Can Mom's Keep The Sabbath Day Holy?

When I was newly married my MIL joked about keeping the Sabbath day Holy. She quoted Deuteronomy 5:14 "But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou."

MIL: "See, they mention the servants, strangers, even the donkey, but nothing is said about the mother not working. Mom's never get to rest, not even on the Sabbath."

My first reaction to this was to think, "Oh come on, it's not that bad. And really you could keep it holy if you wanted to."

Then I became a mother myself and I realized that really a mother can't rest. At least, not a mother of small children. Babies must be nursed, diapers must be changed, food must be prepared, kids need to be dressed. It is simply impossible to expect that a mother can spend all day in reverent prayer and worship on any given day of the week. Recently I started to take upon myself this one complaint of my MIL and began to feel like a victim. "Oh poor me, I'm a slave, I am lower than the ass, I must work on Sunday." I've never liked feeling like a victim and I quickly realized that I really wasn't liking myself with this victim attitude going on. So, like many young mothers I know, I have been trying to improve my Sabbath day with small and steady changes. Sure, I may not be able to sit in silent meditation all day long, but neither did Christ. Even he healed the sick on the Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath Day holy is not just about what we should and shouldn't do, but the spirit in which we do things.

Sure I must feed my family, but the food can be simple like tonight's dinner from the Crockpot Lady (Thank you for your awesome and funny blog). I don't need to do it all myself. If I can work in the kitchen, so can everyone. This way the work is quick and family bonding is happening, which is a holy thing.

Sure I must help the younger kids get dressed, but I can have their clothes ready the night before, I can have their daddy help them, and I can do it with a smile and a good sense of humor so it is a fun time instead of a chore.

Sure diapers must be changed or potty training bums be wiped, but.... ok, I'm sorry, there is just no way that is ever going to be a holy thing. It just stinks. But I can remind myself that it won't be this way forever. Someday, in the distant future there will be a day when I am released from the bonds of pottydom and I will sing praises all day long. And until that day I can at least stop my whining and do it with a smile... even if it is a fake smile.

And really, I need not do it all every Sunday. My husband and I can switch off Sundays, giving each other a turn at having a relaxing, meditative Sunday. The kids can be expected to clean up after themselves (or just not make any messes for ONE day every week) and to help with the younger kids.

We can have well planned Sunday-worthy activities ready to do.

I can have a holy attitude one day each week and, thereby, keep my Sabbath day holy.

And if all else fails we can all take naps. =)

What I'm Enjoying

I will back on Monday. Today and tomorrow I will be listening to, taking notes from, and absolutely enjoying General Conference. The best advice, and counsel I've ever heard are given during these meetings. See you when it's over.

Edited to add: So, I mentioned Michal's comment/question to my husband about the ice cream and I guess he felt that it would ruin his rep as the best ice cream buying husband in the blogosphere if I didn't have ice cream to blog about. He just called me from the store and is now on his way home with Haagen Daz Vanilla Honey & Granola Frozen Yogurt and their Mango Sorbet (I'm tellin' ya it is the best sorbet in the world), Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake and Pistachio Pistachio, and some Breyer's Chocolate Crackle and Heath.

I love him so much. And I'm going to totally blame him when I go to my next doctor's appointment and they chew me out for gaining too much weight again(like they did yesterday).

Spiritual Alarm Clock

One of my new favorite blogs is ABBA Stories written by Becks (please stop by and check it out). When I first read her blog's title I thought she must be an ABBA the music group fan. I got a little smarter after finding out that she is really an ABBA fan (Am I the only person who did not know this?):

Where he found people calling upon God with abstract, distant titles, Jesus introduced a homely, personal word, Abba. This word, important to the earliest Christians, translates simply as father; but it is actually slightly less formal than that and contains a flavor of familiarity and trust. (Read whole article here)

Bible Dictionary: A personal, familial term for father as used in Hebrew. It is Aramaic for father, and in Talmudic times was used as a title of honor. It was used in the language of Jesus and the apostles, and later by Greek-speaking Christians, as an intimate name for the Father in Heaven. See Mark 14: 36; Rom. 8: 15; Gal. 4: 6.

