Forget Not

President Uchtdorf has always been a favorite speaker at conference. I was excited to hear his name announced at the Relief Society broadcast on Saturday night. His humor and gentleness, and his strong apostolic witness made for an amazing experience. I couldn't take notes fast enough, and I cannot wait until we can get copies of this talk so I can read it again and again. But I can watch and listen to it in the meantime. It bears repeating, because as women, we tend to forget these things a lot.

Two Things That Make Me Happy

Remember those guys in Monty Python, the ones hanging chained to the wall? The ones who sang "You gotta look on the bright side of life"? Well, that's what I'm doing. It's hot here (bright side: only until tomorrow!), I'm very pregnant (bright side: only for a few more weeks!), and I have a list a mile long of things to do (bright side: I have cool days next week to work on it all, and a great friend who watches the kids for me).

The other bright side? Two things that made me smile this week.

The first:

Flowers picked just for me by Will, because he knows yellow is my favorite color.

And wonky Christmas socks to add to my collection, for just $1 at Michael's. With peppermint candies and an aqua background, how much better can it get? Not much.
And one more thing: tonight is the General Relief Society broadcast and I'm really looking forward to it. Just not looking forward to fixing my hair . . .

Thoughts of a Grasshopper

I am a grasshopper.

(Where is she going with this? you ask. Stay with me!)

I met an ant the other day. She is the wife of a law student that Aaron had met. We were discussing undergraduate degrees and she spoke disparagingly of those who get degrees like music and creative writing. "Useless degrees" she called them. She's got a nursing degree under her belt and it makes her a decent income with flexible hours. I squirmed a little, because I've met her type before, the ant-type. There is nothing in the world wrong with being an ant. Ants work, and they work hard. I'm grateful that there are ants.

But I'm a grasshopper. I want to write and create beautiful things. I want to make people think when they read the words I've written. I want to see the pleasure on their faces when they taste something I've baked. I'm just not an ant.

I think of the grasshoppers that I'm grateful didn't get a Useful Degree. Beethoven. John Singer Sargent. Maxfield Parrish. Tchaikovsky. Jane Austen. C.S. Lewis. Tolkien. Lucy Maud Montgomery. Laura Ingalls Wilder (yes, I know she was a teacher). Dancers and violinists and singers. Josh Groban.

She said that of her friends, all of them say they wished they could go back and get a more useful degree, like nursing or dental hygiene. Something that translates well into a paycheck. Again, I squirmed, because freelance writing will be my life. I will slave over a manuscript, making revision after revision and then send it off to an editor on a wing and a prayer. But I'm passionate about it and that's all there is to it. It's me, and I can't NOT be me. I embrace my grasshopperness. But please, if you are an ant, be kind to the grasshoppers. We might not work like you do, but we just might make you smile and brighten your day.

Grateful Sunday

*written in the wee hours Monday morning*

I've been counting my blessings all week long, and here are the highlights:

• I'm so grateful for Laurel - for her imagination, her smiles, her willingness to help. On Friday night, we sat together on the couch reading (Nancy Drew for her, The Peach Keeper for me). It was wonderful and a lovely memory for me. We were up kind of late! She is getting more and more anxious to meet her baby sister as well, and I just know she's going to be the best big sister there ever was.
  
• I'm grateful for healthy pregnancies, so that I can still do the things I need to. Granted, I'm horrifically uncomfortable and I whine a bit every now and again, but I'm mobile and I can take care of my family.
• Loved hearing James tell me "Papa is my best friend." He's very into best friends these days, and all of his are members of the family. You're a lucky one if you get chosen for the day.
• William and his "I love yous" - they are random and always when you need them.
  
• Aaron and his hard work at law school. He may come off cocky and arrogant (to some), but he can be riddled with self-doubt and uncertainty. He's doing well and is more outgoing than I usually see him, which is good. He's found a good group of guys at the law school, like-minded gun nuts and I'm glad he's found his niche.
• My sewing machine, that we bought so I could quilt quilts is doing its job nicely. I've started small - Laurel has quite the doll quilt collection now! - but I'm working my way up to crib-sized quilts. With any luck, we won't freeze this winter with all the extra blankets around!
• Finally, the power of prayer, especially as a parent. I think we forget, so often, that these children of ours were His before they were ours, that He knows them and loves them even more than we do. And that He will help us parent them according to that knowledge and love. It's an amazing and truly humbling experience to recognize this.
  

Have a lovely week. Ours is a super busy one - dentist appointments for all the kids, doctor appointment for me, life, homeschool, playdates, and piano lessons begin for Laurel! Next week, I have a birthday cake commission, which will be exciting.