When a baby answers a prayer

I am inspired to write this post after seeing a video from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that talks about a woman going through a very difficult time and receiving peace and comfort from holding her little niece.

And anyway, this little experience needs to be recorded for posterity.

Last Christmas, my baby was very, very little. Under seven pounds, little. A couple of days before Christmas I went to the grocery store to get a few things. Isaac was just over a month old. I put little Isaac, who was in his carrier/car seat, in the shopping cart. I remember hearing the gentleman ringing the bell for Salvation Army donations. It was cold, but not bitterly so.

I got my few items ans started to leave the store when an older woman approached me. She seemed a little haggled (but we all do a few days before Christmas). Despite this, she just started gushing over Isaac, who was beaming at her from his seat. It was one of his first truly big smiles.
The woman started to cry and told me that smile helped her so much.
She proceeded to tell me that just days before, her 2 year old grandson was killed in a car accident and her heart was aching so much.
I started to cry too.
She said she felt it was as if her grandson was trying to comfort her, through my baby's smile.
Then she asked what my baby's name was.
I told her and she gasped.
She said her grandson's name was Isaac, too.

One of my little primary kids asked a few weeks ago if miracles still happen.

Yes, they do.

I don't think I will ever see that woman again, but her image, tears and touched heart will always stay with me.

Our Father in Heaven knows us and sends help in unexpected, but purposeful ways.

And After the Fire a Still Small Voice

1Kings 19:11-12

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before theLord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before theLord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Happy Conference Weekend!

LIfe is a Miracle.

It is almost incomprehensible to me how in three short months a person can go from this


to this


Is this the same baby?

It is folks. It is.

See?


Consider now, this little miracle.
A 12 year old boy is at the age of discovery. Yes, that discovery. Girls are cute, interesting and mysterious. Things are taking place in his body that are totally natural, yet are confusing to someone who has never experienced them before. All for the purpose of procreation. It's part of Heavenly Father's plan.

Yet, that mean old devil has a plan too. In fact, he would like nothing more than to distort the beautyof procreation, that partnership with God.

Now, this 12 year old is faced with two distinct and very different messages on this subject. He could go anywhere in the world to find the Adversary's take on the whole thing. Anywhere.

The miracle that has taken place is this: In our home, just at the right time, Heavenly Father's message about families has sounded loud and clear.

This mother can tell her 12 year old the beautiful miracle that is procreation. He can see the joy and happiness that comes from following Heavenly Father's plan. He can witness it everyday! THIS is why we fall in love. THIS is why boys and girls get twitterpated and act all crazy around each other. THIS is why we control ourselves and wait for the right time. THIS is why we have temples.

All for THIS:

Could you let that face down?

I sure couldn't. Or wouldn't want to.

SO much more is offered in Heavenly Father's plan.
So much more.

Don't settle for anything else.

Blessing

Isaac,
you have been a blessing to us since even before you were born.


Today your daddy gave you a blessing. It was very special. Two of your uncles, two of your cousins, and two of our friends stood in the circle with your dad.


Daddy blessed you with physical and spiritual strength, that you would have a desire to serve the Lord, and that you would remember to turn to the Lord for help when you go through hard times.

He blessed you that you would never ever look down on anyone and that you would treat every one as a child of God, that you would be able to see the good in everyone and help them to see it within themselves.

He prayed that you would follow the examples of your brother and sisters.

(grandma Ames made this little blessing outfit for daddy. Sam was also blessed in it.)

We are so happy that you are in our family!


(we can not stay in our church clothes long enough to take a picture! oh well.)
We love you Isaac!

Parenting 505

General Conference April 2011
What a joy to be instructed in this master class of life and parenting.

Some things I will remember most:

"He's been speaking for 10 minutes without a reference to aviation!"
"Waiting on the road to Damascus."
--Uchdoft

Desires > Priorities > Choices > Actions
--Oaks

"Children might not remember the words of the scripture or prayer, but they will remember that you did it."
--Maynes

"Teach your children faith with deep conviction."
--Nelson

"Let it go."
--Packer

"If we handle afflictions properly, they will be consecrated for our gain."
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"
--Johnson

Patterns of revelation
Light switch = immediate illumination (uncommon)
Sunrise = gradual illumination (common)
--Bednar

"The final judgement will not be so much about what we have or have not done, but what we've become"
Chastening > Repentance > Righteousness
--Christofferson

"To be and to do."
"Discipline the child on the "Be" instead of the "Do."
"You may need this child as much as this child needs you."
"Never let an action be associated with an identity."
--Robbins

Ahh....I'm so ready to be a better parent! These lessons meant so much to me and brought comfort to my soul.
I love these little rascals with all my heart!