Anyway, her blog posts are absolutely lovely. I never come away from there without feeling enlightened, inspired, or wanting to be closer to my Heavenly Father. I also love her humor and her candid honesty. Recently I have been in love with this post that talks about making a very personalized cleaning plan for your home. I will post about what it has helped me do later. Today I want to highlight something that Becks said, not in a post, but in one of her comment streams in response to the question of how to become a morning person. Here is Becks' solution:

Becks' How To Become A Morning Person:

"This first method I used for about three years: Step One: Give birth to a kid who's a morning person. Step Two: Feel guilty for letting the kid wander around the house unattended for hours. Step Three: Let guilt drive you to the action of getting up.

"I used this second method for about a year: Step One: Start getting up early via the old-fashioned alarm clock method. Step Two: Fall asleep on the couch at night from the sheer exhaustion of having been up since 5 am.

"This is my current method of waking up in time to do everything: Step One: Ask God to wake you up however many minutes before your kids do in order for you to have however much time He thinks you need to spend with Him undisturbed. Step Two: Obey. (God frequently embodies our cat to accomplish His answer to my "Will You please wake me up" prayer).

"This is the method I'm going to assume as soon as the outlet situation in our bedroom is resolved: Step One: Set the alarm for 5 am. Step Two: Go to bed at a decent hour.

"And this is the method I'm looking forward to adopting in just a few short years: Step One: Wait for your kids to grow. Step Two: Go back to being a night person."

Now, I've used the prayer method many times when I had a very important reason to wake up at the right time and it really truly works. I can also testify to the fact that Heavenly Father often uses interesting ways to answer this prayer (thanks to the person who decided to call me at 7am on this lovely Sunday morning so that I could indeed get all my church stuff done before the kids woke up instead of sleeping in next to my warm husband... who is still sleeping, the lucky dog). But I had never thought of using it as a means of running my daily life (oh me of little faith).

This week, along with a lot of other changes I am making, I am going to put this to the test. I will let you know what happens =).

Oh, and another great blog that Becks runs is Something Good where, instead of ranting about how your husband didn't take out the garbage AGAIN, you can brag about all the wonderul reasons why you love him. Today's topic is what makes your husband a funny daddy. So, if you have something good to say about the man you love, get over there and share it.

Life In The Fast Lane

Fast Sunday, which is generally the first Sunday of the month, is designated as a time to fast for two meals and bear testimony in a sacrament meeting.

To fast is to go without food and drink voluntarily for a certain period of time. Fasting combined with sincere prayer can strengthen us spiritually, bring us closer to God, and help us prepare ourselves and others to receive His blessings.

Today is Fast Sunday in my religion. This means that no one is eating, but really it means that only those who are over 8 and who aren't pregnant are fasting (or only Cookie and DSSH). DSSH and I usually start and end our fasts at the same time. We also fast for a full 24 hours, starting after lunch on Saturday and ending with an early dinner on Sunday. When Cookie turned 8, and after she was baptized, we explained the law of the fast to her. We told her how mommy and daddy fast but that she is younger and doesn't need to go a full 24 hours. She chose to do 24 hours like us. Don't worry, I keep an eye on her and make sure she does this in a healthy way.

I feel so bad for her right now because I am pregnant and so I am not fasting. This morning she came upstairs and saw me eating. She asked if she could break her fast. This is where I totally admire my little girl. I held her hand and told her, "Honey, I'm going to tell you what I will always tell you when you ask me this. Fasting is between you and the Lord. No one here is going to make you fast, and no one will ever tell you how long you have to fast. If you need help making the decision then go say a prayer and do what you feel is best for you." And she didn't eat. I don't think I would have had her strong will power, or the ability to choose so rightly at so young an age. Part of me wants to make her a big plate of pancakes (don't worry, I don't make baked goods on Fast Sunday so that the fasters don't have to smell food they can't eat) and have her eat till her belly is full. But the other part of me knows that I need to support her in her choices.

This brings me back to me. I didn't mention what it was she saw me eating and that is because I am a bit ashamed. I was eating ice cream... on fast Sunday... for breakfast! I may not be able to fast, but maybe I could be more reserved in the foods I do eat on this special day. I'm going to be thinking about this today and setting myself some pregnant fasting standards. Like fasting from anything unhealthy.

And for any who worry about the health of fasting, don't. Because, when we come home from church it will be time for everyone to break their fast and LDS fasters have a tendency to full make up for any missed calories. Today we will be eating homemade chicken nuggets, coleslaw, oven fries, steamed veggies, with pumpkin muffins, and maybe even a banana cream pie for dessert.

