Zane came home today from school with Mother's Day goodies. A wonderful potted plant in full bloom, a cute craft and treats! Yum. On further inspection the craft was a tea pot that opened up and had this poem copied down:
You are there for me in every way
So here's a gift for Mother's Day
You always do so much for me
So relax and have a cup of ___.
Now we all know that the last word should be tea to rhyme with me. However, mine said Hot Chocolate and had a package of hot chocolate included. Zane told me that he told his teacher, Ms Diachuk, that we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ and we don't drink tea. So, she took him to a different room and got him some hot chocolate.
I am so proud of him for standing up for his standards....and not even knowing it. It wasn't a big deal for him. It's just what we do, or don't do in this case.
He is the ONLY kid in his school who belongs to our church. It's never been an issue and I think it's because of his quiet strength and testimony.
I love you Zane! Thanks for being such a great example to me!
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Gift
Being the first Sunday of the month, today was fast Sunday. And we had many reasons to fast. Family members on both sides had requested a family fast either for themselves or on the behalf of others, and I was fasting for strength and resolve in my struggle with food.
And today was HARD! Not that fasting is ever easy. I don't know many people who enjoy being hungry. Who look forward to feeding their children tasty meals or preparing something tasty for the potluck after church while their stomach is growling and moaning. And I was VERY tempted to quit, to give up and give in. But when we began our fast last night we included the kids in our prayer. We explained before about our family members who had requested that we fast and a little about why Heavenly Father asks us to fast. And every time I thought about quitting I would think about these loved ones and would know that they were WORTH my sacrifice and my being hungry and uncomfortable for a few more hours to show that faith and diligence that the Lord has asked for. And as I pondered through the day I also came to realize that I am worth that choice as well. I choose the food that goes in my mouth and how much of it I eat. If I can make the choice to do something hard for those that I love, I can make the choice to do something hard for me. And when I had that small epiphany, it was like the missing puzzle piece fell into place. That obscure thing that I've been trying to figure out was there - being given to me. A gift. And suddenly, fasting wasn't so hard.
I was blessed with another precious gift as well today. During testimony meeting today Zane went up to bear his testimony. It's the first time that he has done that. I had just been out with Brock and as I walked back into the chapel there he was walking up to the front. He waited his turn, got up to the pulpit, and bore a simple and sweet testimony of the gospel truth. And my heart felt pure joy. That was truly one of the best moments I've had since becoming a mom. There is something so sacred and sweet to hear your child, whom you have loved, nurtured, and taught, to express his faith and understanding and knowledge of something you hold so dear. His face shone and I was so proud of him. For his courage and for his strength. How blessed I am to have such fine sons!
We ended the day with a wonderful potluck break the fast held at a dear friend's house. As we were surrounded by friends who love and support us and as we all revelled in the nice weather, the company, and the chaos that comes with a gathering that large (I don't even know how many people were there!) I thought that today was truly a wonderful day that I wanted to remember for a long time.
And today was HARD! Not that fasting is ever easy. I don't know many people who enjoy being hungry. Who look forward to feeding their children tasty meals or preparing something tasty for the potluck after church while their stomach is growling and moaning. And I was VERY tempted to quit, to give up and give in. But when we began our fast last night we included the kids in our prayer. We explained before about our family members who had requested that we fast and a little about why Heavenly Father asks us to fast. And every time I thought about quitting I would think about these loved ones and would know that they were WORTH my sacrifice and my being hungry and uncomfortable for a few more hours to show that faith and diligence that the Lord has asked for. And as I pondered through the day I also came to realize that I am worth that choice as well. I choose the food that goes in my mouth and how much of it I eat. If I can make the choice to do something hard for those that I love, I can make the choice to do something hard for me. And when I had that small epiphany, it was like the missing puzzle piece fell into place. That obscure thing that I've been trying to figure out was there - being given to me. A gift. And suddenly, fasting wasn't so hard.
I was blessed with another precious gift as well today. During testimony meeting today Zane went up to bear his testimony. It's the first time that he has done that. I had just been out with Brock and as I walked back into the chapel there he was walking up to the front. He waited his turn, got up to the pulpit, and bore a simple and sweet testimony of the gospel truth. And my heart felt pure joy. That was truly one of the best moments I've had since becoming a mom. There is something so sacred and sweet to hear your child, whom you have loved, nurtured, and taught, to express his faith and understanding and knowledge of something you hold so dear. His face shone and I was so proud of him. For his courage and for his strength. How blessed I am to have such fine sons!
We ended the day with a wonderful potluck break the fast held at a dear friend's house. As we were surrounded by friends who love and support us and as we all revelled in the nice weather, the company, and the chaos that comes with a gathering that large (I don't even know how many people were there!) I thought that today was truly a wonderful day that I wanted to remember for a long time.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Please and Thank You
Our house has been hit with an epidemic of no please and thank yous being used. And it wasn't just the boys. Mom and Dad have been guilty of it as well. So we had a family home evening on it. First we watched a Backyardigans movie on it - the episode is called The Key to the Nile. I tried to find a video link but found nothing in my 2 minute search...sorry.
Anyways, we told the boys that we were going to watch a movie that was all about our lesson topic and they had to guess what it was. Zane knew it within the first 30 seconds but was good about keeping it a secret and Rhett caught on pretty quick too. In the movie Please and Thank You are paired together in the main song in a very catchy way and we've all been singing or humming it all week! BUT it has made an improvement in all of us using Please and Thank You.
And now for the point of my little story. Rhett has been very diligent in using please and thank you all week. And I appreciate his effort. However, when he asks for something he will say something like this
"please and thank you can I have some lemonade?" or "please and thank you a peanut butter sandwich".
I've tried explaining that you say please first and thank you after your request is filled but he continues to say please and thank you all together. I blame the song. But I'm glad he's saying his please and thank yous!
Anyways, we told the boys that we were going to watch a movie that was all about our lesson topic and they had to guess what it was. Zane knew it within the first 30 seconds but was good about keeping it a secret and Rhett caught on pretty quick too. In the movie Please and Thank You are paired together in the main song in a very catchy way and we've all been singing or humming it all week! BUT it has made an improvement in all of us using Please and Thank You.
And now for the point of my little story. Rhett has been very diligent in using please and thank you all week. And I appreciate his effort. However, when he asks for something he will say something like this
"please and thank you can I have some lemonade?" or "please and thank you a peanut butter sandwich".
I've tried explaining that you say please first and thank you after your request is filled but he continues to say please and thank you all together. I blame the song. But I'm glad he's saying his please and thank yous!
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