And I'm so thankful that we have a wise and loving Father in Heaven, who knows us and wants to help us. I am thankful for leaders that live in such a way, that they may teach with an abundance of the spirit. I am thankful for the gospel. It has brought so much happiness and peace in my life.

What messages were meaningful to you?

Walking as a witness.

Happy national Ice Cream Sandwich day! Who knew, right? Guess what we had for our family night treat?

I feel that I should write down a few words about our experience from Trek last week. The truth is, when I think about it right now, I'm so overwhelmed that I'm just not sure where to start.

My friend and neighbor who does not go to our church, asked me why the heck I would want to spend three days, with teenagers, pulling a hand cart in the desert?

That's a valid question.

See, I belong to a church with this rich history of courage and sacrifice. Service and sacrifice are a huge part of who we are as Latter-day Saints. In 1847, members of our church were forced out of their homes, again, in the middle of winter, after their leader and prophet was murdered. The took only what they could carry in a wagon or handcart and walked about 1300 miles from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Salt Lake valley in Utah. Ultimately 70,000 pioneers followed that first group out to Salt Lake City.

We take so much for granted today.

"Trek" is a planned experience, usually with youth age 14-18 and their leaders, encompassing 3-5 days. Typically it's a recreation of the experience that the pioneers had. Obviously it's not exactly like it, but it gives one a taste of what it might have been like.

No cars, no air conditioning, and *gasp* no cell phones.

Lots of time together. Helping one another. Actually talking to people~one hot, sweaty, tired face to another.

Our leaders chose to have us dress in pioneer clothes.We spent weeks sewing bonnets, skirts and aprons.

So, why do we do it?

Well, we want to do hard things. We want to have experiences that bring us closer together and closer to the Lord. We especially want our youth to have an understanding of the sacrifices that have been made so they could worship so freely.
And guess what?
We also want to have fun.

Nobody really got that at first.
In fact, there were not a whole lot of people that really wanted to go

Even I started to have my doubts a couple of weeks before we left.

Nevertheless, things worked out for us to be able to go.
Thank you Kim and Raleigh! And Mary and Cambrea!

Jeremy and I were asked to go as a "ma and pa."
We had in our "family" myself and Jeremy, two girls, two boys, one woman (she helped with the food and didn't stay with us the whole time) and one man.
Here we are at the beginning. Mostly all smiles and fresh as daisies.

(photo by Diane Edman)

We walked, pushing a handcart loaded with buckets, gear and water, 8 miles the first and second day and about 4 miles the third day.
I started to keep a detailed journal the evening before we left.
It got completely soaked after lunch on the first day by this torrential rain storm:


Yes, we had ponchos, but they were some where in the middle of the cart under a tarp that we did not want to move!
So we got wet.
It rained so hard that we had to stop for a while. Plus there was lighting really close. We practiced our "lightning positions."
I'll never forget just sitting in the rain with my "family."

Shortly after the storm passed every one went crazy and started eating grasshoppers. It's true!
Well, not every one. i didn't.
It just started as one person daring another. Totally unplanned, but will be one of the most memorable things about trek.
I've got some video of Jeremy eating one. Only it's very poor quality, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

That night we camped. We sang around a camp fire. We listened to the stories of some pioneers. We played a game. We ate a really delicious dinner of pulled, BBQ beef on rolls. Definitely not roughing it too much.



Although, that ground was pretty hard.

And the boys were loud.

One of the most significant things about the next day was the women's pull.
It sounds crazy.

You take all the men away from the carts, just when the going gets really tough and let the women pull by themselves.

I wasn't too happy about this. But I thought I could handle it just fine. I'm chubby, but I'm strong.
I was wrong. It was hard. Really hard.
The sand was wet and deep. The cart was so super heavy.
Why?
Why did they ask us to do this?
The men couldn't even talk to us. They were instructed not to touch the carts at all.
It sounds crazy. Like some barbaric ritual.
Yet, this really happened. Women had to pull carts across the plains by themselves if their husband died or was called to war.
Still, while I was straining under the weight of the heavy, heavy cart with just my two girls, I asked
why?
And it was hot. Hotter than Hades. Three-O'clock-in-afternoon-in-July-in-Utah hot.
My muscles started to freeze up and the trail never ended. I knew that we would not be able to do this with out help. So we moved our cart to the side and started helping another cart. With six women, the carts went much better. We pushed and pulled to the end and then all went back for the other cart. I tried to sing, "As Sisters in Zion" but could not get more than a few lines out.