If you have any prayer time available today, please keep my sweet, strong Cookie in your prayers that she will gain from this experience and be all the more blessed for it.

Quiet, Or Reverent?

It was a usual Sunday at church as DSSH and I took turns trying to get the kids to be quiet and taking Sweet terror out to the hall whenever she started screaming. I sat through Primary scowling at my son because he wouldn’t sit still and he kept pretending to shoot the kids around him with his hand “guns”. I came home tired, grumpy, and ready for a nap. Then Brother M calls me and asks if DSSH and I would be willing to talk in Sacrament meeting. I say, “Sure, we would love to. What would you like us to speak about?” I couldn’t help it, I had to laugh when he told me they wanted us to talk about reverence. He quickly assured me that they weren’t trying to single us out, but that they thought we could give good talks. Luckily for him, I couldn’t take offense because Bro. M’s kids can be just as loud as mine. I got excited because I love giving talks in church. I love it because I always learn SO much from them. I started early, I studied, I prayed, I wrote. I wrote about 4 different talks but none of them seemed to be right. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. What was it that my Father in Heaven wanted me to say? It wasn’t until the Friday before the Sunday we were to talk that it finally came to me. It wasn’t until I was babysitting for a dear friend, stuck in small area with eight very active, rather bored, and extremely loud children that I was given the answer to my many prayers. My big problem was that I was treating the topic of reverence as if it was all about being quiet. At that moment my talk fell completely into place and I can’t tell you how humbling an experience it was for me because it was a talk that I’ve needed to hear for some time now. Here it is.

All to often when we talk about reverence we really mean, “Be quiet.” But this is like saying that a rectangle is a square. When you are feeling reverence, which means a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe and even love, it is natural that there is an accompanying quiet, a calmness that enables us to feel the Holy Spirit and be focused. But, you can be extremely quiet without ever feeling reverence. I witnessed two separate acts in the same situation that show this all too clearly. In my old Ward there was a lovely young girl named Mary. Mary was 9 years old and, due to a birth defect, is confined to a wheel chair and is without speech abilities. When we would sing hymns in Sacrament meeting Mary would join in and sing at the top of her lungs and it sounded like wailing and screaming. One Sunday Mary was especially enthusiastic about the song and sang especially loud. During her singing there was a rather irate older gentleman sitting in front of the family who would turn around often and scowl to let them know that Mary was bothering him. After the meeting was over, a woman approached the family and, touching the mother’s arm, said, with tears in her eyes, “I just wanted to let you know that I could hear Mary singing from across the room and it always touches my heart to hear how much she loves the sacred hymns.” Obviously one of these people was being quiet, but the other had been practicing reverence.

Ways We Can Find Reverence in Our Sunday Meetings:
1. Adults need to be focused. When I first started writing this talk I kept writing about all sorts of great ideas for keeping kids quiet in church. If you want to hear those tips come talk to me later. They are great tips, but I know that what a good friend of mine told me is true. The only way to guarantee that children under the age of 6 don’t make noise in church is to not bring them. Sadly, my friend decided to do just that. She decided that she would come back to church when her kids were older, but now they are older and she has yet to return. I noticed something very interesting today as the Sacrament was being passed. It was hushed, peaceful, and full of the spirit, but I could still hear kids. There were still babies crying, little kids talking, and a few papers rustling. It was the attitude of the adults that made that moment peaceful as we all bowed our heads and contemplated the meaning of the sacrament, or at least tried to look like we were. It is us, the adults that really determine the level of reverence in our chapels. Consider the difference it would make if, instead of looking at our kids and saying, ‘Shhh, be quiet!” we were to say, “Can you quiet down so I can hear the speaker? This is a really good talk.” Or instead of letting children see us writing grocery lists or finishing up the lesson we are teaching that day after sacrament, letting them see us watch the speaker with rapt attention? So, what if the speaker is boring?

Henry B. Eyring told a story about his father from when he was a youth. He said they were sitting in church listening to what he thought was the worst talk he had ever heard; but every time he looked over at his father he saw him fully entranced by the speaker. He kept watching his father and never once did his father loose focus. After the meeting Eyring asked his father, “Dad, wasn’t that the worst talk you’ve ever heard? Why were you so interested in it?” His father responded, “When a speaker doesn’t give me what I want from a talk, I give myself the talk for him. Son, if you listen to the Holy Spirit, you will never hear a bad talk.”

