Soul Carving

How to Live  through a pandemic With the closure of many schools and workplaces, I see a lot of posts about the difficulty of being with our kids and family more than usual lately. I totally get it (I'm a homeschooling mom of eight -- believe me, I get it!). So what I say is not meant to shame anyone or heap more guilt upon weary souls. But I want to state very clearly my beliefs on this matter -- even if I have trouble practicing what I preach at times.  When our patience is wearing thin and we find ourselves pining for a return to normalcy, remember this: God gave you these children. He didn't give them to the school teacher, or the district administrator, the childcare expert, or the pediatrician. They are your divine charge for "wise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord." (1 Ne. 19:3). So instead of fretting over our supposed inadequacies, or complaining about the sacrifices involved, why not turn to the Lord to learn a bit more...

   The birth of my eighth child is now less than a month away. My body is swollen and at times aches from the precious load it bears. More and more frequently I find myself pausing duirng the day to catch my breath, both literally as well as figuratively.  Ascending the stairs -- pause -- gently massage my belly as I slowly and loudly exhale, like blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.   Hearing the sudden spurts of joyful laughter from my 2 year old as Daddy or an older sibling tickles and plays with her -- pause -- focus in on this one moment and savor it.  The atmosphere of our home feels pungent now, ripe with wonder and anticipation.    Many things are different this time around. We opted not to have an ultrasound this time. That alone has heightened our anticipation tenfold! It's our first time using a midwife instead of an obstetric group. She comes to me, making prenatal visits in my own home. What a perfect fit -- no need to...

     The morning had not started well. I'd made the mistake of saying good morning to the children and telling them it was time for breakfast. This was met with outbursts of how unfair it was that they never  had any time to play and how I was always  interrupting their games with such trivial things.      Well, excuse me for living.      I felt the anger rising in me. A dozen accusations bubbled in my mind, threatening to spew out in spiteful words from my lips. It was early enough that my husband had not left for work yet. So, biting my tongue and clenching my fists, I burst out the front door and into the morning air in hopes of releasing that pent up frustration.      I walked briskly, determination in each step. I'm so sick of this! How can they be so ungrateful? The list of injustices began to multiply in my mind. But I knew, I had a choice to make. I could continue my tirade and succeed in making this a long...