Plan of Salvation

We know that there was a great council in heaven before we began our life here on earth.  In that council all of us here chose to follow our Heavenly Father's plan to come to earth, receive a body, be tested and tried, face joy and sorrow, experience hardship and gladness, rely on our Savior's atonement and then one day hopefully return to Him.  I've tried to imagine what that time must have been like.  Thanks to my experience today I think I know a little more how it may have been. 
Today Viana had open house for kindergarten.  The parents got to go and get all the paperwork one cold ever dream of, and the children got to follow their new teacher around for a class tour and procedure explanation.  I watched as this little group of children were preparing for their next step in life.  They were confident that it was time for them to be in kindergarten.  They were a little bit nervous to do something they had never done before.  They were eager to obey their teacher.  They sought to please her and follow her lead.  They were excited about all the new things they would get to do.  It was so neat to see such a blend of emotion that ultimately equaled knowledge of potential and plan.  Which, my friends, is the beauty of the plan of salvation.  We have a plan to follow, and if we do we have such promising potential within us. 

Service

This morning Viana came into my room to wake me up with this news, "Momma, I cleaned the sink in my bathroom so that daddy wouldn't have to and I picked the best toothbrush to use to scrub it and the best washcloth from the bath. Won't Daddy be happy that he won't have to clean it up?"
I want to wake up every morning with thoughts of how to improve Eric's day...even if I have to sacrifice my own toothbrush for it!

Righteous music

Since Viana has become a reader she loves to sing the hymns in church. Today for the opening song we sang hymn 96 "Dearest children, God is near you." The opening lines in the 1st and 2nd verses are, "Dearest children God is near you/watching o'er you day and night/Dearest children, holy angels/watch your actions night and day." As we were nearing the end of the second verse Viana stops singing and says to me, "Even if I think that no one can see me or knows about me someone does because God and his angels always see me." I simply whispered, "That's right," but the power of what she said blew my mind. She was able to pick up on the principles being taught in that song and then apply them to her own life. How often do we breeze through the hymns without taking the time to recognize the teachings within them?

Temple worship/Love for all God's creatures

The owner of this little shoe "gets it" way more than her parents do. Eric and I had planned on going to our ward temple session Saturday morning, but when 6 am rolled around we could not get our bodies out of bed. Once we finally did wake up we tossed around the idea of leaving around 11 or maybe going later in the day. No decisions were made, nor was Viana involved in the conversation. Yet all of a sudden Viana bounces down the hall beaming. She had just gotten dressed and announced, "This will be a great outfit to wear to the temple because it's a skirt and I can play in it." Shortly after that she ran into the bathroom and came back with the hairpiece I had worn at my wedding. "Can I wear this? If I do will I look like a bride at the temple?" I'm not even sure how she caught wind of our potential temple outing, but when I saw her enthusiasm and vigilance for going to the temple I knew we would have to go. How is it so hard sometimes to get to the temple? Viana could think of nothing else at the mere whisper of that possibility. We got there at 6pm, in just enough time for Eric to do initatories and then for me to do the same. While I was in the temple Viana got to take pictures. As we were looking at this spider picture she told me that she had learned that we shouldn't kill God's creatures at the temple because it is a holy place. Even though she killed one spider before this one, she didn't kill this one. And would you believe that these are her own pictures. They are beautiful. I hope Viana can always keep such a straightforward desire to be near the temple and that we can pick-up on that priority as well.

Agency

Tonight Viana asked Eric a question about why he had rasied his hand on only one word during scriptures to which he replied, "I don't know." Viana said, "You do know 'cuz you're you!" We are not objects being acted upon but agents who act. One of our greatest gifts is our agency and the opportunity we have to make our own choices. We have the power to decide for ourselves, whether good or bad.

Honesty

Today we called Brooke in Colorado. Viana wanted to talk to her dearest sister. She got on the phone and on my end I could hear Viana asking Brooke many questions about her trip. Then Viana says, "Don't say good-bye!" and tries to ask more and more questions. When I got back on my mom was laughing. She said Brooke had answered the questions as best she could and tried to say good-bye. When Viana kept persisting Brooke said, "That is all I want to say!" Sometimes I think we overlook the simple honesty that children have and find it without tact or to abrupt, but I think we can learn from them and try to pattern our honesty more like theirs.

Eternal friendship

Brooke was scheduled to leave early this morning on her special trip with Meemaw and Grandbill. Viana still managed to stumble out of bed to fall into a tight embrace with her best friend. "I will miss you Brooke" "I'll miss you too Bee-ana" "I love you." "I love you." "Take care of Doug." "OK" "And help him do his job" "OK."
This makes it easy to see why families are central to Heavenly Fathers plan.

Testimony

Viana taught our FHE lesson on prophets today. She did a wonderful job reading from the Gospel Principles manual and leading a discussion with questions. We then played a prophet matching game and after what we felt was a wonderful lesson she then bore her testimony.

She said, "I know that prophets are true and that we need to follow the prophet and that we will be blessed." She said a few other key lines that were pure and precious that conveyed nothing but a child's simple testimony. We were so touched and so proud of her and really felt the testimony impact our own resolve to follow the prophets a little better.

Patience

Jack and Diana were in town this weekend. The children got to have a sleepover at the hotel with their grandparents. When they came home Sunday morning Jack related this conversation to me:
Viana: Grandad, why did you become an eye doctor?
Jack: I've been asking myself that same question for the last 37 years.
Viana: What question?
Jack: Why I became an eye doctor.
Viana: You like to be an eye doctor don't you?
Jack: Well, yes.
Brooke: No, you LOVE it!
Jack: Sometimes I do, but sometimes I have some strange patients.
Viana: What are patients?
Jack: Those are the people who need to see a doctor.
Brooke: No, 'patients' is what you have to do when you have to wait a long time for something.