I am ashamed to say that it was just a few weeks ago that I actually rolled my eyes while listening to a speaker thinking, “Oh, come on. It is like you are reading from one of the brochures out in the hallway, give me something good.” I cringe now as I think, “What if I had listened to the Holy Spirit, what could I have learned?”

2. Keep a Sunday journal. Think about it, if you have to write something down for each talk you will pay attention so as to hear something pen worthy. You don’t have to write exactly what the speaker is saying, you can record promptings you get from the Holy Spirit from the talks. This is also a great example for your kids and will help them pay attention as well.

3. Have reverent moments every day. If I were to hand you some knitting needles and yarn and say, “Make me a sweater,” or give you a pile of wood and say, “Build me a house,” can you imagine the mess you would make and the frustration you would feel? It is just as problematic to come from a week full of rushing around, easy entertainments, and self gratification and suddenly be expected to suddenly know how to commune with and show reverence for our Holy Father. Everyday we should find time to sit quietly, pray, study our scriptures, and invite the presence of the Holy Spirit, and we need to make sure that our children get this daily experience as well. You don’t need to make them sit on a bench for an hour, but you could turn off the TV, the computer, the radio, and pull out some scripture stories for them to read and some paper for them to write on while you have your quiet moment.

4. Prepare yourselves for the Holy Sabbath Day. In John chapter 4 it talks about the gospel being a living water. In verse 14 it says, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing into everlasting life."
Imagine if you were told that the all water was no longer usable, that it was tainted, but that once a week you could come to a certain place and receive as much water as you could carry to see you through the week for you and your family. Do you think that you would just show up and hold out your hand and try to keep it from trickling out? Would you just bring a cup? Or do you think you would spend time, all week long, cleaning and repairing every vessel you owned to be able to bring home enough water to see you through the week? We should be preparing ourselves throughout the week, not just in a mad rush on Saturday, but all week long, to be ready to receive the living water that we are given each Sabbath day.

I have to admit that it has been far too long since I have been reverent in church, and I need to apologize to my children for that. I hope that I can show them that I dearly love coming to church and that I honestly believe this gospel is living water and worth all the work it takes to obtain it. These things I humbly say, in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sunday Notes

Sorry, no post today. I am going to be sitting here and listening to General Conference today. I love General Conference and all the things I learn and am inspired to do or improve. Even if you aren't a member of my church, I invite you to listen just for a bit. It will help you to understand my beliefs, and you may just hear something uplifting, or of value to yourself. Conference will be going on from 9am-11am (Pacific Time) and the second session goes from 1pm-3pm (Pacific Time).

For Live Audio Streaming in English and MANY other languages click here.

If you want to watch live video click here.

If you want to watch it but it isn't on yet you can watch video sessions from yesterday by clicking on the links given in the lower right corner of the screen on the video site.

General Conference is a big thing for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because it only happens twice a year and we get to hear from all the prophets and apostles. As you watch, and listen to these men, keep in mind that they don't get paid to do this, any of this. All of these men have jobs of their own to support their families. They have been called to hold these positions in the church and they willingly give their time to it. They didn't go to college to to learn about the gospel, and they write these talks themselves. Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think.

Sunday Notes

Do you believe in the Ten Commandments? Do you believe that they are just a good guideline for how to live your life, or do you believe that they are actual commandments, literally written in stone by the hand of God himself? I believe that they are in deed commandments from our literal Father in Heaven.

As a young mother I had to decide what kind of parent I would be. Would I be as strict as my parents were, as lenient as my husband's were, would I be sweet and gentle, or strict and domineering? After reading the ten commandments one day it suddenly struck me, the fact that "Honor thy father and thy mother" was written on the very same stone tablets as "Thou shalt not kill" and "Thou shalt not steal". It was a pretty heavy realization for me at the time and has continued to be a guiding thought as I strive to be a good mother. I try not to sweat the small stuff and to pick and choose my battles but we have always made respect for parents a MUST in our home and I have seen so many good things come of it for our children. They are constantly being praised for their manners and ability to talk with adults. We are able to have so much fun together without loosing our roles as parents because our children understand that we have a job to do as their mom and dad.

