Learning to Dance in the Rain

Archive for April, 2011

We were invited to an Easter Egg Hunt that should have been really fun, however since I’m still getting over a cold and it had been a long busy week, we just decided to stay home.  Well the weather was beautiful, so we painted eggs and watched the kids as they hunted around the garden looking for a trace of the Easter Bunny.

Luke would open each egg as he found it and check out the contents, only to close it back up and place it in his basket, I soon told him he could go ahead and enjoy.  Emily was dedicated to the cause and once she had a good collection, found a spot on the grass and began to scoff her little face.  It was fun as parents to watch them enjoy this part of the holiday.  Earlier in the day we spoke about the true meaning, and it was nice to know that Luke remembered parts of the Easter Story.

The most important part is that He Lives!  Happy Easter.

To fully enjoy this beautiful song of pure testimony, you may want to mute the background music of the blog at the bottom.

I just picked this gardening stuff right up, I mean I’m a natural. Just look at the dandelions my spot of Eden produces….that’s right, they’re Kirkland style!

When we came over to sign our contract with our landlord one of the things I wanted to make sure was that we could put up hanging baskets. The gables on the porch are perfect for them. And what do you know, there were hooks already there, just waiting. I was so excited to pick some up, and they make my heart happy every time I look out my window or come home. Now to plant some sunflower seeds…

These bulbs are a team effort – my landlord bought them, my mother planted them, I’m taking care of them, and the children get to stand on them (oh and Emily gives the tulips little hugs by gently squeezing them with her fingertips…so cute.)

This week we were treated to some amazing weather.  The sun beat down so much on Saturday that we even thought about sunscreen.  Even though I fell prey to a yucky end of Winter cold, we did a bunch of work out in the yard and even put up a trampoline for the kids.  The kids sat outside and enjoyed popsicles, and I enjoyed the beautiful flowers that remind me how grateful I am to finally have a garden!  Hello Summer, please stay a while, you’ve been sorely missed!

Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling disgruntled or upset, the last thing you want to do is think of others or serve them, and yet, when we do help another, we feel happier, and our own problems seem smaller?

I was thinking of that as I sat at the back of Gospel Doctrine class the other day.  We read Matthew 11:28-30 where the Savior invites all those that “labour and are heavy laden” to come to him and He will give them “rest”.  He promises us that if we take His yoke upon us that our burden will be “light.” 

Well, I started wondering, what is “his yoke”?  How can we do that, and how can we, with all the stresses and heartache that we experience, feel light? 

Hmmm..what did Christ do when He walked on earth, He spent His days caring for others, healing them, teaching them, serving them.  He went into the lowliest of places where the people were rejected and dirty.  He bent down, and loved them.

Now I have always thought of Christ helping us carry our own burdens, and I do believe He can, if we put our faith in Him and trust in Him, He can give us greater perspective, and help heal our hearts and inspire us to solve even everyday problems.  But what if we turn it around.  The verse says to take HIS yoke upon us…so to me that implies that we are sharing His load.  His work is serving others.  Could it be that He invites us to care for others, and serve them, and by doing so our own burdens are lighter.  We are strengthened emotionally and spiritually when we reach out to those around us.  We allow Him to work through us to bless lives, and in so doing we are blessed too.

Elder Uchtdorf said “In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair; let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers.”

As I learn more of the Savior and what is important to Him, it makes it easier to align my priorities.  What is important to Him is us, and not what kind of job we have, or car we drive, but how we treat those around us.  How we love.

A month ago yesterday, I suddenly had a four year old.  I did have a year to prepare for it, but it still came as a shock.  Super Luke celebrated the day by going out for a happy meal and stopping to pick up a balloon bouquet on the way home.  I made him a birthday banner with checkered flags on it and some racing car cookies just like my mom used to make for us when we were kids (silly people think that lady fingers are for Tiramisu!)  I was quite surprised that at the party store Luke picked out three colored balloons that went beautifully together.  A metallic red, black, and silver, to go with his checkered flag balloon.  My dad reminded me later that those are Ferrari colors (of course.)  I guess Luke is more of a racing car junkie than I thought!  I appreciated that MacDonald’s kindly obliged and included a matchbox car with his happy meal (nice!)  Here he is on his new bike!

For dinner he chose bacon (his favorite food – and he is NOT a meat lover) and french toast with bananas and strawberries – YUM!  We made a big stack and he got to blow out the candles on the top.  As we sang him the familiar tune and did all our hip hips and hoorays, I thought about the last year.  It has been a year since I insisted the pediatrician give me a referral to a speech therapist, and how many people we have consulted and involved in helping our sweet Luke express himself and involve us in his world. 

Oh how much I have agonized and prayed over this child, and look at him, how he has grown!  I like to think I’ve grown too, I mean, we’ve gone through a lot together and since I’m not dead or crazy (not to my knowledge anyway) I must have grown too, right?  It’s funny.  When a baby is born it’s easy to say you’ll do anything for them, but when life happens, you get to prove it, and after all is said and done, you can look back, and it gives you strength and determination to keep doing anything for them.

Now of course all is not said and done.  Luke continues to go to speech once a week, ReadyStart preschool everyday but Wednesday, and social skills class on Monday.  It’s busy!  But I think what he’s doing is working.  We’ve just got to keep on keeping on.

One of the hardest things about being a parent is that you’ve got to learn that your best is good enough and that in the end, they decide who they’ll be.  You can love and inspire, you can teach and correct, but they will be who they choose to be. 

I just love my Luke and I’m so proud of him.  I love his early morning snuggles, and tackles in the backyard.  He loves anything with an engine and yet, loves to play music on the piano while mommy dances.  He would choose tomatoes over ice cream, and books over a computer game (not always but sometimes )   He’s a wonderful kid and I’m so glad he’s mine.