1. Family. Many are coming to visit in 2 weeks for M.'s baptism. I'm really excited about that because I have a cool family and I am proud of our daughter. Boy do I have a lot to get ready. I really want all my family to stay here at my house, so if you're staying here and you're reading this, don't mistake my stress for anxiety. Anyway. That sounded bossy. I HOPE to have the backyard done by then, because wouldn't it be nice to have a place for all the kids to play?
2. Death. There's nothing like a premature passing to remind you that life is a gift and that there's no guaranteed time line. Thankfully all the deaths we've heard about lately aren't people in our immediate circle, but the cumulative effect of them all (there are a few others I haven't mentioned here) is sobering. Especially hard is to see or hear about the people suffering from their loss, whether it's a child or a great-grandfather. I am trying to shore up my reserve of courage and faith so that if/when I am ever called to bear that burden--and we all will sometime, which is hard to comprehend when everything is going so well today--I won't have to wonder what I believe.
3. Waste. Brooklyn's post reminded me about consumption and waste. I think the best way to teach is by example, but her words got me thinking.
4. Lost. Did you watch the season premiere? Guess what. We missed about 20 minutes in the middle. I could explain the technical glitch in the DVR recording, but I won't, because who really cares? LOL I am confused . . . what is happening with these flash-forwards? Why was Jack bearded and boozed-up in the first flash-forward (last season) and when visiting Hurley, clean-shaven and professional? Who are the "Oceanic 6" . . . and why are there only 6? Who was that scary black dude in the mental institution? What was the mistake that Hurley made going with Locke? What secret did Jack make sure Hurley wouldn't tell?
Bryce said, "You still like this show, right . . . because if you don't I'm not going to watch it. I'm just in it for you." That's right, honey . . . you weren't glued to the set and freaking out about missing that middle part. j/k
5. Youth. I am so glad I made it to adulthood without doing anything really bad that shut out opportunity for growth--including addiction, dropping out of school, bad grades, terrible friends, etc. I must have had a shield around me because I never wanted to do any of those things. I guess there's nothing I can say or do to *make* my children or the Young Women stay on the right path but I feel a lot of obligation to sure try. I want nothing more in this world than for my children to choose the things that will make them happy.
6. Girls Camp. I'm trying not to get huffy about the difference in budget between my organization and the Scouts. The Camp director found a really cool 3-day river rafting trip which we were totally into for the girls . . . until we did the math and concluded that even with the budget and a hefty family contribution we'd need a killer fundraiser to that netted $1000 to make the fee for 20 girls. Now you might be thinking that this was a really expensive excursion, when it's really that we have a really small budget. The thing that ruffled my feathers--but I'm trying to smooth them back into place and not dwell on it--is that the Scouts want to do the same trip. And they have the money.
We are going to have a fabulous camp regardless--I have the best director and assistant in the whole ward. See me having a good attitude?
7. New Beginnings. That is a special program for all the YW and their parents to kick off the year right. It is THIS WEDNESDAY. Holy shamoly. I feel like we basically have it under control. The theme of the evening is based in the Mutual theme for the year, which is "Be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works." The motif is a lighthouse. We have a musical number that some of the girls are singing, and a skit written and directed by my lovely 2nd counselor. I am giving a talk, of course. I just hope everything goes off without a hitch. I truly believe that everything will be fine but there are a lot of last-minute details to attend to, set up, and supervise. I will be glad when we have that (wonderful, inspiring, excellent) program over with. LOL
8. Mix and Match Day. Didn't you know your're supposed to wear crazy clothes today? Today was Mix and Match Day at Mary's school. Our girl took that to heart. Her outfit included purple capris, patterned shirt, swimsuit over all that, underwear over the swim suit, a baseball tie around her neck, two different shoes and her hair done so that there was one puff-puff down, one puff-puff up, and a tiny bun on top of her head. All morning I've been thinking about her confidence. There's no way I would have done that when I was her age. Some funky socks that didn't go with my outfit--sure. But underwear over a swimsuit? Never. She is a funny girl.
So those are my 8 things on a Friday.
7 comments:
That Scouts/YW money discrepancy is as old as time. This is one of the lesser reasons why feminism happened. Is there a solution to this? In my opinion, there's no doctrinal reason why the money should be unequal. Oh, and I just had this thought - in our ward, the scouts probably have a ton of money because they do a huge fundraiser: they put up flags for the 10 (I think?) national holidays. It's a lot of work. But they do have cool activities.
Here's my "separate but unequal" story from my own YW years:
the ward summer newsletter had the following feature articles:
YM - Get ready for the deep sea fishing trip to Baja!
YW - remember to wear modest clothing as the weather warms up!
Yeah. I pretty much checked out mentally when I read that as a YW. I said to myself, "Yes, I will go to church. But I will look elsewhere for my social life and activities." And I've stayed with that the rest of my life.
Angie
Dang Bryce, you have an opinion AND you shared it with others!!!! Good for you.
Where's Bryce's comment?
I have a thought about your "youth" category. The key to everything is that the Gospel has EVERYTHING WE NEED. This life is not about avoiding all sin, although that would be nice, and is an okay goal to keep in mind. But it is impossible to avoid all sin, so making that a priority creates perfectionism, discouragement, and uncharitable thoughts about those who seem to sin more than we do. Our thoughts, priorities, values, goals must instead be focused on Jesus Christ. He saves us from our weaknesses. He pays the price for our inevitable sins. He gives us hope that we will be able to make it back to Him. And most importantly - He actually has the power to save us!!!!!
Here's what I mean in a real-life example. I know of a young woman who honorably finished the YW program, including all the awards, staying morally clean, etc. After she graduated from high school, she met a married man and became "involved" with him. The ward leadership immediately acted. I'm not sure of all the details, but I know that some who know her felt despair and that a great tragedy was occurring in her life.
Now, I agree that she had created major problems for herself - problems that may possibly stay with her her whole life (e.g., a child). But instead of feeling hopeless, I felt mobilized. Is it the Gospel of Hope, or isn't it? Is it the Gospel of Power, or isn't it? Disciples of Christ are not in the business of creating non-humans who never sin. Followers of Christ know the source of help when sin occurs. It's not "if" we can help each other avoid sin. It's "when" we sin, we turn to Jesus Christ.
Probably the biggest miracle of all is that by focusing on Jesus Christ instead of on avoiding sin, we avoid more sins. Because He is more powerful than my own will power and best intentions to not sin.
I feel so strongly about all of this - I wish sometimes that I worked full time in some religious job. Oh, well.
Angie
Your comments were so thought-provoking! I thought of one more thing:
I have two goals with my children:
1) Have a tight family connection, so that we will help each other through the tough times - sickness, financial reverse, major sin, etc.
2) That the four people in my family know the source of repentance: Jesus Christ.
I actually don't spend much time thinking about how to get them to avoid sin. Because I know we all will. Sin, that is.
Angie
p.s. I actually have tears in my eyes right now, thinking about how amazing Jesus Christ is. I love Him so much, and I know that He is infinitely more powerful than the shadowy, puny, deceptive power of the devil. How weird to get so passionate over a blog comment. :-)
bring it back, bryce! curious minds want to know!
If I can find his comment (I know he saved it somewhere) I will e-mail you. He got worried that he may have spoken too strongly (though I don't think he did). I like parentheses (though I don't think everyone feels the same).
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