I've often wondered, since that moment of enlightenment, about the fact that no where on the Ten Commandments does it say, "Pick your favorite three to obey." Yet that seems to be the attitude of many who say they believe in the Ten Commandments. The only Commandments I ever here quoted by others are the ones about killing, stealing, and adultery. But if they were all important enough to be etched in stone by the hand of the Lord, shouldn't they all be just as important to us as not killing, stealing, or committing adultery? It can be very hard to keep some of the softer sounding commandments like, "Thou shalt not bear false witness" or "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain," but I think they have all been written for very very good reasons and should not be ignored. Currently we, as a family, are really working on, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." It is one thing not to work on the sabbath, it is much harder to "keep it holy." So, if any of you have any suggestions on how to keep the sabbath day holy, please share them with me.

Sunday Notes

Convert: Con=with Vert=to turn Convert=a turning (or changing) in order to "go with"

Last night I was able to attend the adult Stake Conference meeting (if you're not LDS just think of it as church on Saturday night) and one of the speakers gave a great talk on converting to the Gospel of Christ. He mentioned 5 things that a person needs to be able to do in order to allow for a full conversion. I think that these points hold true no matter what you are converting to, whether it be a healthier life style, developing good habits, loving yourself, or any other major change that you want to make in your life.

1. KNOWLEDGE You need to educate yourself so that you know the hows and whys of your conversion.
2. UNDERSTANDING The knowledge is of little use if it doesn't make sense to you.
3. CONSCIOUS DECISION to fully convert, fulfill requirements, participate, and do what is required (Faith without works is dead)
4. SACRIFICE Any change you make in life will require sacrifices. you may have to sacrifice friends, locations, pride, ideas, personal comforts, etc.
5. FAITH IN THE OUTCOME You have to truly believe that steps 1-4 will be worth it in the end, even through the tough times. You must be able to endure to the end before you can obtain the prize.

The Faith Of Monster Man

Monster Man has always been very impressed by the power of prayer. Whenever I am unable to find something important I gather the family for a prayer to help us find it. After praying we always find the object within mere minutes. Then we gather again to offer a prayer of gratitude for the found object. Monster Man used to think this was a Magic Trick performed for us by Heavenly Father. He loved telling people that, "Heavenly Father does magic and mommy finds her keys!" We have always taught our children to pray any time they need special help with something and Monster Man has definitely taken us up on this. Today he was especially upset about having to go to church. He disappeared for a few minutes and then approached me in a very serious manner. He placed his tiny hand on my knee, leaned against my shoulder, looked soberly into my eyes and said,

"Mom, I said a prayer to Heavenly Father asking him to make it not be Sunday and to be Saturday, instead, so we don't have to go to church."

It took all my self control not to laugh at the sweet innocent faith that my son had just exercised. It likewise broke my heart to have to tell him that his faith had been a bit misused. Is it wrong of me to assume that my son's faith can't change the day of the week? After all, we are told that faith can move mountains... I LOVE YOU, MONSTER MAN!!!!

Sunday Notes

The Nourishing Power of Hymns
Elder Jay E. Jensen

Hymns are "an essential part of our church meetings. [They] invite the Spirit of the Lord." They often do this quicker than anything else we may do. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. said, "We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer."

..."some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns." My testimony and conversion to the restored gospel were strongly influenced by singing the hymns of Zion as a young boy. I grew up in the small town of Mapleton, Utah, and attended meetings in what is known today as the "old white church." My 95-year-old mother still lives in Mapleton. When I visit her, I drive past the "old white church," and a flood of sweet memories fills my mind. Among them is the converting power of the hymns we sang in priesthood, Sunday School, and sacrament meetings. My experiences were similar to that of President Hinckley when, as a deacon, he attended a stake priesthood meeting with his father. They sang "Praise to the Man." Later he would say, "I had an impression that has never left that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God." I believe that many of our Saints experience this again and again. Hymns play an essential role in spirituality, revelation, and conversion...

...Sacred among all hymns are those that capture the sacrifice and the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement.
My earliest memories of the healing power of the Savior are associated with sacrament hymns. This sentence is real to me: "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me."
My understanding of the doctrines of the Atonement is connected to the hymns. This verse is illustrative:
How great, how glorious, how complete, Redemption's grand design,Where justice, love, and mercy meet In harmony divine!...

