T is for Tanner

Tanner has a lot to tell me these days because we are not together for 3 hours every day while he is at school. He is always anxious to tell me about school and the friends he made that day. His one problem is that he can never remember their names - or perhaps he never asked them in the first place. Tonight at dinner - the girls were asking him if he found out the name of a particular girl he had been talking about. He said he asked her her name but it was "complicated". The girls started to throw out names with 3 or more syllables. They all sounded like Rumpelstiltskin trying to guess the friends name. After a few minutes of guessing and laughing - Tanner pipes up with, "I think her name was Anne or something like that."

Tanner came in the house from jumping on the trampoline today and declared: "I am not going to military school!" I tried to find out where this idea came from but he wouldn't say anymore. He got a drink of water and went back outside.

Tonight, we were driving to the church, in the dark to pick up the girls from church. He started singing a song that sounded like a game show theme song and then rapidly fired off words he wanted me to define. He started with "cute" and "darling". He then moved on to damn and piehole. I gave him a definition for dam that included cement, logs and a stream or river turned into a lake. He then asked if there is another dam. I asked him why and he told me that there is a song he knows and that he thought the words to it were: "my damn partner is a monkey" but someone told him those are not the correct words. The correct words are: "my gym partner is a monkey".

So now - I get to wonder where he was singing about his damn partner loud enough for someone to correct him? My apologies to whoever it was and to the parents of any friends to whom he taught that song. He knows better now and hopefully won't do it again.

Comfort and Joy

On Saturday I was getting ready to go to a seminary teacher training meeting at the institute building. I was kind of dragging my feet. I told Steve that I anticipated the first hour - to be a discussion of questions the first year teachers have about the way to run a seminary class.

I WAS a new seminary teacher 2 years ago and could hardly wait to get to the meeting to get answers to my many questions. But now I am a third year seminary teacher. We have our routine. I love the kids. And study like crazy and hope the Holy Ghost will teach them every morning.

What I needed was - more than details on how to run a seminary class (there are lots of details!) -- I had been praying for comfort and joy. I have been letting myself be dragged down by some things going on around me that are out of my realm of responsibility and control. I was feeling heavy-hearted.

For 1 hour and 50 minutes of the meeting, we discussed procedures, tasks, and ideas about how to best run a class. I tried to contribute where I could -- but in a room full of people - I have a difficult time raising my hand and speaking. But I did. And I brought home a few ideas I am going to try. But as I looked at the clock and saw that the time was about over - I was disappointed that we hadn't spent very munch time in the scriptures - discussing doctrine or our Savior.

But then a question came that caused Brother Burton to stop and open his scriptures and remind us that the gospel is to be taught and lived with joy. He read from Mosiah 2:40 and 41:

40 O, all ye ^aold men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, I pray that ye should awake to a^bremembrance of the awful situation of those that have fallen into transgression.

41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

The spirit whispered to me that I needed to loosen my grip on my worries for my friends problems and to dedicate my thoughts more to the blessings of living the gospel. Blessings are all around me. The joy of the gospel is not reserved for after judgement. We can experience joy now. I am so thankful for the multiple examples of people around me who live the gospel and recognize their blessings.

I am grateful that I received the comfort and understanding that I needed. My heart is lighter. I know my Father in Heaven knows me and knew about my worries and my desire to feel joy. I love that the scriptures that are for everyone - can feel so personal.