Life is going by quickly; seems I'm constantly trying to be flexible with delays and disappointment; it is full of side track distractions; the smoke of stinky bathrooms & laundry always piling up; dust (literal dust) in every room – especially on top of my black furniture; cinders of irritation come when my patience is lacking; and jolts of reality that things aren't going to happen the way that I want them to.
But then I'm given a day like this past Sunday and it makes all of "that" ok. I am thankful to a loving Heavenly Father that all of us are given the opportunity to be born with a body to experience mortality and partake in "all" that He sees fit to teach us with here on earth. I'm equally grateful for our spiritual brother, Jesus Christ, who provided a way for us to all live together forever someday.
This past Sunday was a special day. The "special"ness didn't come wrapped in a fancy meal or exciting get together, it wasn't even attending church. What made it special to me, this time, was spending simple, uplifting, reflective, & quality time with my sweet family in the comforts of my own home. To others it would just seem a regular day of Sunday activities, but to me it was the perfect day. FYI – Sunday is my favorite day of the week.
We casually woke up (church is now at one!) and socialized while making a yummy breakfast together of french toast and coconut syrup.
We spent the morning playing music at the piano and singing, practicing articles of faith, Mason looking up merit badge requirements, Lexi working on personal progress, and then all us girls' choosing the perfect Sunday outfits to wear to church.
Everyone grabbed their scripture bags and we experienced a typical Sabbath day in Sugar City. Having the opportunity to partake of the sacrament is always special – especially with my family. JT only had to be taken out of Sacrament meeting once – and it was to go to the bathroom! Hoorah for no accidents.
We came home to a crock pot that was a little slower at cooking our meal than we planned, but this freed up time to spend enjoying family home movies and past baptism video from Lexi, Mason, and Lily. Finally dinner was ready after Stephen came home from his second meeting of the day (7pm). While we were eating dessert JT climbed onto my lap and fell asleep! I took him downstairs, eased him into his PJs and tucked him under the covers where he stayed the rest of the night. The rest of the family cleaned up all of the dishes together.
The remainder of the evening consisted of readings from the Ensign, New Era, and Children's Friend. Lexi read from the book, "Others" and told us a story that reminded us to be good examples and friends to all. Lily and Olivia spent time on the Children's friend website and composed talks to give to the whole family before we closed our eyes to go to sleep.
When I laid in my bed I was genuinely happy and at peace. My children were at peace, and had opportunities to strengthen their growing testimonies this day. I cherished each moment as I reflected on the day and numbered it as one of my favorites in the days of motherhood. This was one of the occasional, "beautiful vistas" that President Hinckley spoke of once upon a time and I wanted to take time to seal it up – never to be forgotten.
"Life is like an old-time rail journey–delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." President Gordon B. Hinckley