(photos by Diane Edman)


When we finally got to the end the men were feebly singing "Come, Come Ye Saints" and as I was pulling I thought, "Is that the best you can do?" Then I looked up and saw the tears in their eyes and understood that it was probably the best they could do.


When we got to camp that night we all just sort of collapsed. Then we we played games, caught snakes, ate another wonderful meal, had an uplifting, spiritual testimony meeting and slept soundly. (At least the leaders did)
The sentiment that night overall was that while most of us were not too excited about Trek at the beginning, we were glad we came.



The leaders were truly inspired with everything from "solo time" to the journals they gave us, the crafts we did, the activities. It was all so well planned and I'm sure that's a huge reason for it's success. There was so much time and sacrifice involved.

We each got to walk for a particular pioneer. We learned about their life and trials on their own trek across the prairie. Mine was Euphemia Mitchell. She joined the church in England and traveled all the way to Salt Lake city with a friend in the Willie Handcart Company. She started out with five pairs of shoes, but they all wore out before the winter was out. Her toes became so frozen that it was necessary to later scrape the flesh from her bones so they could heal. Despite the cold an many hardships, she tried to stay focused on the good things.

"The campfires at night were very good times. We sang Church hymns and they inspired us. 'Come, Come Ye Saints' was my favorite, and we were happy in our labors. A bond of love and frienship was amongst us. We learned the value of resting and keeping the Sabbath Day. we did not choose to remember the pains of hunger and the cold, but wanted to remember the goodness of God unto us."





Joseph Smith said:
A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. Those who do not make the sacrifice cannot enjoy this faith, because men are dependent upon this sacrifice in order to obtain this faith."

I'm so thankful for the opportunity Jeremy and I had to sacrifice a little of our time.
The return was greater than we could have hoped for.

Which is often how the Lord works.














(photo by Diane Edman)

The Joy of Womanhood

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.

Oh, how we pray that every young woman will grow up to be all the wonderful things she is meant to be. We pray that her mother and father will show her the right way. May daughters of God honor the priesthood and sustain worthy priesthood holders. May they understand their own great capacity for strength in the timeless virtues that some would scoff at in a modern, liberated world for women.

May mothers and fathers understand the great potential for good their daughters inherited from their heavenly home. We must nourish their gentleness, their nurturing nature, their innate spirituality and sensitivity, and their bright minds. Celebrate the fact that girls are different from boys. Be thankful for the position they have in God’s grand plan. And always remember what President Hinckley said, “Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good."

--Margaret D. Nadauld, “The Joy of Womanhood,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 14–16

Momentum

We just got back from our sixth "official" performance of Savior of the World.

(eleven more to go.)

It's 10:50 p.m.

Sam and Elise fell asleep on the way home.

The shows have been going well. We're settling into a groove.

We had a couple of interesting things happen, though. One night the sound system went biserk. All the music stopped at a critical point in Mary Magdalene's solo.

In the second act, Mary is at the tomb singing, "Where is he..?"

Just as she gets to the last verse there is a loud noise and then the music quits.

Silence.

Nothing.

Then her beautiful voice sings out, all alone,

"Where is He who dried the tears, of the suffering soul? Where is He who stayed our fears, He who made us whole,
He who healed the broken heart, He who calmed the storm, He who came to save us all. Where is he this morn?"

The music came back on at the very end of her solo. I think the audience may have thought it was suppose to be that way.

She told us afterwards that it was spiritual moment for her.

Sam is ultra compulsive about being in his spot at the right time. He's in a handful of scenes that require him to be in the right spot at the right time. It's nice that I don't have to worry about him. You know what else is nice? He is so kind and attentive to me during the show. He always offers me a chair if we're back stage. He's very loving. He asks if I need water. He's just been so nice.

And he usually is. But there was a moment tonight, when he looked up at me, that my whole being was filled with so much love and gratitude for that ten year old boy.