..."Teach your children to love the hymns. Sing them on the Sabbath, in [family] home evening, during scripture study, at prayer time. Sing as you work, as you play, and as you travel together. Sing hymns as lullabies to build faith and testimony in your young ones."...

...I pray that we may eliminate any inappropriate music from our lives and follow the counsel of the First Presidency: "Brothers and sisters, let us use the hymns to invite the Spirit of the Lord into our congregations, our homes, and our personal lives. Let us memorize and ponder them, recite and sing them, and partake of their spiritual nourishment. Know that the song of the righteous is a prayer unto our Father in Heaven, 'and it shall be answered with a blessing upon [your] heads.' " Of these truths I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I have always loved the hymns. On Sunday we turn on the BYU instrumental radio stream online and listen to all the variously styled hymnal music. It definitely adds peace to our Sabbath day.

Sunday Notes

7 year old Billy hid the flowers behind his back as he approached. He wanted them to be a surprise. He was very proud of them because he had helped pick them out. Billy was wearing his Sunday clothes, even though mom had told him he didn't have to. He felt that this was a special occasion and that it needed special clothes. As he walked he rehearsed what he wanted to say. His mom stood by him, gave him a hug, and then stepped back to give him some privacy. Billy cleared his throat.

"Hi, Grandma and Grampsy, mom and dad told me that you were baptized yesterday. I know how special it is to be baptized because I'm going to be baptized myself next month. You guys have always been very good examples to me and it makes me happy to know that you were baptized before me so that it can be another one of your good examples for me. I love you and I miss you."

With that, Billy laid his flowers by the double head stone, ran his fingers along the names of his loved ones, etched in stone, then turned to join his mother in the car. "In many ways each of us is the sum total of what our ancestors were. The virtues they had may be our virtues, their strengths our strengths, and in a way their challenges could be our challenges. Some of their traits may be our traits...

Fortunately our ancestors will have the opportunity to receive and accept the saving ordinances as we identify them and complete these sacred ordinances for them by proxy. We do for them what they cannot do for themselves. It is a very satisfying experience...

I testify that God is a just God, and He will not give privileges to us and withhold them from our forebears. But we will need to do the baptisms, the endowments, and the sealings for them by proxy here on earth in order for us and them to be linked together for eternity ..." ~James E. Faust

Crazy Dayz and Good Food

Yesterday was kind of a silly day for me at church. Sweet Terror was being more Terror than Sweet. She was quite entertaining to the folks sitting around us as she would loudly proclaim, "No, Daddy! Shhhh, quiet!", or as she would softly stick both hands into my hair then suddenly yank both hands up while loudly asking, "Dis yo heer?". I had to take her out twice. At least I wasn't alone. If we had had two more kids in the hall we would have had the entire nursery class doing hall time for bad behavior. Sacrament Meeting finished and that usually spells total freedom from the Sweet Terror for a whole glorious two hours as she goes to nursery. She calls nursery, "Toy Class". All through Sacrament she will say, "Uh, toy class, uh toy class?". So I quickly deposit my baby in the terrible two room and high-tail it to my primary calling (I'm the secretary). While in primary I am constantly having to tell Monster Man to be reverent. He always seems shocked to find out that certain actions do not qualify as reverent, such as shooting people with finger guns, laying on his back with his feet in the air, or jumping in his seat while saying, "Pick me, pick me, I'm reverent!". At one point his teacher (a lovely woman who already has 2 squirmy kids sitting in her lap) calls him over to whisper to him about reverence. Monster Man is leaning close to her, with his hands around her neck, and listening then everyone hears him say, "Ok, teacher. Hey can I give you the Biggest Hug Ever?". My head shoots up, I lunge forward in slow motion, reaching for Sister K, all the time screaming in my head, "NOOOooooooo". I've told you all about the Biggest Hug Ever, haven't I? I've told you all about Monster Man's unholy level of strength, haven't I? When Monster Man offers you a "Biggest Hug Ever", he is really asking if you would like him to decapitate you with his chubby little arms. Luckily Sister K survived, head intact. I think the two kids on her lap prevented him from getting the full leverage needed to complete the decapitation. I resume my normal duties when Sister B gets up to teach her lesson. I'm feeling calm at the moment so I offer to watch Rufus for her.

