Making the Sabbath Day Holy

The Church is emphasizing the importance of Sabbath Day observance to us members. At first, I inwardly groaned in the way I do about talks on missionary work. "Not another one! How many ways can we hear the same thing??"

I recently heard a devotional talk given by Elder Bednar to the students and faculty at BYU-Idaho. His talk, entitled "Repeat Over Again...The Same Things as Before," struck me. He said, We have learned to treasure the spiritual gems that are revealed through repetition. The distinctive nuggets of inspiration and spiritual knowledge that flow into our minds and hearts as we repeatedly teach and testify of gospel truths are the product of a line upon line and precept upon precept pattern of revelation. Repetition is a vehicle through which the Holy Ghost can enlighten our minds, influence our hearts, and enlarge our understanding."

Mike has been working on a talk this whole week about the Sabbath Day and I've been pondering the words he has written. It struck me that I've been looking at the Sabbath Day all wrong: in terms of what I shouldn't do. Don't shop. Don't work. Don't do homework. Don't exercise. But it is so much more about what I DO that is going to make the Sabbath a day of beauty, rest, and spiritual renewal.

Also this week, I've been working on a Sunday School lesson focusing on 2 Ne 3-5 in the Book of Mormon. Chapter 3 talks about Joseph Smith and his divine mission with the restoration of the Gospel. 

On my mission, we talked about the "Triad of Testimony." If the Book of Mormon is true, then the Church is true, because there wouldn't be a true book given to a false church. If the Church is true, then the Prophet Joseph Smith was called of God, because the Lord wouldn't have a false prophet restore a true church or translate a true book of scripture. My testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith is linked to my testimonies of the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of the Gospel, but it doesn't really stand alone. I've thought a lot this week about why that is and I finally have my answer.

I interact daily with the Book of Mormon. I feel the pages of the scriptures in my hands. I listen to talks that quote the Book of Mormon. I ponder its words as I prepare my lessons. I teach its principles to my children. I testify to them them about their Savior, using scripture from the Book of Mormon.

I interact with the Church daily. I listen to conference talks by our Church leaders. I work on Sunday School lessons. My family attends Church activities. We have pictures of the temple on our walls. I bear my testimony about their Savior, using words of living prophets.

When do I interact with Joseph Smith? Rarely. I don't read about his life. I rarely read his words, lectures, and teachings. I don't emphasize his mission with my children. I don't bear my testimony about their Savior in relation to the teachings and life of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

This morning, I felt prompted that there is something I can DO on the Sabbath to make it better, to make me better. Every Sunday, I will "spend time" with Joseph Smith. I will study his life. I will read his words. I will teach my children about him and use his teachings as I testify of Jesus Christ. 

I can't wait to get started. 

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

We are home.

After 6 weeks of visiting family, going TDY to San Antonio, and being on the road, we are home. It was a fantastic vacation. I loved seeing our children getting to know their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Here are some of the highlights that come to mind:
--Going to Temple Square and then grabbing some Thai food with my brother, Kevin.
--Having a "Salon Party" with cousins Sophia, Azure, and Eliza. We painted their nails, cut their hair, and gave them a fancy hair style. The girls had such a fun time together.
--Reconnecting with some good friends from Maryland who had moved to Utah. Our kids are the same age and were BFFs before we moved.  We loved seeing them again.
--Attending the blessing of my beautiful new niece, Ruby.
--Going to the zoo and feeding a giraffe.
--Playing games with my brother, Matt, and his wife.
--Commiserating with Megan about stupid dating experiences. And good dating experiences. And eating the most delicious waffles on the planet. And watching MST3K. Man, I miss my sister.
--Going to the beautiful Payson Temple with Mike.
--Arriving in Oregon from San Antonio and having Mike take me on a very nice, romantic date the next day. Underground Portland tour + Voodoo Donuts + Saturday's Market + Moroccan food + Papa Haydn desserts = Best. Date. Ever.
--Spending time talking with my sister-in-law, Debi.
--Driving to the Oregon Coast with Mom Clark, my niece, Katelyn, and my nephew, Daniel. We met Mike's brother and his wife at Cape Kiwanda. While I stayed on the beach with a deeply unhappy Ryan, Mike, Sophia, and everyone else climbed up a huge dune. I was impressed that Sophia made it to the top by herself. What a trooper! The Oregon coast is stunning. Mike and I have a pie-in-the-sky dream to buy some property and build a summer vacation home there.
--Our last night in Oregon, we stayed up late with Mike's siblings and their spouses playing games and talking. We were exhausted, but we didn't quite want the day to end. My in laws are the most fun, wonderful people.

