Dad ministers to the Leichty's now, and Sis. Leichty had asked if he could give her a blessing (her husband is stepped away from the church right now) to help her be able to play a flute duet in church (performance really causes her anxiety--or maybe it's me--I'm a little nuts 
). She told me as we practiced this week that Spencer had been practicing the piano when she came over, and as she sat waiting for Dad, she noticed that Spencer would mess up, but keep on going. She said it was like a little epiphany for her because messing up is what throws her off and makes her freeze, and it dawned on her that she could just tell herself to keep going (so we practiced doing that). She was sincerely grateful for that little moment from her ministering Teacher! I kind of laughed, "Oh, if messing up helps anyone, we're ALL service around here!" She had decided this year though, that she wanted to do something uncomfortable that was good. She thought she was doing that by joining the choir, but when the director asked her to play her flute, she REALLY felt stretched!--and said yes! I think I still avoid stretching as much as possible, but I love her example, and the reminder of how, even in our imperfections, we can lift each other.
I gave blood and we started an anonymous "12 Days of Christmas" for a couple of neighbors to "Light the World." Wednesday, we woke up to snow, and I had watched youtube videos on how to get our snowblower to start (every beginning of season, we have this problem!). I went out to take things apart, and work on cleaning the carburetor, etc., and it STILL WOULDN'T START?!! Just as I was putting things back together, there comes Kelly Harris shoveling the sidewalks! I thought he'd move right along--already a block from his own home--since I DID have my snowblower out, but he kept shoveling up the driveway until he could ask me what was wrong with it. I told him what I'd done, and as he is apparently a small engine expert(!!), he could tell immediately the fuel line was plugged, and quickly found the one clogged space in the carburetor I hadn't reached, and showed me how to clean it out w/ a safety pin. He also gave me the HUGE tip of buying ethanol-free gas, since he has tons of equipment on their farm land he has to keep up. I thought I saw wings as he walked home, it was SUCH a sweet rescue to me in a small, but impossible problem. As he started working, I assured him he didn't need to spend his day helping me--that we could take it to the shop or I could keep trying--I know he has plenty to keep busy with, but he just mentioned all the hours I'd spent with Brooklyn in Laurels, and acted like he had all the time in the world. SO GRATEFUL!!! I took the time to also clean out the lawnmower engine after he left to avoid the same problem next spring, and cleaned the garage out a little. Wednesdays are always so short though, and before I knew it the kids were getting home for violin and allergy shots, and by the time I got dinner on the table & treats ready for our activity, I knew I would NOT be showering before YW!! I went in my gucky sweats to our activity, and of course, had fun once I got there. Rachel even showed up for a minute, home from college, which warned my heart. I was reminded of Rebecca's little lesson of the ability to serve, even in our imperfections (or sweaty, smelly clothes).
We attended Stewart Morrill's viewing for date night Friday, and LOVED getting to visit with so many dear Syracuse friends like Hardman's, Gower's, Bodily's, Gerlach's, Francis's, and Linder's. We thought of going to SLC to see if there were any standby tickets for the Tabernacle Christmas Concert (I LOVE Kristin Chenoweth!!!), but I wasn't sorry we had that time w/ dear people instead. I took Spencer & Emily on a quick temple trip while Dad finished up some Christmas shopping in Brigham Saturday after their piano recital and a Youth planning breakfast that morning. LOTS of excitement with all of the youth changes in the church! (Anne is cursing me that she wasn't born 24 days sooner to be a Beehive next month
). It's incredible watching the revelation just keep rolling out. Even with all the blessings, I felt uninspired at BYC next to other great leaders, I had to REALLY repent of so much coveting every time I heard of someone who got to go to that concert , FORGOT to hand out the YW Christmas gifts I had brought in the car, AND I was feeling almost resentful/overwhelmed the new curriculum changes where Mothers are to be in charge of gospel teaching, when I'm already in charge of dinner and cleanup and meetings, etc.,--I just wasn't having the best attitude. I came home from church, and prayed out my dumb problems, then felt like delivering as many YW gifts as I could before dinner (we have 40 YW). It was such a blessing to have something to take my mind off myself--it didn't cure all of my concerns, but it stemmed my bitterness. I was pleading as we sang in choir, "Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay close by me forever and love me I pray," because I hate battling all of these mortal pulls. After Jane went to bed, I took the other 3 girls to a local Messiah singalong over at the beautiful Garland Tabernacle. Lucy and Anne were goofing off like toddlers, but to stand and sing to a live orchestra that Hallelujah chorus just melted my heart! Silly wiggly girls digging treats out of my purse, and making me wonder why we came, and then that anthem to our Savior. It was an imperfect, pesky moment that shifted to a minute of Heaven, and that happens SO often! It seems like the Lord is intent on teaching me that there is a need for and beauty in that opposition in all things.
As I struggle and try to be excited about this new Gospel learning in the home (most days I am!), I loved this quote from Pres. Eyring's talk in our Laurel lesson today:
Life in families will test us. That is one of God’s purposes in giving us the gift of mortality—to strengthen us by passing through tests. That will be especially true in family life, where we will find great joy and great sorrow and challenges which may at times seem beyond our power to endure them.
President George Q. Cannon said this about how God has prepared you and me and our children for the tests we will face: “There is not one of us but what God’s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels—invisible beings of power and might—charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping.”
He finishes by promising:"to all of us trying to forge eternal families,...there is joy guaranteed for the faithful."
Awesome that you get to share that joy with so many--Love you so much and pray for you every day!!! Love, Charlotte
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