, guys, on page...' instead it's 'yah, i love that reference. i also love what paul says in romans about that, right here...' 

i loved teaching seminary - 1- because i love the youth, 2- because i feel passionate about teaching from the scriptures, and 3- in spite of the high price paid to teach on that level every day, immersing myself in the scriptures daily was always accompanied by a personal blessing in return. i actually didn't think i'd ever love another calling more.

but then along came institute!  some things i love about it?  sit back. the list is long! 

first, i don't have to put tons of time into 'entertaining' the class to engage them, like you do in seminary. i happen to love that it's in the evening, during the week (not getting up at 4:30 am is a big plus!) i love that those who come know the scriptures, and have a desire to know them better. i love that they come knowing there will probably be something shared that can benefit them in their personal life. i love their maturity. i will struggle when the day comes for me to teach a class again where i have to ask people to be quiet, and focus on the lesson.  such a drain of teacher energy. i love that i was told to use the spirit as a guide to selecting class topics, rather than a manual (okay, sometimes it adds a ton of pressure, but by and large - seeking, then receiving promptings from the spirit regarding a lesson, especially when i am told who that lesson is meant for...yah, it's a sacred experience, to say the least)  i love that so many of them take notes, that they come expecting something beneficial...and leave ready to apply it.  i love that they share with me when a particular lesson has touched them, or made a difference in their lives - via text, facebook, or e-mail. i love the way they actively participate in class discussion. i am amazed at their spiritual insights. truly amazed.  i appreciate their honesty. we don't do 'sunday school' answers. it's always much deeper and more meaningful than that. and i love that they come expecting to feel the spirit - a kind of preparation in and of itself - and becuase of that, we pretty much always do.

BEST young people - even separate from institute, i feel such a tremendous love for the ysa's.  they are constantly on my mind. so much is on their plates at this stage of their lives. so many decisions. so many options. so many temptations. such willingness to serve. so much self-defining. and so much rides on every decision they make. recently my head has been spinning when i think of their lives, and the many changes that have taken place in their lives in the last two and a half years.  let me summarize: 

since fall 2007...
  • 105 ysa's have attended institute 2 or more times (that's a LOT of people to have in your mind and heart all the time! and believe me, even when they're away, they're on my mind...and in my heart)
  • 78 have consistently attended at least one full semester of institute
  • 11 ysa's have been baptized
  • 16 have returned from missions
  • 3 of those have left for and returned from their missions from our class
  • 6 are currently serving missions
  • 1 currently has a mission call
  • 5 are preparing for missions
  • 4 are engaged
  • 9 have gotten married
  • 1 is expecting her first child
  • 3 are serving in the military
  • 8 have graduated from college
  • 37 are presently pursuing a college education
i love them like they were my own. i think of them day and night. i try to stay up on their lives, wherever they are. i love watching them progress, learn, serve, grow, and move on in life.  and though some feel that growing up is highly over rated, they are doing a beautiful job at it. 

take a look at some of them & tell me you don't wish you were me! they make me smile & fill my life with the BEST!

 

Thursday, March 11, 2010

it's too quiet around here

it's a strange feeling to try to settle into believing that this house with only two children at home will be the norm for a while.  a long while.  two feels so empty. 

maybe it feels so empty now because for years our house was the neighborhood gathering place for play, but now most of our children have outgrown that kind of backyard play; i know it's also because brittany was rarely unaccompanied at home before she left for school.  so when brittany left, so did all the people who used to hang here with her.  the contrast of going from all to nothing is the pits...if the truth be known. 

isn't it funny how when we get what we wish for...it isn't always what we want?  sometimes the back to back to back activity kept me in such a spin that i would just wish for a day with nothing going on.  just one please.  i kept wishing for a little quiet time in between all the rush and fun to just breath...or clean up! 

now i have all the time in the world (so to speak. not really as much as i thought i would).  anyway, i have quiet time every day when my kids leave for school.  i could have the cleanest house in town now - but who wants to spend all their 'free' time cleaning?  ha! i always thought if the world slowed down my house would be so perfectly clean and orderly and organized. yah...right. 

years ago a woman gave a talk in church entitled 'this too shall pass'.  i don't know about you, but i can't remember who spoke on what in church last week, let alone over 3 decades ago. but hers has stuck with me all these years. maybe because i'm now living...and watching younger moms, too, live what she taught.

she talked about living with patience thru the things we struggle with, as they will surely pass.  after she went thru all the stages of life with an example of the things that are hard and make us weary that all eventually pass, she went back and reviewed all the good things in life that are also temporary - and pointed out that they, too, pass.  like the creative date nights when you're starving student/newlywed, or the joy of having a baby to snuggle while having to get up exhausted every two hours to feed them, or the joy of all the gathering of children that takes place in your home while you search for a quiet moment to yourself.  when the struggle of that stage passes, so do the parts that bring us joy - often never to return again. 

the six year gap between brittany and rochelle allowed me to see what passed too quickly in the first two girls' early years, and lead me to treasure more fully those same things in my next two children's lives, realizing that these things - while often accompanied by challenges (i mean really, who actually enjoys any aspect of potty training - except the result at the other end of that struggle) are moments & experiences that i may not have realized would pass so quickly. 

so...what has 'passed'? here's a timy sampling of moments that are now just memories. 

rubbing babies' feet while i nurse them; snuggling each child on my lap; being the loud & proud mom at soccer games; giggling little girls; dressup...lots and lots of it; acting out swan princess; the sound of the flute; dune buggy trips; the magic of christmas when everyone believed in santa claus; massive beach umbrella forts - complete with twinky lights (i know i complained about them...a lot...but i really miss them); barbies; daily gourmet lunches with brittany between school & work; tickle fight dog piles; kids on the swings in the back yard trying to kick the purple tree; jumping on the trampoline with the elmo water sprinkler underneath; sisters helping each other look cute; and an infinate number of other things.

makes me want to take stock of the joys of today that i may just be overlooking, and enjoy them more fully. 

in the mean time...what to do with this new 'quiet' stage of life?  haven't really figured that out yet.  probably should just enjoy it...for surely, it too shall pass!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

mar 7 awards

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

feb 28 awards