Usually, when we leave family, we have a plan in place when our next visit will be. Although I'm sure it's not too far away, we don't have a plan in place this time and it's making me miss family more. I wish we lived closer.  I regret that my kids don't have consistent opportunities to play with their cousins and get to know their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I feel bad that Mike is the one sibling that doesn't live within walking or driving distance from the others. And it's hard not to have a pity party for myself sometimes, too. It's hard not to live closer to family.

We arrived home just in time to watch General Conference. I love listening to the inspired words of our leaders. It was truly a spiritual feast this weekend. During General Conference, we were invited to "ponderize" the scriptures by picking a verse a week and contemplating it throughout each day. This is the scripture our family picked tonight at FHE:

Interestingly, when I spoke with my mom tonight, she said she picked the very same verse. What are the chances??

I'm not sure, but it was one of those non-coincidental coincidences that makes family feel closer despite the distance.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Nipples

One of Sophia's many toddler off-and-on interests (alternating with colors, numbers, Cars, Mickey Mouse, Frozen, clay, and animals) is body parts. She loves labeling them and pointing them out on other people. Luckily, she hasn't quite noticed diaper area boy vs. girl body parts yet. I'm bracing myself for that day, though, because it's coming. 

Lately, Sophia had started talking about other people's body parts in terms of relative size. She goes through this litany of comparative anatomy along the lines of "Daddy has big hands. Mommy has small hands. And Sophia had teeny tiny hands. And Ryan has teeny tiny hands." 

She was doing this in the grocery store the other day and the first few times I appropriately responded. But as she kept the repetition going with eyes, ears, head, and tummy, I started tuning her out with an occasional "uh huh, honey" that's enough to placate toddlers into thinking you're actually paying attention. (Except when she said that "Mommy has a small tummy" I may have gone overboard in praising her.)

After one or two minutes of Sophia's continued recitation, my attention was pulled back to her when I heard a couple of people snickering and noticed they were looking at my daughter--my beautiful and brilliant daughter who was proudly pounding her chest as she said, "Daddy has big nipples. Mommy has small nipples. And Sophia has teeny tiny nipples. And Ryan has teeny tiny nipples." 

To their credit, neither of them looked at my chest to see if what she was saying was true. 

The remainder of the shopping trip passed without incident except that I would randomly start giggling.

Sophia: Mommy, why are you laughing?

Mommy: Oh, I guess because I'm happy. 

Sophia: You're happy?

Mommy: Yes, you can tell by my smile and my happy eyes. 

Sophia: Daddy has big eyes...

If your tummy kinda hurts and you feel you've got the squirts...

So I feel I should clarify something from my last post. The reason Mike showed up after the cleaning was because he was fulfilling his calling by spending his Saturday morning supervising the Stake youth at an activity. 

In all fairness, he has to clean up waaaaay more messes than I do. Case in point, take a look at the picture (taken after Ryan woke up from his nap) Mike texted me while I was at work today along with the following caption: 

Guess how his shirt is doing that. 😷

If you guessed, as I did, that it was being stuck by poop, then you are correct. Mike further elaborated, "I noticed while wiping him that he had it up his back and, oh no....all over the carpet! I dangled him up to the bathtub, and then noticed it was all over my favorite pajamas - as I'd held him when I got him up from his nap. Sob sob. :,( "

Of course, all parties involved required extensive bathing. 

He hates having his hair washed. Ryan was also deeply offended that Mike had the audacity to clean out his mouth after he (Ryan) ate a bath crayon. Parents are such killjoys. 

He looked so handsome once he had cleaned up. 

It took Mike considerably longer to get the house back to pristine (ie poop-free) condition. 

Fun Activity of the Day

I've started this thing with Sophia we call "The Fun Activity of the Day." We've only been doing it a week or so, but it's something she really looks forward to. Poor Ryan always seems to be excluded because of his age. Also because the "fun activities" seem to be inherently messy and Ryan can amplify messy by a factor of about a trillion. ٩(๏̯͡๏)ゞ

While Ryan is napping, Sophia is helping me make mango cupcakes. 

She put all the liners in the cupcake tray, then ate dough and mango curd while I put the rest of the ingredients together.

After she licked all the dough off the whisk, she became quite bored. I ended up finishing the cupcake making myself and, in true "Little Red Hen" fashion, watched the rest of the family come by to help me eat the cupcakes after clean up was done. 

Worth it for the memories and to be able to get this picture:

Friends at Last

I love my siblings, each and every one of them.  Although we had our moments growing up, as all siblings do (and most of those moments probably stemmed from the fact that I was bossy and impatient), I can say without hesitation that there is not one of my siblings that I don't consider a dear friend. My life would be so sad without my siblings. The hardest thing about being in the military is being apart from family.

I don't remember life before Richard. All my earliest memories involve him in some aspect. He is passionate about family time and doing things together. He wants everyone to be included. We served missions at the same time. He was the only one I got to overlap with in school. He's smart and kind and patient. I just love that guy.