Rufus is a service dog in training. He ain't no German Shepherd. This guy is the size of a pony. Seriously. He has to be big because he has to be able to carry a full grown, 165 pound man, Sis B's son who is a quadriplegic. If I were to put a saddle on him I could easily take him for a Sunday's canter around the neighborhood without even making him break a sweat. So, I feel rather brave for offering to watch him. Luckily he is usually a very well behaved creature. He was laying calmly on the floor as I sat taking attendance. Then, "Woooosh", I feel the air current move as he moves his gargantuous body up. I quickly grab onto the handle of his vest and maneuver him out to the hall so he doesn't get the kids riled up. If he ever took off running I would either loose my arm or be carried away with him. but he is good. As I take him out I am met by Sis. W who tells me that Sweet Terror is about to be kicked out of nursery for bad behavior. "Dang it all and rasslefrazzlencamelpoop!" I think to myself. I heave Rufus toward the nursery in time to collect the psychotic terror that comes out screaming and pulling her hair. Apparently when they asked her to sit down for snack time she picked up her snack, chucked it at them, threw her cup to the floor, ran under the table to scream, etc... So, I spent the rest of church in the hall with Behemouth Dog and Sweet Terror. The depressing part is that the dog was better trained than my little rose. On the way home S.T. screamed about leaving church, screamed about being put in the car, screamed about being taken out of the car, screamed about being put in the house, threw her lunch on the floor, screamed and kicked about taking a nap, and promptly fell asleep.

Now, after a day like that I usually want several BIG bowls of ice cream to freeze out my headache. Alas! My freezer had betrayed me and there was not even a spoonful left of the sweet cold stuffs that would bring me peace. So instead I settled for making my favorite salsa and yummy no bake cookies.

Lizzy's Favorite Salsa (this is the lazy Sunday quick version):

Seed and chop 1/2 cucumber

Seed and chop one large tomato, or three roma tomatoes

Chop 1/2 medium onion

Seed and chop 1/2 bell pepper

Mince a good handful of cilantro

Stir together with some garlic salt

Liberally shake on Green Tabasco Sauce (it must be green).

A couple splashes of lemon juice, a good stir, some yummy chips and sour cream, and you are good to go.

For full enjoyment, eat when all the kids are down for naps. AAAaaaaahhhh. Food in silence.

P.S. I answered a new question on my advice column. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Still Shaking Out All The Sawdust

Lightening the Load
by Melanie Parker

...As soon as they had disappeared into the thickness of the trees, my brother Kevin threw up his arms in disgust. “He’s doing it again.” Brad and I knew what Kevin was referring to. Our father knew no limits when it came to service. Inconvenience wasn’t in his vocabulary.
“I bet we end up digging that guy out,” whispered Brad, poking gloomily in the dirt with a stick. The day suddenly felt a century long...

...The monstrous six-cord truck was sunk past its axles. Firewood weighed heavily on the bed of the truck increasing the complexity of the problem...

...Feeling like good Samaritans, we quickly hooked up our truck to the Lopez’s. Two spins of our tires later Mr. Lopez frantically waved his arms signaling my dad to stop. Between the weight of both trucks and the soft, marshy earth, our truck had sunk to its axles too...

...“Hey! Hey you over there! Do you think you could help us out of here?”

The stranger nodded slowly and climbed into his truck. When he saw what he had agreed to deal with, he said shortly, “Won’t pull ya loaded.” And with that, he made a graceful exit to his truck.

I looked at my dad and shot him the “You have got to be crazy” glance. He replied with the “What can I do?” shrug. We had no options available. All of us—including the Lopezes—scrambled to the top of the mountain of firewood in the back of our truck ready to destroy our entire day’s labor. As we worked side by side with one another, a strange feeling settled among us. I began to feel a bond with the Lopezes. If we didn’t work together, nobody was leaving tonight. A feeling of appreciation for one another was developing.

Little by little, our truck bed’s load was lessened until it was finally empty. Immediately, it sprang forward like a cheetah pouncing on its prey.

“Well, let’s get started on the Lopez’s truck. It’s not going anywhere loaded.”
The familiar process began yet again. Except this time, the mountain was Mt. Everest and the troops were showing signs of fatigue. The day began to haze over as the sun slowly set behind the mountain skyline.

By the time we’d emptied the truck, the piles of firewood scattered about the muddy meadow surpassed any I had seen before. Once the Lopez’s truck was unloaded, it leaped forward from the sticky mess. Both trucks were now free.

