Building

Is it possible to be lazy and clever at the same time?  Well, I'm going to give it a try.  I'm going to connect 3 random events.  How will I do this?  With a bird's nest.  

This little giant bird's nest has been lovingly built on the light fixture over my front door.  The thing is pretty massive.  When I went out to take a picture of it this morning the momma bird was on her way to the nest with another treasure to add to the walls.  Now that I think of it....do the momma birds build the nest?  No idea.  Maybe it's the daddy birds.  Some parental figure is building the nest.  Anyway, I spooked the bird and it flew off and then was getting impatient so it landed on the wall and stared me down with a look like "will you leave already, I need to get this thing out of my mouth and into the nest!"

This parental bird probably takes great care in selecting the items that it wants to use to build a strong sturdy and safe nest for the family.  It needs to be able to protect the family from the elements and prey.  Birds luckily don't have to listen to all sorts of opinions on the proper building materials and styles of nest that are the best.  It gets to live on instinct.  Do whatever it wants to protect it's family and raise up it's little birds however it wants.  Instincts tell the momma bird when it's time to push those little babies out of the nest and then teach them the ways of the world....again with no other birds opinions (or government) chirping in its ear.  Ah to be a bird.  

Well, we humans have to live on more than instinct and most days I haven't a clue what I'm doing.  I'm trying hard to build a strong nest for my children, but I spend a lot of time bouncing between confidence and self doubt when it comes to the materials I'm using to build the nest and then what shape of nest I need to be building.  We have tried and true materials to use.  This is where those seminary answers come in, but there's a lot of room for application and interpretation on the day to day living.  There will be many to offer up their opinions and interpretations but we have to trust ourselves.  We have to trust that we are in tune.  That our nests don't have to look the same.  That we have the perfect set of skills that our kids need and that's why they are ours.  

Our children also need to trust us.  Can you imagine a baby bird telling it's parents that they are building a crappy nest?  Nope, but the world is telling kids that it's ok to tell their parents that they don't know what they are doing and that they should be able to do whatever they want without their parents having a say.  The world is also telling them that mom and dad don't have a right to raise them the way they want because they are old, out of touch, using methods that academia has rejected...you name it, it's a reason they don't have to listen. 

It feels like a battle zone most days.  I guess that bird doesn't have it any easier.  I wonder how many momma's don't make it back to the nest because they've been snatched up by prey or succumb to some other tragic fate.  That's not to mention the fate of those babies left in the nest unattended.  

What is this momma bird building?  Lots of things.  A family.  What brings me great joy is to see my children building relationships with each other.  Emma and Jared got to spend a week in DC with their Dad on a business trip.  While he went to lectures and visited with legislators, they tromped around all the museums.  They thought of their siblings at home and selected items to spend their own money on to bring back for them.  It was super cute.  

 The funniest thing that happened to them while they were walking around was a homeless man wanted to give them a free hat.  Well, Emma is more street wise and knew something was up and kept on walking.  Jared stopped and was like "seriously, a free hat.  Yeah, I want a free hat."  Oh sweet boy.  They guy jumps on it.  Puts one on Jared's head and said "that will be a 10 donation please."  Haha.  Jared started arguing with the guy about his tactics and Emma came back to try and save him but the guy was like, "she needs a hat too.  Buy one for her.  20 bucks."  At this point they just wanted to get away from the guy and gave him 20 bucks and left.  It made the guys day to run into such suckers.....Jared needs to build some street smarts.  Ethan loves the hat btw.  He is wearing one of them in the picture and has worn it to school the last 2 days.  

There are some days as a parent you think you will never have those kind of days with your kids.  The days that they actually like each other and do nice things for each other.  I used to think when moms said "all I want is for my children to get along" it was a load of hooey.  Surely a new purse or car or a trip would be nice.  Really, kids getting along is the best thing in the world you can think of?  Well, I'm here to tell you that yes.  Yes it is!

Ok, let's build one more thing.  Lets build a relationship with the Holy Ghost.  You could also look at it as building a testimony.  Building a habit.  I could go all day here... hahaha

My favorite by-annual event is coming up next week.  General conference.  We wanted to do something for the kids to get them ready for general conference and encourage them to seek after revelation.  

 We had already given them spiral bound journals at the beginning of the year so we decided to make some tabs (thanks internet) for them to add to them.  There were also some cutsie quotes that I found on the internet as well.  We encouraged them to write down a question and to prepare themselves to receive instruction.  On Tuesday after conference we have an entire class dedicated to talking about our favorite talks and what we learned. We are also hoping that the journals make it back to class to be used for the rest of the year (their journals and scriptures stay at my house until the end of the year)....fingers crossed.  

The above is my personal journal.  I don't have enough room in my 8 1/2 x11 seminary lesson journal.  I used the small size the students have.  I made up a quick cover for it with a scripture mastery verse from section 1

 37 Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.

 38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

We also gave the kids some blank tabs to use however they wish.  I made a tabs for personal/family to do, seminary to do, women's meeting, priesthood session ( it usually is my favorite session because the talks are always the bomb), presiding bishopric, presidency of the seventy, and then I just broke the rest down by auxiliary.  I figure this way might actually help me to remember who exactly these people are that aren't apostles.  

It's been a long time since I've taken hand written notes.  I converted to electronic note taking years ago and love it because you always have everything with you at all times.  I am now limited to only accessing the information when I am somewhere my book is.  What I have noticed since I've started teaching seminary is that I prefer hand writing more.  I went back to handwriting all my lessons and then using the same notebook to take notes pertaining to seminary.  I find that I can receive better inspiration with everything visually in front of me.  I can also easily flip through and be reminded of things I haven't done yet or inspiration I've yet to act on.  

I spent a lot of time this year referring to conference talks with my lessons.  It's been pretty remarkable.  Being able to do that came at a high cost.  That meant that I listened to every session of conference live and took notes.  Then I listened to every talk when it became avail on the app.  Then I've read and marked a hard copy of the talks that I keep with my lesson manual ( I also highlighted every time someone referenced the D and C).  I've also marked the talks on my device because that's what I use while at church.  I love being able to connect the dots.  To connect living words of the prophets to the scriptures (or dead words). That has been one of the biggest testimony expanders that I've had.  Doing that has given me very sturdy walls and a sure foundation for my nest.  

I'm excited to have a dedicated journal for conference that I can have out to flip easily through while preparing lessons.  It means that the stack of stuff that I carry around just got bigger, but oh well.  It's a small price to pay when you hare helping others to build something great.