Yayness!

I get to teach an older Primary class next year!

I've been through the nursery/Sunbeam manual at least five times or so, having been in the nursery twice and the Sunbeams twice (sometimes for more than a year). I did get to teach the Valiant 9s for a few months with my husband, but that's been the extent of my experience with older kids.

This year, I get to teach the CTR 7s, which consists of four girls that will be turning seven this next year. Instead of the simple lessons I'm used to, like being thankful for plants and trees, I get to teach more advanced concepts, like choosing the right and having faith in Jesus Christ.

Wish me luck!

History repeats itself

Well, except for a few things.

I read an article today about a Peruvian woman who gave birth on Christmas morning. That's not the interesting part, though. Her name was Virgen Maria (Virgin Mary), and she named her son Jesus Emanuel. His father is not named Joseph, but he is a carpenter.

By the way, Merry (Belated) Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for so many things; too many to list here. The list I came up with last year pretty much covers it all. I can't think of a thing to add, since the little things fall under those twelve categories.

I try to remember every day all the blessings I have, and to thank my Heavenly Father for what I've been given. I can't say that saying, "At least I have X" always makes me feel better on a bad day, but if I want to be uplifted, it can be.

Anyway, enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Thoughts on a sensitive issue

I believe that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and have a divine nature, regardless of one's gender, sexual orientation, race, creed, etc. As such, we all need to love and respect one another.

I can understand the plight of the LGBT community. Many groups of people have been persecuted for what they believe is right. (Sadly, a lot of it still exists, as has been seen in the news recently, coming from both sides of the argument.) All they want is for their relationships to be seen as normal and accepted by others.

I personally don't care what a person's sexual orientation is. I may not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, but I try to be respectful of the decisions of the few people I know who are gay or bisexual (I don't know any transgender/transsexuals). One of the greatest gifts we've been given on this earth is free agency, the ability to be, think, act, worship, and love the way we feel is right for us.

Despite all this, I have a hard time finding myself accepting gay marriage. Yes, I want to love everyone and give everyone the opportunity to do as they wish without recrimination (as long as it's not destructive, i.e. murder), but I cannot vote for something I don't believe is right.

I belong to a religion that has a bit of history when it comes to the definition of marriage. We used to practice polygamy, albeit only in a minor sector of the early LDS community. Still, there were men that had more than one wife. But that was taken away from us. Polyamorous marriages are illegal; a man can only have one wife, and a woman can only have one husband.

Now, I'm not trying to equate our persecution with that of the LGBT community. We Latter-day Saints seem to get along pretty well without polygamous marriages. I don't see a lot of people, LDS or not, trying to get polygamy recognized as a legal definition of marriage (at least, not on the same scale as gay marriage). But gay marriage is something that will not fall by the wayside.

I'm sorry that my trying to be open-minded and fair to all doesn't yet quite extend to gay marriage. Maybe I'll change my mind in the future. Still, I will use my free agency to believe, and my right as an American to vote, the way that I see fit.

I hope that those who feel so bitter about the passing of Prop 8, and similar other measures taken in other parts of the country, will have their hearts softened, and that they will take their message of tolerance and peace and apply it to this sensitive issue. Remember that you live in a country where you may exercise your right to vote and to try to change things to make this country a better place to live. This particular battle was lost. But what about next time?

MTC, here he comes!

My oldest younger brother enters the Missionary Training Center today, where he will learn how to share the gospel for the next few weeks. If I'm not mistaken, he officially enter the mission field (Phoenix, Arizona) on the 17th of June, and will be there for the next two years.

We had a family party on Sunday after church. My parents and my brothers flew out to Utah on Monday to spend some time with family, and the three remaining members will be coming home Wednesday night.

I'm so pleased with his decision to go on a mission. He's known for most of his life that he was going to go be a missionary, and I'm excited to see it finally happen.

Good luck on your mission, little brother! I know you'll do great!

Mother's Day

I would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to my mom and mother-in-law, and to all my friends and other family members with children.

Tomorrow in my ward, all the women age 18 and over will receive some kind of treat to celebrate Mother's Day. Sometimes it's a flower, or some cookies. One year we got huge chocolate bars. Either way, it's a day to recognize mothers (whether they're raising their own children or someone else's) and the young women who will one day be mothers.

It's also the day that the childless women probably dread and stay home so they don't have to deal with it. I can't escape it this year. My mother-in-law is giving a talk, which means that I get to take grandma to the bathroom and back. And I can't escape afterwards, because I teach the Sunbeams (3-4 year olds). The rest of the day is out as well, as we have our monthly family home evening, which will undoubtedly be centered on Mother's Day. Since the husb is making an effort to be with his family, I have to be there, too. I don't know if I'll get a chance to see my mom, but I'm hoping I can at least drop off the card and flowers I have for her. I would love to stay and have dinner with my family, but I don't know if that'll happen or not.

Celebrating Mother's Day gets harder as the years go by. Five years ago, it was no big deal. We'd been married a couple months and were looking forward to our life together. Now we're hardly farther along than we were when we first started. Really, it's not that I don't have kids and others do. It's that I thought that after five years of marriage, we'd at least be looking forward to starting our family. This fibromyalgia has made it difficult for us to do anything to get on our feet. My hope is that all the waiting will make me a better mother than I otherwise would have been had my husband not developed fibromyalgia.

I'd also like to recognize those who have either lost their mothers or whose mothers weren't a positive force in their lives. I can think of three of my friends who are probably having a hard time feeling like they can celebrate Mother's Day without their mothers.

To those of us who don't fit the "Happy Mother's Day" mold, may I wish you all a Happy Strong Women's Day.

I feel so old!

My oldest younger brother got his mission call last week! He's due at the MTC on May 28th, then off to Phoenix, Arizona for the next two years.

My siblings and I don't really spend a whole lot of time together as just the four of us, and we had a blast hanging out together when we saw Celtic Woman the day he got his call, so we decided that we need to get together a few times to hang out before he leaves.

End of an Era

I just heard that our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away today at the age of 97. He will be sorely missed, and thought of fondly by many. Surely he was welcomed home by the ones he served so well while he fulfilled his mortal mission, namely our Heavenly Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as well as his wife and other family members, friends, and others who were influenced by him during his lifetime.

He came to St. Louis when I was twelve years old for a big conference of the stakes in the area. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember how funny he was, and how happy I was to have him as a prophet. Under his leadership, the St. Louis temple was constructed, and I remember feeling the Spirit so strongly when it was dedicated. I was later sealed for eternity to my husband there, and felt the Spirit then as well.

He has done so much for the church and influenced many people to better themselves. I know he was a prophet of God, and feel blessed to have lived during his presidency. I send my condolences to his family during this difficult time, and share in their happiness and knowledge of eternal families, knowing that they, and we, will see him again after our missions here on earth are complete.

"This isn't a goodbye, just sort of a 'see you later.'"