Every Day is Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! Yesterday my niece got married. I remember when her mother, my youngest sister, was the glowing bride and now she is mother of the bride. Oh my, how time flies! And what a beautiful bride righteous living makes! The bride and groom both were darling and glowing! How exciting for them. And of course, how wonderful that another generation has entered into the sacred covenants of salvation! Way to go little sister! You are a great mom!

Goodbye FaceBook, Helloooo FamilySearch

I've had this growing feeling pressing in my heart lately...I have my quick-links (that always show on the righthand side of my online computer screen) in alphabetical order...Aesop, BYU Broadcasting, Canyons School District, Church News, Dictionary, Facebook, Family Search ... THERE! That's the one! I've noticed I click on Facebook every day to see how you are all doing. I click on FamilySearch now and then. I feel my ancestors prompting my spirit to spend more time on their behalf.

As much as I love knowing what everyone is up to and seeing pictures... I really need to honor this feeling! There are some facebook entries I will really miss... I love the Church's short messages of love and inspiration and there are others but I'm going to spend the summer working on FamilySearch and in the Temple. Maybe later I'll reevaluate.

I also realized that I enjoy the blogs the most so I'm going to continue blogging (I use my blog for some of my journal entries) and continue keeping up with the blogs I love... Please keep in touch via your own amazing blog or via email! Goodbye facebook.... HELLO FAMILYSEARCH! My love to all....

RIP Innocence of Youth...

Thursday morning a couple of my students told me about another student in my class who had been trying to tell a kindergartener what puberty was. Because there had been a couple of prior incidents that seemed unrelated until now with this "purveyer-of-knowledge-student", I started to document my concerns in an email to the principal. Before I could hit "send" I had to take my students to music.

I stopped in the restroom, 2 minutes, tops! As I come out of the faculty room I see 6 of my girls waiting for me. They all start gushing information and hand me a note with names and a list of words and phrases. I have to calm them down. We are in the middle of a busy hall intersection that at the moment is empty but voices carry so I direct them down the hall. There is a little bench for me to sit on. I start asking questions and taking notes.

Apparently, this particular purveyer of knowledge has accomplices. The "vocabulary" list begins with initials and I ask what they mean... all the girls blush... when they describe it for me I realize I know the term and the initials but it's street slang and so far from my use it didn't register until they start telling me... the other words and their meanings are worse...

So I get more names and details and inside I'm weeping because moms and dads now have to explain the birds and bees to ten-year olds and help them overcome the filth and disgust they feel because of how they were introduced to it. Goodbye innocence of youth. Whatever happened to the carefree days of just having fun. So sad... one mother even said to me that the light in her daughter's eyes had gone out and not returned yet...

I was on the phone for what seemed hours. The conversation with the girls' parents was hard and I had to assure them that the principal was aware and an investigation had already begun. The conversation with the boys' parents was harder. I had to tell them the words and gestures their sons had been using at school. And there are consequences...

Yesterday felt like a really, really, REALLY long day.

Gifts from Heaven...

My father's cousin recently sent me an email and asked me to phone him. When I called, he asked if he and his wife Mary could come by. They brought us a book and a music cd by Kim Rives. Both Mark and I were touched by the story, so much so that we invited many friends and family into our home to hear her share her message. The caption on the back of the book reads, "Kim Rives died of cancer. Heaven sent her back with a message." Her experiences have helped me feel and respond differently to our challenges. Her spirit is kind and gentle and powerful. Kim self-published her book so it is not available in stores. I am sharing information here so you can get a copy for yourself. It is truly worth the cost and the time to read it.

I've read several books of people who've had near death experiences. One of those was the one by Lance Richardson. I learned about that book from Terri and Brenda several years ago. I've also read others and honestly, each one touched my heart and helped broaden my understanding. I am especially touched by this book, more so than by the others, because of the way she helps me understand the Savior even better. I have been in awe of Him and his atonement for years. I am even more in awe even to the point of beginning to understand the phrase, sore amazed. What a blessing it is to have a testimony of Him. I am more grateful than words can express.

I am including links to her webpage where you can buy the book and also to a video clip that will help you feel the beautiful spirit and testimony she shares.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnRZGLkp2M4

http://kimrives.com/My_Walk_Through_Heaven/Home.html

Time for Tulips!!