:)

Anxiously Engaged

We had planned a trip to Payson to spend time with the Trumans during this, their first week, in their new house. We were pretty excited. So eager in fact that as Eric and I were casually getting ready, planning a departure in about 20 minutes I noticed that the house was very quite. I thought, "Surely the children can't be in the car already." I went outside to check, and sure enough--all 3 of the kids had gotten in and gotten buckled the best they could. I was so touched by their excitement to be with friends and share happy times with them. I think it also depicted such good priority. They were more interested in being with friends than playing a little longer with their own toys.

Faith to heal

Yesterday Ram had a fever. Viana came out of her room and told me that she had prayed that Ram's fever would go away and that "his little eye would get better." About 15 minutes after she told me that heart-touching tidbit she came back and said, "The Holy Ghost told me that Ram needs to take a nap and then wake-up and then take another nap and he will be better." She tried to help Ram lay down for a while for a rest, and then he took another nap, and guess what? This morning Ram is all better.

Prayer

Tonight for family prayer Viana said, "...we are thankful that we could go to church today, and thank you that daddy could go to a meeting tonight, and thank thee that Momma could read books to us for so long..." I just loved seeing her summarize the most important parts of her day, and I also loved seeing how much it meant to her that I took the time to read to her today. As soon as Viana was finished Brooke said, "You forgot to bless Daddy to drive home safe." I told her she could say that in her personal prayers, so she ran off to her room right then. When she met us in the bathroom after her prayer she said, "I also prayed that Spencer would learn not to hit." We can pray for the well-being of those around us and for strength for them in their trials.

Compassion

Ram had a bit of a swollen eye so instead of sending him to nursery he came with us to my gospel essentials class. One of my class members took a fall after class was over. As he tried to regain his footing and stand up Ram stood by with the most sincere look of concern and care on his face. I don't think Ram has really ever met this man before, but yet he could sense that he was injured and tried to express so much compassion in something as simple as a concerned look. I think that is something that I can learn to do.

Obedience

Today in church Viana was sitting next to me singing "Follow the Prophet." She was also listening to the speakers though. The brother who was speaking was talking about our choices and Viana picked up on it when he said, "We each have to chose..." Viana looked at me and said, "I choose to always obey you and Daddy and anyone else that I am supposed to obey."

Acceptance

Today we had a gathering of DT Hall Advisors. What used to be 5 children between the 5 couples when we first met is now 16 children. We even had 5 cousins thrown into the mix so that at one time there were 21 children in the Trumans brand new house. Did the children stay to themselves, play only with their siblings and shy away from the strangers? Not one bit. And yet how was it that there we 7 or 8 other adults there that I did not know that I still do not know? What an interesting contrast to see how the children made instant friends and the adults were the ones to linger with the ones they knew and leave the others to go about their business un-befriended. May I be more accepting and eager to get to know everyone around me.Oh such joyous times!

Love

Ram loves to play outside. Today I had opened the front door so he could meander on out, while still keeping him in ear shot. He was putzing around the sidewalk throwing rocks when I hear Viana say to him out the open toyroom window, "Ram! It's Viana your sister who loves you so much!" One of the greatest commandments and Viana is not ashamed to live it.

Joy

We redeemed my Sagebrush gift certificate for dinner today. After that we went to the Richfield swimming pool for the first time. We took 6 Carters and only about 60 minutes to make it from the door of our house to the steps of the pool. We got there with about an hour left until closing time so the lifeguard let us in free. We were the only family there and had run of the kiddie pool. The kiddie pool was just shallow enough the Brooke and Viana could stand everywhere and Ram could even walk around half of it. Viana could not even contain her excitement that she got to shower before we got in the pool as well as after and that there was a giant ocean mural scene painted on the bathroom walls. As we were rinsing off to go home she said to me, "This has been the funnest day of my whole life."
It is all about outlook, attitude and recognition. I think everyday can be the funnest day when we get to spend time with our family.

Finding the one

Brooke came and told me that she could not find Strawberry--one of her favorite barbies. I told her I had seen her somewhere and to keep looking. Normally when I send the kids off to look for a toy they find so many other toys, get distracted, and forget about the initial one. I thought this was the case because Brooke was gone for a long time. So much so that I had forgotten she was looking for Strawberry. Some time later she came running to me shouting with much jubilation, "I found Strawberry, I found Strawberry!" This toy was so important to her that she was willing to set all else aside and go and find her.
How easy is it for me to lose focus of what I really want or what is really important? I need to remember to stay persistent and consistent.

In His image

Today Ram put on Eric's shoes and in his deepest voice said, "Daddy, daddy," to mimic one of his sisters' favorite games to put on our shoes and pretend to be that parent. I realized how great it is that litle children have the desire to be like their mom or dad, just like we need to have the desire to be like our Father; even if the shoes seem too big to fill. If we work hard we'll keep growing.

Faith

While watching "Testaments" Eric thought Viana would feel discouraged when Jacob's father Helam becomes blinded in the storm, but Viana said, "If Jesus was there, He could heal his eyes." Later in the movie when this in fact does happen Viana said, "See, I knew that would happen."

Submissive

Eric went to go to clean the church building as asked by our Bishop. Viana was sad that her Daddy had to leave and was rather distraught at his going. Once he was out the door she came over to me and said, "I don't want Daddy to go. But it doesn't matter what I want, it matters what Heavenly Father wants."

I couldn't believe her understanding of this very principle that brought about the Atonement. "Not my will, but thine be done."