We didn't do anything exciting, just sat and caught up on things while our kids spent time together. They went to church with us, had Sunday dinner with us, and then headed up north. Such a great family.
But back to my original post...
When I asked the clerk what she was doing, here was her reply, "Going to visit my son at the County Jail." I expressed my sympathy and then she said "It's been a rough month."
Now this makes me sad on a couple of levels. 1 - I can't remember which of my children this boy is the same age as, but I know he graduated with one of the girls. Clearly, he wasn't a big part of their lives, but the connection is there. 2 - I now know of 2 children of parents that I know who are in that jail. The other one is also a former classmate of one of my girls. Too close to home.
Here's where the perspective comes in.
My kids aren't perfect. The two who are home certainly make their own brand of mistakes, but thankfully, that brand is very mild compared to what it could be. As a matter of fact, they (as well as their older sisters) are pretty DARN GOOD. We don't have to fight them to go to church. We don't have to drag them out of bed early in the morning to read scriptures and then head to Seminary. We don't have to worry about where they are because, honestly, most of the time they are home when they aren't at school. We don't have to nag them about getting homework done. They don't cause us sleepless nights (maybe just a few late ones.)
But here are two examples of what they did, just today...
Trevor debated about studying for his Science Test tonight. It is a re-take, and he wants to do well on it. We talked about it, and he wondered if he should just go to bed a little early, wake up a little earlier than usual, and review the information then. I was able to offer him an example by one of his brother-in-laws (hey, Brandon) who often woke up in the wee hours of a Monday morning to study because he chose to not do it on the Sabbath. He decided to take the high road and get up early. I told him he will be blessed for his choice. As he went back to his bedroom, he said, "Guess what song is playing?" I guessed Choose the Right. "Keep the Commandments" he said. Ah, my mama heart was bursting.
Kristin came running up the stairs, changed back into her church clothes, and headed out the door to Mission Prep. I had no idea she was interested, and honestly, maybe she's just checking it out, but my point is, she made the choice herself, and it was a good one.
Now, I'm a realist, and know that she will probably end up having to do a little homework this evening. (It was a full weekend after all.) And I know that at some point Trev will also make me roll my eyes and wonder what in the world he is thinking. For tonight though, I'm going to ride this feeling of contentment that for this day, my kids had choices to make, and they made good ones. They are so much better than I ever dreamed of being when I was their age. (Happy sigh! :) From my perspective, we are blessed and I'm feeling grateful for the children Heavenly Father blessed us with, and the good examples they are to me as well as their friends and classmates.
I am reminded of the following scripture.
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