Sunday Thoughts: Summit Moments

"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know." - Rene Daumal

Sometimes you find a quote and it jumps into your heart. I've probably read this one 100 times since I found it at the beginning of the year. Each time it connects and grounds me back to a mindset of perspective. I find myself pondering "summits" in our life as a family and how grateful we have been for every one of those experiences. How impossible they looked when standing at the bottom of the mountain, overwhelmed with even the idea of getting to the top, but simply having enough trust in God to take the first step. And then another. And then another.

Reaching those summit moments came as we often carried fear, doubt, or worry, along with us. But we also carried trust, peace, resiliency and hope. Soaking in the moments to look around - to Be Still and Know. And step by step, little by little, those summit moments have come. They are so beautiful.

Home

Max: "Mom, I noticed you haven't posted on the blog for awhile."
Me: "I know, right?! We've kinda been juggling a lot huh?"
Max: "Well, as your biggest fan, and probably the main reader, I think it'd be awesome if you posted again."

Sometimes a nudge is just what's needed to get back on the wagon and start posting again. Where to begin? So much has changed and yet everything has stayed the same, so I'll simply begin again:

In June we'll be moving to Atlanta, GA! While we've loved embracing the endless beaches and summers, they pale in comparison to the amazing people and experiences here. "Home" from a geography perspective has changed for us - Georgia will be our 6th state in 9 years (!). Each place has been a stepping stone on a path we never expected and has cultivated growth in ways we never knew possible. Our hearts are so full as we reflect on the abundance of memories. We are humbled and grateful for the journey. "Home" is so much more than a physical address and we are grateful to hold a piece of "home" in our hearts for South Florida (and the other amazing "homes" we've lived). We look forward to cultivating our new "home" in Georgia!

This transition has had its own rhythm of chaos, but we have seen again and again how mindful the Lord is of us.

A new theme

We swapped out our scripture theme from last year...

And replaced it with the theme for this year!

This hangs as a large poster just off of our kitchen. We love having these words in such a visual place. We’re big believers in using our walls as space for creating an intentional home. And I love a reason to handletter!

We love how this scripture is the theme for the youth of our church this year. A beautiful song centered on this theme is here.

Last summer, I read “A Quiet Heart” by Patricia Holland who shares amazing insights on meekness. I love how she defines meekness as a “quiet strength.” I’ve applied that definition every time I’ve read meekness in the scriptures and it’s truly opened my eyes and mind to this attribute of Christ. 

One of my favorite talks from general conference was this one by Elder Bednar and his insights centered around meekness. He shares: "Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint." Beautiful. 

I'm a visual learner, and I need lots of visual reminders. Because sometimes it's those moments when I'm nagging everyone to do their jobs, or I'm caught in worry over something, that I will see words of truth like these on the wall, and stop for just a moment. Re-center. Re-connect. A little breath of strength. Of gratitude. For the bigger picture, and the opportunity to grow, learn and change.

Growing

Mike gets all the credit for this great pic! We are so grateful to be parents to this crew! They inspire us and we strive to diligent parents. It feels like we learn something new each day about how to approach (or not approach something), but we keep trying.

I've been pondering a phrase to "raise a sin-resistant generation" for some time. I remember hearing it from President Nelson here and from Sister Jones here. Most recently, I love what Elder Taylor shared recently about this specific phrase: "To mothers, especially young mothers, who often feel overwhelmed and underwater while striving to raise "a sin-resistant generation," never underestimate your central role in God's plan. In stressful moments - perhaps when you are chasing little ones and a charred smell from the kitchen informs you that your lovingly prepared dinner is now a burnt offering - know that God sanctifies your most difficult days. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee," He peacefully reassures. We honor you as you fulfill the hope of Sister Joy D. Jones, who stated, "Our children deserve to understand their divine identity." More of his talk is here.

