I went to breakfast with Amy this morning (how delightful, I know you're all jealous) and she commented that she missed my blog this week. How kind, really. To be missed. Just when I was thinking of quitting...because here is the truth: I know I spend my life posing as a mom, a wife, a young women's leader. But really I'm a firefighter. I spend my life running from one fire to the next. I always think someday I'm going to "get it all together" and do whatever it is that will prevent these raging blazes...you know, clear away brush or remove the dead wood. But instead, I'm always just seeing what's on fire today and trying to put out the blaze most likely to consume me. And while I'm spraying water on that, the rest of my life is in the background just smoking...waiting it's turn to flare.
This week was Young Women in Excellence. Ah, yes. Lots of work, with a huge paycheck. After nights like these I always think I'm the luckiest girl in the world...to have the calling I have, to love these girls, and especially to have a husband that will make scrambled eggs for everyone and help me bead necklaces at 10:30 at night because I just came up with a "brilliant idea."
The other day I was delivering invitations for our big event and I had Olivia and a couple of her friends in the car. The school bus was just dropping off the junior high kids and so we stopped to wait for them to disembark. As we sat there, about ten of my young women pushed down the bus windows and started waving and hanging out the bus windows, screaming, "Sister P**! Sister P**!" (Happy to see me and not afraid to let everyone know.) Olivia turned to me in utter amazement and said, "Mom, you're a rockstar!" My heart just about burst open right there. No I'm not a rockstar, but I'm a young women's leader, and for that I am so grateful.
Here is one picture from last night.
It was very simple, but my girls gave amazing testimonies as they talked about their projects and how the gospel has blessed their lives, and this made the evening incredible.
Our theme came from D&C 64:33...and I used President Hinckley's talk about how the gates of eternity turn on small hinges. How the little things matter. Somehow (I never know how this happens, but it always does) I ended up making these necklaces from little hinges I found at Home Depot. When David came home to find me madly beading away, he just covertly rolled his eyes and then graciously asked what he could do to help. Bless him. Anyway, the girls loved them, and hopefully they understood what I was trying to say.
I do have a few more fires today...all the laundry and dishes I've put off for three days...but they are the slow-burning, smoldering kind that will keep for a moment. Deep breath. David just called. He locked his keys in his car. Those other things will have to wait...I've got a small car fire to put out.