Grateful Sabbath

Our faithful home teachers just visited, Mike and Levi, leaving us with a greater spirit and message. Since they truly catered to the boys in their message, which we all love and appreciate, I wanted to read the message from President Monson. Wow! It is the best. It contains a lot of my favorite subjects already, mostly meaning those I need the most work in doing. I love the emphasis and importance he places on goal setting, a great lesson my father has practiced taught us since we were little. Also, not waiting for "special days" to use your best things, which is why I have recently broken out the seldom used Villeroy and Boch I love and received as my day-ware plates, to use whenever I wish. I loved his story of visiting old friends, and especially not putting off those visits until "tomorrow".

I was impressed with my boys, who when asked by Mike the names of the First Presidency, they knew all three. I didn't even know they knew President Eyring and especially President Uchtdorf!

Before this I had read the RG lesson on John the Baptist and the next one on Baptism (to cover my bases since I am not sure what lesson we are on!) and then listened to President Eyring's General Conference talk on the keys of the Priesthood. Because we have been kind of obsessed with Nacho Libre lately, and in it Eskeleton keeps saying something to the effect of "I don't believe in God, I believe in science", I always tell the boys that President Eyring is a scientist, both because the boys both want to be scientists and so they know you can be one and believe in God. And as I was listening to Eyring talk about the keys and thinking about all of the laws of nature that scientists have discovered and then thinking about the laws of the gospel and how Joseph Smith in the lesson manual describes just such an analogy using the laws of nature to explain the laws of the gospel. Amazing! And all in one Sunday morning. I love how I feel that precept by precept I am learning bits and parts and pieces of life, if I tune myself into what I should be doing, who I should be listening to and what I should be reading, especially on an awesome and restful Sabbath day.

Needless to say - even though I am seeing pieces of the gospel, will the struggle to keep my kids from fighting, crying because the right pants can't be found, wanting to eat horribly constantly, not doing their chores, and not getting their way 24-7 ever catch up to what I think I might be learning about the gospel? On that note - I flipped back to lds.org to check out what Mothers had to say about the Joy of Nurturing Children. And I do have to say with all of the whining and fighting and messiness, I wouldn't have it any other way and I hope I am savoring and cherishing these short, fleeting times of childhood. I took Owen skiing on Friday afternoon and after two awesome runs he was done. I was a little disappointed and tried giving him a rest and then persuading him to go back up, to no avail, he was just really tired. Then I was just trying to get him to carry his skis and helmet back up (which he can do with ease) and he was fighting me. A gentleman, who I noticed was standing nearby watching our ordeal, said to me something to the effect of "I'm glad I don't have kids" and immediately I felt so sorry for this man. I was too flustered and misunderstood to retort back how sorry I was that he felt that way, because I feel the most joy when I am with my children, even in the "worst" days, and I would have it no other way. Also, seeing he was alone and skiing thinking I would so rather do only 2 runs with my darling boy than ski all day or any day and be alone, without the giggles, and powder falls, and snowballs, and joy from skiing or doing anything with a child.