Whenever I think of Matthew, I think of him smiling. He is easy-going; I don't know of any person that Matt doesn't get along with. He is supportive of each member of the family. Matt is the embodiment of what a true friend is: loyal, trustworthy, and focused on the best in everyone. No matter what is going on, it's always better and more fun when Matt is there.

I love that Stephen and I can share what it's like to be doctors in the military and all the ups and downs that entails. He's got such a creative streak and I am in awe of how good his poetry and prose are (when he has time to write, that is). He did a phenomenal job on Mike's and my wedding announcement, books, and video. I appreciate how willing he is to share his many talents.

Megan is such a great friend and sister. I can do all the fun girl stuff with her, like look at shoes and talk about hairstyles and get advice on cute clothes. Before I got married, I would call her to commiserate over my dating ups and downs. She's a good listener. She has a great sense of humor and always makes me laugh. She is beautiful inside and out and I couldn't imagine a better sister.

Kevin will always be my bud. He and I used to make the family Halloween meals every year. Kevin embodies enthusiasm. He's enthusiastic about education, the Gospel, sight-seeing, and getting out with the family. He's always willing to serve and do things for other members of the family. Of all my siblings, I think he's the most like my mom--an embodiment of selfless service.

Because of the relationships I have with my siblings, I have been anxious for Sophia and Ryan to start bonding as brother and sister. I know they're young and relationships take time, but it broke my heart to see Sophia not enjoying being around Ryan. When we moved to Fayetteville, we decided to put them in the same room together. It was a gamble, because such a move that can either forge or demolish a sibling relationship.

Well, my heart has been overflowing with gratitude and happiness over the last few weeks, because these photos show what has been occurring more and more frequently in our home:

I have loved seeing these sweet little moments between them. It has become one of my favorite things about being a parent. I hope that friendship will continue to grow and deepen as they get older.

This Army Life, Part 1

We've been at Ft Bragg for about a month now. So far, so good. We've really enjoyed getting to know the people in our ward and moving into our new, clean, spider-free house without holes in the walls. And floors.

I would say that the more challenging thing for me is transitioning from "a doctor in the Army" to "an Army doctor." The doctor/clinic/hospital culture in the military is very different from those assigned to units in the "regular Army" (ie, not medical).

For example, every different Army post has its own "saying." Sometimes, when people salute, they'll shout the phrase at you and then there's an appropriate response you give. I was told it's a big thing in regular Army, but I've never heard a doctor say it. Also, I made it a point to wear civilian clothes to work, then change into my uniform when I got there, the whole phrase-and-salute thing hasn't come up much.  I never did figure it out when I was stationed at Ft Lewis. The two times people said whatever the phrase was (which I could never understand), I was always with someone who knew what to say in return ("courage").  Honestly, it really hasn't been that big of a deal.

Until Ft Bragg.

During my inprocessing week to Ft Bragg, I was hit with a barrage of crisp salutes and "ALL THE WAY, MA'AM!!" Which sent me into an apoplexy of anxiety. What do I say in response? Will they think I'm stupid or rude if I don't say the right thing back? After a few mumbled "good mornings" in response, I spent over an hour attempting to find what the correct return phrase was on Google and came up empty.

The next week, I started inprocessing with my unit. My first day with the 108th, I spoke with my NCOIC (Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge) and asked her what I say in response to "All the Way." I felt much better that she didn't know. We had to ask three people before someone knew the answer: "Airborne!"

On the way home, and armed with the correct return phrase, I felt much more confident.

Until I encountered a group of sergeants on my way to the car who saluted smartly and said, "NO FEAR, MA'AM!!" as one giant chorus.

But I had already primed my go-to response and my brain-to-mouth buffer didn't have time to engage, so even as I returned with "airborne," I inwardly cringed and they gave me a funny look.

I still don't know what to say to "no fear." It's a phrase that's specific to one particular battalion in this brigade. Before I remembered to ask someone how to respond, someone saluted with "DEEDS ABOVE WORDS, MA'AM!!" I didn't return with "airborne," but I felt bad giving a generic "good morning," when there's obviously a "right" way to answer that I just don't know.

This morning, I got "CRY HAVOC, MA'AM!!"

Okay, now, stop. Just stop.

Cry havoc??

What do I do with that?  You can't go changing phrase rules on me every week. Choose one. Apparently, each battery within each battalion within my brigade has their own saying to promote morale and unit cohesiveness. That's about 15 different sayings, and I've only encountered four so far.

So there you go. Lesson #1 in "The Physician's Guide to Transitioning to Real Army:" Unit cohesiveness and fighting strength depend upon the utilization of morale-boosting phrases given with each salute. Your Arminess can be measured by the volume with which you deliver the phrase, along with its frequency of utilization.

DEEDS CRY ALL THE WAY ABOVE HAVOC! TOTAL FEAR!!