Recharged!

Today has been a great day! I love Sundays. They recharge my battery for the week to come. Testimony meeting was wonderful. The spirit was so strong. Sister Sanns' testimony really touched me. I just love her to pieces because she has taught my Rachel in primary three different years. She is the most wonderful primary teacher in the world. She is so full of love and the girls from Rachel's class adore her. It's rare to find primary teachers who make such an effort to prepare and exude the spirit and the pure love of Christ. During her testimony, she said the Lord doesn't ask much of her. He just asks her to show up and do the things she's been asked to do and the Lord makes up the difference. For some reason, that truth pierced my heart. We simply need to show up and do the things the Lord asks. I was thinking of that particularly as a parent--I just need to do all I can and He will make up the rest. Sometimes, the responsibility of raising children to be instruments in the hands of the Lord is daunting to me. It is such an awesome responsibility and I often feel like I'm not doing it as well as I should. But Sister Sanns reminded me that all I can do is my best and the Lord will make up the rest. It encouraged me to keep trying.

When I got home I took a nap. Talk about recharging! It made me feel so much better. I rarely take naps but I truly enjoyed the rest and I felt so much more energy this evening because of it. I'm so thankful to Paul who took care of the kids so I could get a little break. He even did the dishes! What a sweetheart! Paul went on exchanges with the missionaries tonight. He just got home so I'll have to find out how it went. He loves being with the Elders and teaching the gospel.

After dinner, I asked the kids if they wanted to give a talk or share their testimony. Caitlin and Courtney both shared their testimonies (with Rachel's whispered help), Spencer told the story of Nephi building a boat and Rachel gave a talk about the Holy Ghost. This led to a discussion about how we know the Holy Ghost is speaking to us. She was asking if things she thinks about are just in her mind or if it is really the Holy Ghost prompting her. Scriptures immediately popped into my head to answer her questions. It's such a blessing when that happens. Times like these remind me that the Lord is on my side as I try to raise my children in righteousness and He will help if I am open to His counsel. We also read through the references in the BOM topical guide under Holy Ghost, gift of to understand promptings of the Holy Ghost more fully. It was just a wonderful night! It was one of those dream Sabbath experiences which happen very rarely. I will treasure it always.