Elise is having a blast. She has made friends with everyone and everyone has been such a big help to her. I watch back stage while she says her lines on stage and I wonder at her confidence and grace. (Of course, off stage she's my lively, "sort-of-tom-boy", eight-year-old ball of energy.) But I'm grateful for that moment that I get to watch and get a glimpse of the young woman that ball of energy is becoming.

One thing I love about theater is how close everyone becomes when they are doing a show. It's a beautiful thing. What makes it even more joyous is the fact that in this show, we are all singing and testifying of the Savior and his love for us. It creates such a special environment and allows for moments of spiritual connection with people you hardly know. But then you feel like you've known them all your life.

We've also really enjoyed seeing some of our family and friends in the audience. We look forward to seeing more there! What a choice blessing! We love our family and friends so much.

Tonight we were able to bring a dear sister from our ward to the show. On the way home, as my children slept, we talked. We talked about shepherds and angels, children, houses and struggles. In the midst of the conversation, she told me about her husband's passing seven years ago and how he suffered from pulmonary fibrosis.

She mentioned that in his last moments, with his last breath his whispered "I love you. Thank you," and how that has sustained her these seven years later.

We went on to talk about other things-opera, the weather- but, oh how those few moments of conversation affected me.

It is now 12:13 am and I'm thinking of all these things and trying to weave them together, because in my mind I can see how they connect.

Perhaps it goes something like this:

This life is only a moment.

A moment made up of smaller moments

that will ultimately lead us all to the same moment of reckoning.

I am so grateful for the moments in my life that have brought me closer to my Savior. Never some big, grand revelation, but always small moments for me.

I'm grateful to know that during his greatest sorrow and anguish, Jesus Christ loved me

and you,

enough to endure that moment, so we can live with him, and our loved ones,

for so much longer than

a moment.

Today's little miracle.

Last week, I took the kids in for their dental check ups.

Four kids. All at the same time.

Where's the special prize box for the moms, I'd like to know?

They all did well, however. Only one had cavities.

My youngest. Sigh....

The dentist suggested we do a "conscious sedation" to ensure success at her next appointment.
(Multiple cavities to fix, poor fourth child.)

This involved having her take several oral medications that would make her calm and drowsy. The dentist specified that it worked well 80% of the time. He said about 20% of the time it didn't work, or had the opposite affect, making the kids super hyper.

I felt ok with it at first, thinking back to the very first appointment with all the screaming and kicking.

But later that night I prayed about it. I received a very strong impression that we should not do the conscious sedation.

I talked it over with Jeremy and he had the same feeling.

I felt very confident when I called the dentist and told him that we would not be using the extra medication. He was a little surprised even though I assured him it would be alright. I could tell he wasn't totally convinced, but he was willing to try, bless him.

We coached Anna on what was going to happen. We let her pick a movie to bring. She picked which stuffed animal she wanted to show the dentist. We promised her a present if she was good. Believe it or not, we also tried to make it seem like it wasn't that big a deal. I also prayed earnestly with lots of faith to know exactly what to tell Anna without needlessly worrying her. She's a pretty smart cookie, ya know.

Nevertheless, I felt a trickle of doubt when I woke up this morning.

Jeremy squashed that doubt for me when he gave Anna a father's blessing.

And then we were off.

Forty-five minutes later a very impressed dental staff was giving Anna hugs and passing out prizes. They could not believe how good she was. She was still, pleasant and cooperative the entire time.

With the conscious sedation, the appointment would have lasted 2 hours.

She did not like the feeling of her mouth being numb, but we assured her it would go away. We went to Target and perused the toy aisle. It was fun to just look at toys with Anna and see what she got excited about. She was so excited to pick out a toy, just for her.

She chose a little toy mixer with a chef's hat, apron and hot mitten.

On the way home I said a little silent prayer and gave happy thanks to my Heavenly Father for hearing and answering our prayers. I know it seems like a very simple thing, but to me it was huge. And to Anna, it's evidence of our Father's loving care for his children.

I don't know if anything bad would have happened if we had gone with the conscious sedation, but I do know that because we listened to the promptings of the Spirit and exercised a little faith, our testimonies are a little bit stronger.

Rhymes with bear gut

This morning's session of conference started out a little rocky. Anna was having a hard time sitting still and nothing was working out for her. Her crayons weren't right, the paper wasn't right, the underwear was bugging her, yadda yadda...

I'm glad they started with President Henry B. Something about his demeanor and the things he chooses to speak about always help me feel the spirit.

