Happy Fathers' Day!

Happy Fathers' Day! I am so lucky to have a great Husband, who is also a great Dad. He loves the kids and teaches them so much about what it takes to be a good person. I am also lucky to have a wonderful father. He's a quiet, unassuming man, but he's so intelligent and has always been willing to share his knowledge with me. You should hear the new and funky music he composed called "Seattle Machine." Maybe I can figure out how to put it on this blog.
And I am also lucky to have a great father-in-law, a man I can admire, who has always been accepting and kind to me. All of these men hold the Priesthood. I can't imagine life without that blessing in my home. Thank you, dads, for your strength and righteousness. They mean more than I can ever say.

I haven't posted in a couple days, but you didn't miss anything major -- just the usual swimming, park lunches, chores, the usual. We did go thrift store and yard sale searching for a used playpen on Saturday for Child Six so I can put him in it while I exercise. By the time the search ended we had a playpen, a bike for Child Five (it's purple and it's a girl's bike, but it works and it has training wheels), a new VCR with two LCD screens for the car ($10! The kids want to drive around constantly just so they can watch stuff in the car), some new videos for the car VCR, and some miscellaneous Tupperware and things that I found. (I make it a policy to always buy used Tupperware with lids wherever I find it. That stuff lasts forever, and if it doesn't you can either get a free replacement or a discount.) Oldest Child and Child Two had a birthday party to attend in the afternoon, so we took Children Four, Five and Six with us. Child Three didn't want to come, but she kept calling Husband's cell phone. "When are you coming back? It's been an hour."

Today we all made it to church (whoo-hoo!) and Child Five went to Primary without so much as a stubborn, "NO!" Five's Primary teachers were just released and now that class is going to have to get used to another teacher, which is hard for that age group. Hopefully there won't be a huge problem. I don't want to have to re-train Five.
I missed half of Sacrament Meeting as I had to take a loud Child Six (and, by default, Child Five) out into the foyer. Six happily crawled around the hall and into some empty classrooms while I chatted with the other parents who had to remove children from the chapel. I also didn't make it to Relief Society. Six was okay until the meeting actually started; then he decided that it was time to go to the Mothers' Room, which is where we spent the rest of the hour. I started preparing my lesson for Gospel Doctrine. I was very flattered to be asked to be a guest teacher for the third week in July. I love teaching Gospel Doctrine. I learn so much.
The Sunday School president asked me to pick a month to teach and gave me a manual so I could preview the lessons. The lesson for July just hit me: Alma 30-31, entitled "All Things Denote There Is a God," and I knew that was the one I wanted to teach. It's about Korihor going amongst the Nephites and teaching that there is no God, that no one could prophecy of any Christ, the atonement is false and that men should live by their own genius and strength. The people bring Korihor before Alma, who asks Korihor if he really believes that. I will probably post my notes on the lesson at a later date.
My Relief Society lesson for next week is based on Elder Wirthlin's talk from the last General Conference entitled, "Concern for the One."

I was thinking the other day about those moments when your life changes. Sometimes those moments are so small and ordinary you don't recognize them until later, when you look back and pinpoint the decision or action that started a new series of events. Sometimes they are reactions to a major event in your life -- a birth, a death, a big change in status. Sometimes they come about as a result of a spiritual revelation; and sometimes it's because of an epiphany. Suddenly your mindset changes so radically you can never go back to the way you were. Everything looks different, feels different. You can't understand why you didn't see it that way before.
I'm not saying I've had any of those moments in the last few days. I was just thinking about them. Most of my moments are the quiet and ordinary choices I make. I choose one thing over another and my life heads in a particular direction, mostly good. I've had a great life. I've been blessed to have the Spirit there when those moments happened. I can't imagine life without that guidance. It would be like a bleak and unending desert, devoid of any direction or purpose to me.

Random thoughts not very well edited. Sorry.