The (Spiritual) Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round

I put this picture here, because
when Glo sent it to me, I just
felt such gratitude that she keeps
on trying to do all that is good
and smart and kind...while wearing
her new Darth Vader sweater ;-)

Since receiving the exhortation from President Nelson to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, along with the challenge to increase temple attendance, and to be a light, life has been busy for the Kennedys. I think I feel the most sympathy for my student children who already have so much to do, and for Rebecca, who is a full-time, 24/7 mom who is still nursing a baby. However, in so many ways, they are stepping up to do what they should be doing.

I have been surprised to hear that other women and youth are not doing the Book of Mormon challenge, and that's been difficult for me to process. I have always hated the fact that people mock the ancient people who didn't listen to the prophet (Noah, Moses with the brass serpent, Abinadi), but then turn around and don't think they need to listen to our modern-day prophet. I have seriously heard every excuse in the book: I'm already reading it, I don't have time with kids, I don't find the scriptures very interesting. Really? Are you going to let the snakes bite you and die versus looking, or are you going to drown in the flood?

Little Baby has been memorizing scriptures. To put this in perspective, my kids weren't even talking by age three, and Baby can recite scriptures in their fullness.

Ethan and Rebecca have the Washington DC temple just minutes from their home, but because it's being renovated for two years, they drove to Philadelphia to go to the temple.

Johannah and Glo are following a reading schedule for reading the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the year. And I haven't heard one complaint.

And in the hopes of encouraging our Young Women to complete anything that President Nelson has asked them to do, I taught a lesson on what it means to be converted, and to join "God's Army" or "the Lord's battalion". Glo, my fearless artist, created a phenomenal drawing for me of what a YW could look like, fighting Satan and sin and temptation which I then passed out to the YW.

Zoom in on this picture and look at the shield. It's unbelievable.

And Mark leaves us early on a weekend so that he can get back to help Allison teach their Sunbeams. We're being asked to do more and be more. The question is: Will we do it?

Comments

The Quest for Birkenstocks

One of the main reasons I go to Germany every couple of years is to restock my supply of Birkenstocks. I started buying them when I lived there, and I basically can't live without them now. It just about kills me when a pair runs its course and needs to be thrown away. I think in my lifetime, I've thrown away only three pairs. One that never was quite right (the straps were plastic and would cut into my skin after a long day), one pair that I wore gardening one too many times (the brown dirt stains wouldn't come out of the white leather), and the pair that I was wearing when I broke my ankle (they were an unfortunate casualty of broken ankle PTSD because those purple and blue paisleys go down as one of my favorite pairs of all time). I only threw out the garden ones a couple of days before I left for Germany, because I knew I would be getting a new pair. The only store where I have ever bought my Birkenstocks is Hoffmann's in Speicher. (Well okay, t...

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

I'm writing this, not as a complaint, but as a plea. If anyone has any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. My children are talented. In fact, every child that I have ever met is talented in some way. That's the fun thing about meeting kids--discovering those hidden talents. Some of the talents my children possess are very public--you guessed it...music. Some aren't so public--kindness and generosity. My kids are frequently judged by other children because of their musical talents. Other kids see them as "snobs" because they play their instruments well and because they are willing to share those talents whenever asked. My kids never play with arrogance. They recognize that they are better at music than most kids their age, but they never, ever show it. In fact, they are very generous with compliments towards other kids and their efforts with music. I have raised them to appreciate anyone who tries to do anything with music--it's ...

The TOOTH that Broke the Camel's Back

1. Take an already busy doctor and install an EMR (Electronic Medical Record) in his office. Kiss him goodnight at midnight as he begins to "preload" charts for future visits. 2. Host a general authority of the church for our stake conference this weekend. Receive a long "to do" list of jobs just five days before the conference. 3. Feel stress because John is stressed. Try to do his jobs around the house so that he doesn't have to worry about them. 4. Have 16 puppies. 5. Decide to build outside area for puppies. Borrow backhoe from neighbor. Watch John work long past the setting sun, and wake up before anyone else to dig. 6. Use our own tractor to move the dirt. Watch bucket malfunction, cut the fuel line and destroy the fuel pump. Try to catch the leaking diesel fuel in a bucket. 7. Catch cold last weekend. Dread colds like a hemophiliac dreads a small cut. Nurse fever, congestio...

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Search This Blog