I know what those chasing/burnt smell moments feel like. More often than not, our dinners end up on the "slightly overcooked" side. And just last week I walked into the house after running an errand, only to discover a faucet had been left running. It was a slow run, and it was in the sink, but I had a moment.

We fully believe that striving to "raise sin-resistant children" is our purpose. It begins with ourselves, and understanding our identity. Our worth. Our eternal value beyond what others choose to label it.

I recently looked up the definition of raise:
1. To lift or move to a higher position or level.
2. Increase the amount, level or strength of.

"Raising sin-resistant children" is about creating space for growth, recognizing and feeling connection to our eternal worth and the voice of the Spirit. In everyday moments of learning that mistakes are an essential part of the everyday. I loved the words written about mistakes, repentance and forgiveness from Elder Robbins here.

Growing.

Always happening. Constant, yet can feel so slow.

Changing.

Full of missteps and opportunities to learn.

I'll write more on this later, but we've loved applying the advice to evaluate the kiddos regularly on five areas - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social. I feel like anytime we have moved and experienced a high amount of change, Mike and I talk about these even more frequently. But, it's interesting how much they blend together.

For example, the whole reason we were out "shopping together" (a rare thing for us!), is that after basketball the other day, I looked down and noticed a hole in the front of Max's shoes. I never knew shoes could wear out like they do! One of the kiddos needed some new shorts too (legs are getting looonnngg!), so we checked out a super big outlet mall nearby. It’s huge. We couldn’t believe the amount of people shopping with empty suitcases. It was an awesome to chat about how truly global the world is. And while the size of the place felt a bit overwhelming, we navigated where we needed to and headed out!

We met some physical needs. But in the course of the errand, we were able to connect with other areas as well. It gave us additional insights into our kiddos that we will continue to cultivate and help them discover and grow.

Of course, those were moments. Mixed between the ongoing learning experiences that not everyone buys something just because we all go together, of keeping track of them in the crowds, and reminding them that hungry tummies will be filled, but they may need to wait just a bit (and reminding that same kiddo of the snack they turned down earlier because they weren't hungry). But those moments woven in over time are what we strive for and are central to our family unit.

The end and the beginning

My mind just can't jump into the next thing with this blog knowing that I've missed things from these last few months.  In an effort to combine some of this all into one, and come back to current reality, these next few posts are a bit jumbled.

In June, Max finished up the end of Kindergarten.  Then went through the shortest summer ever as a different school system has him starting up in August.  Looking back at these last day of school pictures seems like it was ages ago.  Moving can do that to you though!

Here's to the end - a fun day, a darling program, and a neighborhood of happy kids eating root beer floats as the afternoon finished up.

To the beginning.  Complete with a pep band in the morning, and a big hurrah for all the kids on the first day at school.  Biggest differences for Max between the two?  Well, this is his first stint with the full day schedule, and while we're still working out some kinks, I think he'll get the hang of it.

More than anything, it's just change.  A word that to some evokes stress or fear, others a surge of energy or excitement.  For me, I love that change offers perspective.  I recently had some conversations with people looking to make a step towards change in their lives.  It seems that they, like myself, spend a lot of energy thinking about the possible scenarios the change could cause or create.  Sometimes, those scenarios turn into a life of their own and become the fear of not wanting to ever actually allow the change to happen.  Other times, they seem like they continue to dwindle and think about it endlessly for the sake of staying in something that is comfortable.  Who knows if there is a right or wrong way to prepare for change.  All I know is that it'll never happen if you don't take the step.  Every time I've actually stepped into change, I've come out of it grateful and full of knowledge I otherwise would not have.  Watching others actually experience change has a similar effect.  Sometimes it just takes a little more time than originally thought.  Sometimes it's just dang scary AND uncomfortable to jump into the darkness a little.  That's where faith, prayer and the knowledge that you're making the change for the right reasons for you.  Those moments - when we are in the dark - those are building moments. 

