Hormones / Steve-O / Sunbeams

I don't know what to blog about, but I have a list of different things to choose from. So I guess I'll just talk about all of them.

Today was fast and testimony meeting at church which is usually every first Sunday. Members of the ward are encouraged to stand and express their knowledge of the divinity of Jesus Christ, that he lives and guides our church, and having tested a principle of the gospel they have expanded their knowledge of the truthfulness of the doctrine. Lots of times, people cry. Sharing the deepest feelings of your heart will invite the Holy Spirit to the meeting, touching hearts, and being made manifest in tears. People may talk about being prompted by the Spirit to get up and share their testimony, but today that feeling did not come to me. I was happy to be sitting with my family listening to even the littlest of Primary children get up and say that the gospel is true and that they love their families. This in turn, creates an upward spiral of testimony bearing since even the youngest testimony has weight with the Spirit.

Like I said, I was sitting and listening when a wealth of hormones was released and I was practically bawling. One of the Primary teachers was the last to go up, and almost before she reached the podium, I could feel the tears behind my eyes. I knew that she had just lost her father on Christmas Day and I was feeling the emotion I knew she would feel when she spoke the words. Because I have a cold and decided not to take medication before church (by choice to avoid the yucky feeling I knew I would have), the tears caused my sinuses to open the floodgates so that when I inhaled, it was audible and several people looked over at me. I could not contain the swelling in my heart for this dear sister. My father dying is a familiar childhood nightmare that I cannot remember without feelings of terror and devastation. And yet, this sister said her tears were those of happiness knowing that she will see her father, her best friend, again someday.

I was almost too exhausted emotionally to continue with the rest of our church meetings (for me, that means Primary for two hours). But I was able to teach Sharing Time about how we are created in our Heavenly Father's image. I just want to mention that our Music Leader is inspired and wonderful. She sings like an angel and loves to sing and teaches the children by example how tangible the Spirit can be after singing. She made my lesson go the extra mile and it was one of the most spiritual moments in Primary for me. I'm speaking mainly of the Senior Primary Sharing Time.

The Junior Primary Sharing Time was the exact same lesson, but having brand new Sunbeams (3 year olds) in Primary for the first time was like trying to contain a bunch of monkeys in a box. One in particular was outspoken and uninhibited and interrupted every chance she got. It made me smile and laugh a few times and remember why Primary is the best place to be in the church. You cannot get this level of entertainment in Relief Society. There are twins in the Sunbeam class, too, and they sang their hearts out today... I Am a Child of God was heard throughout the building. And I am happy that it is the theme for this year because it reminds me of when I first met the Sister Missionaries and was sent on this spiritual journey that has brought so much happiness into my life.

So today was a good day. I waddled around, got lots of well wishes for a safe delivery, lots of offers of babysitting and service. And I was glad that I went to church today. It never fails that if you do what is right, you'll always feel good that you did it.

And finally, I want to wish my brother Steve a Happy Belated Birthday. He turned 26 on Friday. He's the middle of the trio of children that were each born one year apart, all in the month of January. So my youngest brother Shawn is turning 25 on Thursday and then my sister will be 27 on the 26th. I am happy to be adding Zoe's birthday to their birthday month (we usually stack things up in December... tax breaks, you know) and I could have chosen Shawn's birthday for Zoe, but decided that everyone should have their own day.

What's funny about my youngest three siblings is that my three children resemble their personalities so much. They are 2 1/2 years apart, but they follow the same gender order. My daughter is smart and slobby like my sister (sorry Chole, it's just a side effect of your genius, I'm sure). Zack is the risk taker, therefore the most talented (and busted up), just like his Uncle Steve. Seth is the independent one who walks to the drum of his own beat and doesn't really care to perform to anyone's desires... and Shawn is just as easy going and carefree.

Now I will throw a Zoe into the midst, but being six years from Seth and eleven years from Sarah, there's no predicting what she'll be like or if she will resemble anyone in my family. I'm sure we'll draw our own conclusions and Josh's side will definitely come into play. I'm not really thinking that far ahead... I'm still grasping with the idea that come Friday I will exchange an awkward waddle to the bathroom in the middle of the night for a slow, standing, stomach-with-incision, drug induced walk every three hours of the day and night.

Speaking of which.... I gotta go. No really, when you gotta go, you gotta go.