"Reach out for your children as our Father in Heaven reaches out to us." I needed to hear that.

"Pray for love to see the good in your companion, that mistakes will seem small...." Jeremy needed to hear that.

My notes from L. Tom Perry to Bishop Burton are very short. Because of the a fore mentioned struggle.

Then during Ann M. Dibb's talk everything got pretty quiet. I enjoyed listening to her cheerful voice and analogies. There are so many ways we can relate Lehi's dream to our lives, I tell you.

Half-way through Elder Nelson's talk, Anna (who's disappearance upstairs went unnoticed) came downstairs.

Claire shrieked. Elise shrilled. Sam gasped.

Before I had a chance to see what all the vocals were about, Anna bolted upstairs and slammed the door to her room.

I gathered a few clues on my way to her room. They chilled me to the core.





Yes.

It was that.

By the time I convinced her to come out, I was prepared for the worst.

But it wasn't so bad.



We went down together to hear President Monson's excellent talk on kindness, service and loving each other.

I'm going to get a big jar and a packet of "warm fuzzies" next week.

And a few big, cute barrettes.

How do you say your prayers?

Anna (my three year old) has taught me a lot about prayer. I have become dependent prayer and have come to realize my nothingness without it. Often my prayers are pleas for patience, understanding, patience, fortitude, patience, kindness and more patience.

Today, while the older kids were at school, Anna and I took a little nap together. She was happy to lay her little head down, because she was so tired. After a little while her three-year-old body was peaceful and still. I got up to go.

Then she startled me by sitting up and saying, "Mom, when I get to see Jesus, I'm gonna look at him and tell him I love him."

Then she flopped back down and went to sleep.

I was taken back by the thought of her just thinking there, all that time (maybe 5min.) about Jesus. I guess I forget, or underestimate what a three-year-old can really understand about him.

It's hard to think of this little girl as angel sometimes. Those of you with especially active kids know what I'm talking about.

But this afternoon I felt like that moment was a gift. A little insight into her tender heart. I glimpse I don't often get. A reminder of who she really is. His, not mine.

Tonight my prayers are full of gratitude and love for this angelic little girl who teaches me so much and fills me up with so much wonder.

Beautiful Day

I come to the water, in faith to begin
My life in God’s kingdom, to cov’nant with Him.
I’ll keep His commandments, I’ll walk in His way
For I am His child and I want to obey.

I am baptized by immersion for remission of sins.
By faith and repentance I am clean before Him.
I’ll prove to the Father by all that I do
I know that His teachings are true.

And after I’m baptized, a blessing is said
As men of the priesthood place hands on my head.
The gift of the Holy Ghost given to me
Will guide me and prompt me to live righteously.
I am baptized by immersion for remission of sins.
Receiving the Holy Ghost, now I begin
To prove to the Father by all that I do,
I know that His teachings are true.

Dear Father, please help me remember this day;
I promise Thy will to obey.

Janice Kapp Perry, “I Come to the Water,” Friend, Mar. 2000, 46–47

An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

This is what I believe, with all my being. I cling to this knowledge in despair, I rejoice more fully because of it, I am forever grateful to the ones who gave me this knowledge, who taught me as a child by their words and deed, to know and love our Savior, and to trust in his infinite atonement.

May this time that we reflect on the sacrifice of Christ's atonement and the miracle of his resurrection give us the desire to reach out to others in love, bring us closer to our families and closer to the One who loves us perfectly.

Happy, wonderful, joyful Easter!

--Sonja

High on a mountain top

Today Jeremy, Samuel and I went to the Draper Temple Dedication. It was a very neat experience. The choir was angelic. The talks were uplifting. (Although..Sam leaned over to me after the first two talks and said, "I didn't know this was going to be like conference.") And the Spirit was felt.

President Monson shared some touching stories about a few families' experiences with the temple, of course remembering every detail and name. He spoke to the youth attending and challenged them to stay the course. He smiled and mouthed the words while the choir sang the beautiful hymns.

I cried when President Erying cried. That guy gets me every time. I love him.

Every speaker mentioned in their talks the fact that when we go through the temple, the temple also goes through us.

There is something so sweet in standing and shouting united with so many people who rejoice in the same thing; who believe as you do; who hope for the same things you hope for.

Today I got to stand, sing, rejoice and give thanks with my husband and son standing right beside me.

It was a good day.