Max has had those building moments every day.  Is it easy for him to jump into a new school?  Not at all.  The thing that has thrown him the most is the drop off and pick up and how it's so different from what he knew previously.  Add in that he doesn't know names or have the security of a buddy, and his mind was at full capacity after that first day.  Sure, it's tough seeing him in the dark a little, but I know that every day he's building confidence and character.  With each step, he's getting more familiar.  Getting him going in the morning is rough, and is going to take some time to adjust, but once he is there, he's good to go.

Already found another kid who likes to talk about eye balls as much as he does (for more info on that, just read this post), found another friend who loves ninjas, and has the girls wanting to sit by him at lunch (so says my neighbor).  Top highlights for him include the important stuff like recess, the fire drill, and the library trips.  He's loving spanish, where he came home from his first day excited to tell us that taco and burrito are actually spanish words.  So is salsa.  Go figure.  Insists on wearing his tennis shoes every day so he can be ready to run in freeze tag at any moment.  Been there 5 days and has memorized the building and not only knows where all of his classes are, but knows where the teachers eat lunch, where the gym teacher has his office, where the principal spends her time, and where they store the vacuums.  Curious?  You bet.  I hope he never stops asking.  Drinking some lemonade after school today, looking deep in thought, he turned to me and said, "you know mom, this school is different, but a lot is the same too.  I think I really like it.  I really want to go back tomorrow."

Mike texted me this cool quote one day:


"Unless you walk into the unknown, the odds of making a profound difference in your life are pretty low." - Tom Peters

Exactly.  Here's to it.  The end, the beginning, and all the change in between.

Conversation at Dinner

We were at my parents house for dinner recently and the conversation came up about an upcoming house hunting trip Mike was going on.

Max: "Hey dad. How do you like this house?"

Mike: "I like it buddy."

Max: "Well, let's just take this one. We can move it on a trailer truck to Minnesota."

Oh, if only it were that simple.

Well Said

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Butter

Max: "Mom, does butter come from butterflies?"

Me: "Well, no. Butterflies are a bug and butter comes from cows."

Max: "Oh okay. So cows and butterflies make butter."

Not exactly. But, sure, I see his point too, so we'll just leave it at that for now.

Sandpaper

Last night:

Max: "Dad, could I sleep with my sandpaper tonight?"

Mike: "Yes." (LONG PAUSE). "If you only hold it. NO sanding on the walls, bed or anything else. You can only use it to sand your forklift in the morning."

Max: "Okay. Thanks, dad."


This morning:

Max: (Comes running into my room in a panic) "Where is my sandpaper?"

Me: "Probably in your bed."

Max: "I need it!"

I then search the entire bed for the now crumpled piece of sandpaper in the bottom corner twisted between the sheets.

Max: "Ahhhhhh, thank you!"

Our little builder loves the latest project he and papa worked on over the weekend. And, the wooden forklift is pretty cool too.

Conversation this Morning

Me (to Alexis): "You are so cute I could just eat you up!"

Max (to me): "Don't eat her! It's fragile!"

Thanks, Max for reminding me not to eat my daughter. Although I do wish you could just save those squishy cheeks.

The Letter X

Today a couple of neighbors stopped by for a short visit, and to congratulate us on the cute babe. Max was happy to have the company, and Mike and I kept laughing tonight over the last part of the conversation.

Neighbor: "What's your name?"

Max: "Max, (pause) with an X" (and then crosses both pointer fingers in the shape of an X to further clarify).

Neighbor: "Oh! I'm so glad you know how to spell it!"

I'm a proud mom of a boy that clarifies to people already that we didn't spell his name MACKS.

p.s. yes, we had a wonderful, fun Christmas. I'll be honest, downloading and posting photos has not been on the top of my list. In fact, it hasn't even made it to the list. But, probably soon, it'll get there, and you'll get to see a happy 2 year old who had a really fun time. And, thanks to all the family who spoiled him way too much. He loves having some new stuff to play with.