Without hesitating, the Lopezes began throwing the burly logs into the back of our truck. We were touched by their grateful actions, and as a result found hidden strength to finish this eternal load of firewood. I never saw my brothers work harder. Our companions had set a feverish pace, and our pride wouldn’t let us lag behind. When the last block was toppled on, I headed for the truck to climb in but was stopped by my father’s voice.

“There’s one truck left, kids.”

Kevin shook his head in unbelief. “Dad, I don’t think I can do it.”

Dad looked at his crew and smiled. It was a smile that said, “I know you can, and you will.” It was a smile filled with genuine love for his fellowman. It was a smile that told us in 20 years this would make a great family reunion tale.

We loaded that six-cord truck that night for a total of 20 cord of wood we had moved in one day. We never saw our friends again, but a strange bond developed between us that day. Our dad taught us a great lesson of service, one that would have a lasting effect on us. Because our dad had so strongly insisted on helping that family, we learned how wonderful service really feels.
The sore muscles are gone, but we still feel a love for the Lopez family. And I know that in 20 years, ours won’t be the only family reunion where this story is told.

This story made me feel like my little week of "firewood Hades" was nothing to whine about. The firewood is finally all stacked and stored away for next winter. I was able to get through it with out killing any of the people who stood by and watched me stack as they slowly commented, "My, that's a looooooot of wood ya got there". (I'm sorry, but if a woman is sweating you just shouldn't talk to her, unless you are sweating even more than she is.)

The worst part was when I got to the bottom of the pile and realized there was an even bigger pile of sawdust down there. My land lady drove by the place yesterday when the sawdust was still out in all its glory. She called my landlord (who is one of the people I didn't kill) and he came by to tell me that she was upset because the sawdust was on the gravel driveway and it would turn into dirt and get weeds in it and ruin her lovely driveway that we rent, yada yada "that's a big pile of sawdust you've got there" yada. I told him on Tuesday that I would have this all cleaned up by Sunday. I told him the same thing Wednesday. I basically told him this everyday this week. Well, Saturday I filled 10 of those ginormous lawn and garden bags full of sawdust. I put another 6 wheel barrels full of sawdust around all my roses and trees and fence. I have another box of sawdust in my shed. I am proud to say that with the help of a leaf blower, a rake, a wheel barrel, and a neighbor who wanted half of my sawdust, that my driveway looks just as "clean" and gravely as it did LAST Sunday. And I solemnly vow at this moment to never walk by someone who is stacking firewood without helping them!!!

Sunday Notes

Here are some quick quotes from Elder John B. Dickson's conference talk entitled, "Commitment to the Lord"

..."Your Heavenly Father loves each of you and has sent you to earth with a purpose. He has revealed a plan of happiness that, if followed, will ultimately bring you home to His presence, having triumphed over the trials and challenges of this world. Committing yourself now to live by the pattern the Lord has set will give you great strength in the proper use of your moral agency. The sincere commitments you make to yourself and to the Lord will be vital. We learn from the book of Psalms to "commit thy way unto the Lord; . . . and he shall bring it to pass" (Psalm 37:5)."...

..."As you commit now to do the will of the Lord, He will help and strengthen you. Your faith, trust, and desire to follow Him will be your greatest key to success. I know our Heavenly Father loves each of you and that He truly sent His Only Begotten Son to help you and that you can gloriously succeed as you sincerely commit to follow Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

This was a talk aimed at the youth of the church, but it is a lesson I think we adults need to remember and rethink every now and then. I like to think of my new years resolutions in this manner, as well. Was I fully committed when I made those resolutions, or was I just hoping that maybe I would do those things? I can tell which ones I was fully committed to because they have been the "easiest" to keep. Exercising 4 hours a week isn't easy, but I have been able to keep it up because I fully committed to it. Submitting my writing to magazines and newspapers hasn't happened yet because I didn't really, fully, truly believe I could or would (or will). After reading this talk I feel a desire to "gloriously succeed" and think it is time for me to go over my new years resolutions to find the ones that need more commitment. Then, I'm going to ponder, pray, ask for help, and RE-commit myself in the full sense of the word so that I can benefit from the "ease" of predetermined commitment.

What New Years resolutions have you been keeping? Which ones have been hard to keep? Which ones have you deliberately forgotten?