Kindness

One thing Ally is supposed to try and do everyday is a kind deed. On her "important things to do" list (similar to a chore chart) she has the task of "do[ing] a kind deed." Today, her preschool group went to a few elderly women's homes in our ward and sang Christmas songs. When we got home I told Ally that she did a very kind thing today at school and that she could put up a sticker for her kind deed. Ally, excitedly, hopped up on the chair and started following her finger under the line, "do a kind deed," and made her own caption: "Be like Jesus and do something nice like sing songs for the old grandmas." It made me chuckle to hear her say old grandmas. I guess they are much older than her own grandmothers (not her great-grandmas). But, regardless of that, she's starting to understand that when we do kind things we are being like Christ and that Christ is kind to everyone. Even old grandmas.

Charity

Thursday when Viana came home from school the big news of the day was that Gunner, a boy in her class, did not want to play with her. Friday came with even bigger news. Viana hopped out of her classroom and said, "Mom! Gunner is my friend again! I told him his hair looked nice and that I liked the way he combed it and then he smiled at me. He even waved goodbye to me!" This example that Viana gave to me is huge. I have found that when I think someone doesn't like me I don't have the right reaction. I usually avoid them, or smile timidly if I do run into them, or list all the reasons I can think of that they don't like me, or tread lightly when around them certain that each movement I make will sink me even further down their bad list. Instead, I need to be more like Viana. Look for the positive in that person, make an effort to reach out to them, let it be a concern so that I can improve the relationship and then I will probably be pleasantly surprised that even I get a little smile and a wave.

Music and Understanding

I am not making any of this up, it is beautiful and it blew my mind!
Viana likes to sing to CharlyAnn and CharlyAnn loves it. When Viana went to bed I took CharlyAnn out to feed her and told Viana she could sing to her when I brought her back in. I kept CharlyAnn with me for about an hour thinking that Viana would probably have fallen asleep. But when I took CharlyAnn in she was still awake and said, "I have been waiting for you to bring her back so I could sing to her!" As soon as I shut the door Viana burst into the most beautiful song and I had to stand outside the door to listen in. She made it all up and sang it to a beautiful little made up tune. These were the words I was able to record, though there were other themes and doctrines.

"CharlyAnn I love you, God is watching over you always. If you get scared Daddy can give you a blessing because he has the priesthood, when Jesus comes he can give you a blessing cause he has the priesthood too, but Daddy can give you one until Jesus comes, God is watching over you, he wants us to be kind. If someone is being mean to me I will be kind to them because it will make them be kind to me and if I am kind it will make other people happy. God is watching over you, God is your father, Jesus Christ is your Savior I love Jesus as my Savior, Jehovah is another name for Jesus Christ. I do not want Satan to be our Savior. I want to live with God again, god is watching over you CharlyAnn. Jesus sent us to earth to get a body, I love my body, I love my eyes and my mouth and nose, I love my eyes that can see, God is watching over you, God and Jesus are watching over you."