Many of you may remember that tulips are one of my favorites... I'm certain part of the reason is that they are some of the first bursts of color after long, drab, cold winters. And, true to the nature of spring weather, the tulips always get snowed on... bending under the weight of the precipitation (science vocabulary word) and they perk back up and let their light shine! It's definitely tulip time and I'm so excited!

The REST of the Story ....

Some of you know I work in the Young Women's program for my stake. A few weeks ago we attended the 5th Ward Sacrament Mtg. because the young women and their leaders were the whole program. Each young woman and each leader spoke. They also sang a beautiful song we learned for camp last year... which is the real motivation for sharing this story... not the song... camp.

We needed a new Stake Camp Director. As I sat and listened to each speaker I felt really impressed that one of their leaders was supposed to be called as our Stake Camp Director. I was concerned about it because that ward struggles and they have the best leaders in place to really help the situation. The Spirit persisted and I relented and turned in her name... Emma Leavitt...she gave me permission to share her story.

I had the privilege of being there when Emma was set apart. The 2nd Counselor in the Stake Presidency invited her husband to stand with him as they laid hands on her head. Afterwords, I thanked her husband for sharing his wife because I knew it was going to take a lot of time and work. He smiled. And then she said, (with tears welling up in her eyes), "We are grateful to serve because we have some challenges and we need the blessings."

Little did I know that her challenges include the fact that her husband has been ill and doctors can't figure out what's wrong... Little did I know that three and a half months after they were married he had an unexpected seizure that would change their life forever (that seizure left him in the vulnerable and precarious state of a child and many of the things he'd been doing for years, he had to learn all over again... like walking and personal hygiene). Many people, in and out of the church, told Emma to divorce him. She clung to the hope that their marriage is eternal and that one day he would be fully restored. They have been working with this challenge for 6 years now.

Little did I know that their Bishop and both of them received the witness that he would be called home soon. Little did I know that he's already said his goodbyes to his family and friends. Little did I know that the funeral is already planned and that they are saving pennies to pay for it. Little did I know that, in a nutshell, she is facing widow-hood at 36. When I learned all of this I wept and I also looked with new perspective at my own challenges. And she sat there in the Presidency office with gratitude in her heart for a calling that will take quite a bit of time because she says it will help her take her focus off of her sorrows.

What an inspiration! And what a testimony to me that the Lord loves His children. In this instance, it's a good thing I didn't know, "the rest of the story" from the beginning or I might have completely ignored the Spirit... Thank you Emma for your valiant testimony that God blesses and lifts those who serve Him!

At Least I Waited Until I Got Home...

Early this year the principal came in and asked me to please get my ESL (English as a Second Language) Endorsement. I refused based on the fact that I'd heard many of my collegues over the last few years complain about how time consuming it was. After my year last year, dad passing away, court case with Mark's former spouse, etc... I just wanted a simpler year. Well, he told me they changed the format, that the colleges were no longer involved and that it would take less time. I relented and have had this class nearly every Monday night since school started. I'm down to just three more sections! Woohooo!

Anyway, last week the instructor showed this amazing video of a beautiful Chinese boy experiencing his first day of school in America. With all the hope of a new life, his parents work at a resteraunt late into the night. His mother comes home at 1:00 AM and leaves a shoe box and a card on his bedroom floor. He's pretending to be asleep. After his parents go to bed he gets out of bed, reads the note, puts on the bright yellow tennis shoes and crawls back into bed. He gets up in the morning and makes his own breakfast, walks himself to school and then experiences a really sad day because he doesn't understand English. I can barely type the story here without bringing up all the emotion that little film found inside my heart... I got teary during class but managed to contain the flow to only a few that trickled down each cheek. I really wanted to run out of there and find every sad and lonely child and bring them home to my house...

When I got home, I shared the story with Mark... there is a lot more detail than I'm including here. As I told Mark the story, I sobbed. In fact, I cried so hard I gave myself the suck-ups. At least I waited until I got home. I don't know if you can find a copy of this film to view... it was made for educational purposes and is more expensive than a normal video. If possible, it is so very worth the effort and the time because the application is so much more than the original intent! If you do find a copy... maybe you'd better wait until you get home to watch it... truly touching!