Tonight I was the kind of mom I want to be.
Today's service challenge was to forgive someone. Tonight I realized the person I needed to forgive was myself.
Today was a good day. I got my 10 pictures of kids hung nicely on the wall by my very skilled brother in-law they are so good to me.
We attended the ward Christmas Party. The Santa was carrying on a legacy. He was really good. He spent time with each child questioning and listening to them. I loved his kindness.
Three generations on the clean-up crew. I love the multi-generational aspect of our ward. There was a beautiful spirit of friendship and love in the hour of clean-up tonight.
This is my family. We are big, we are strong, and we are active. We beat each other up and we love each other together. We are a family.
We were asked to sing the song Picture this Christmas for a spiritual Christmas Program in the Chapel for the ward christmas party. We practiced, and we brought song books. After a nice dinner we went to the chapel where we listened to fellow ward members reverently and beautifully sing songs. Our turn came and we filed to the stand and podium complete with microphone. All were there, almost, Livy came dashing up a few seconds behind the rest like normal. We began and all three little girls began jockeying for control of the microphone. I put it up, they yanked it down, they teetered and tottered on the small wooden stool lifting them up to the podium.
Reed, not to be left out, jumped in with elbows knees and maybe a hip wedge to get his front and center spot.
All the while we are singing about the silent night, the mary mother fair, the kind and gentle Jospeh as Greg is pulling Reed from the melee. I was just laughing. What can you do when you're in front of the whole ward wrestling and fighting and singing about peace and harmony. You just laugh! We kept singing and it was very real. How our family really is.
I had a tear rolling down my cheek when we were done. Part sad part happy. I love my family. We are a lot of people all trying to do what's right, but we battle with our mortal man and wanting to have things our way.
Every comment after the program and prayer was said were words of thanks and smiles saying
"We have all been there."
"Thank you for making my Christmas!"
"You obviously need more microphones."
"You made my heart smile."
"Watching your family singing and laughing is what Christmas is all about!"
My dear performing friend said I watched you begin and the squabble and said to my husband this is bad, really bad, and he said no this is good this is what it should be.
Our kind friend battling terminal cancer said "I hope that's what heaven is like, or I don't want to go."
So tonight I laughed, and thus my family laughed. We were not beautifully reverent and touching, we were just us. We did sing in spurts between laughing and trying to dislodge tussles and not drop the baby. But we got the job done and touched hearts in the process. And as a mom that's what I'm always trying to do. So I forgave myself for not being picture perfect and for not being like everyone else. I realized I'm okay being me and with my bunch. We do a lot of good, we endure and work on the bad, and we keep living and working together because it's the best place to be.
Thank goodness there are so many different ways to accomplish perfection.
Merry Christmas.
Your song at the Christmas Program reminded me of Elder Wirthlin's talk "Come What May and Love It." I think you did a great job of showing the essence of that talk with your actions! Loved it, and you are an amazing mother who is doing an incredible job raising your children.
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