Sacrifice

I have been teaching seminary for three full years now. I can hardly believe it. I never thought that I would ever be asked to teach something like seminary, and now I can hardly imagine life not teaching. It can be grueling, especially during the cold, dark winter months of January and February, to drag myself out of bed at 4:30, shower, get dressed up, and head in to church by 6 am. It can be emotionally taxing to try to inspire youth every single day ... especially when some choose not to care. It can be super easy to criticize myself for not doing a good enough job. But above all, it is worth it, because I am part of this great work of hastening the work of our Father in Heaven, working to help the future generation recognize their own divine potential and help them to truly feel the love that Heavenly Father has for each one of them individually as we immerse ourselves in the scriptures each day.

Well, today I was really struck less by my own sacrifice as I serve in this calling, and instead I noticed the great sacrifice that my family makes so that I can teach every morning. This year Herman volunteered to teach a group of five boys from the other ward who are getting ready to graduate this year. It truly is a sacrifice for him to do this while he is also serving as stake president, but he felt strongly that it was something that he was supposed to do, and the flexibility for his schedule that our business offers made him an ideal person to help this year. As we leave the house at around 5:30ish each school day with Savannah and Spencer who are attending my class, we leave four younger children at home on their own to get ready for school on their own. As I'm walking out the door I wake Katie up so that she can get ready for junior high, and after a bit of time she wakes Hyrum and JoJo so that they can get ready to jump on the bus for school. After seminary gets done we have time to drive home, have family prayer, and send all but Minsy off. There is little time to do more than hug goodbye. Any preparation for the day has to be done the night before or without Herman and me in the morning.

This has been the case ever since I began teaching. At first it was Savannah who had to be woken up to get herself and her younger siblings ready for school. Then it was Spencer. Now it's Katie. Depending on how long I'm teaching, it could continue on down the line. But through it all I have never heard the younger kids complain one bit. They just pick themselves up and do what has to be done. I think that they just feel like this is just what you do as a family. I may be the one with the calling, but in their own way they are serving right along side me.

Today as I arrived home it really hit me what a sacrifice the younger kids are making so that we can serve. It is theme week at Freedom Elementary. I can't remember what it is they are celebrating, but each day they have a different thing that they are supposed to wear. I am no fan of spirit week dress up days. I can trace it back to a horrible experience in junior high when I went all out and dressed up for Hawaiian Day during our spirit week. It was not a pretty thing, and it was the last time I ever participated in such a thing. But I try not to let my own neuroses affect my children. If they want to dress up, I support them in it. But I'm not a "pintarest" mom. I can't come up with these super fancy or cute costumes that will wow the masses. We do the best we can, and so far none of my kids have held it against me that they aren't as cool as their classmates. Today it was "Come as your favorite book character" day. I have seen some super elaborate costumes that parents have posted on facebook. Sadly, my boys didn't enjoy such costumes. But they were totally okay with that. Really.

When we got home Hyrum told us that he was going to be Percy Jackson, and JoJo was going to be Harry Potter. They had asked Katie to wake them up early so that they could work on their costumes, and they did the best that their limited artistic selves could do. JoJo grabbed a robe and a wooden walking stick he got in Nauvoo. I took time to draw a lightning scar, but because we were in a hurry to get to the bus I didn't do a great job. It was a little smeary looking. JoJo was super sweet though. He just said, "Look, Mom. It is just like his scar in the first movie (I think) when his scar was bleeding because of Voldemort." Then Hyrum took a sharpie and a white t-shirt and made his own Camp Half-Blood shirt to wear. It wasn't perfectly done, but it was super sweet. They were so excited about their costumes. I hope everyone at school appreciated them for what they were.

So, anyway, I did feel a twinge of sadness for the fact that I didn't have the time to really devote to the boys as they prepared for the day this morning. But I was grateful for the blessing that these sweet children are in my life. They are strong and faithful. They are forgiving and loving. They are willing to bear the burden that sometimes arises when you have two parents serving in high demanding callings. But as a family we have recognized so many blessings that come to all of us because of this service. We have so many other ways that we make up for the loss of family time during the weekday mornings. that it all works out in the end. I am grateful for the chance that I have to serve my Heavenly Father, and I am super grateful to have children who are willing to serve along side me as well. We wouldn't trade the blessings our family enjoys ... even for the chance to have a rockin' book character costume. :)