Soul Carving

       Children are pleading for my attention, dinner preparations are stalled, I'm staring at the computer screen with my head in my hands as I realize there's another page of 7 more questions to complete for my homework that's due in 20 minutes. But my class starts in 15 minutes and at this time in the evening, it usually takes me that long to drive there. Then add another 7 minutes to walk from the parking lot to my classroom. It's the second week of classes and already I'm toast. This is how I spell "S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D  O-U-T".        Plus, it's raining out.        So I fumble through the homework questions as best as I can, stuff the textbook into my backpack, throw on a sweatshirt and head out the door, grumbling all the way. In my mind I could hear a calmer, more optimistic me trying to reason with myself.         "Okay, so you're late to class. At least you got the homework done. Feeli...

       I'll be the first to say, my life has been pretty easy. I am tremendously blessed and when I look at some of the challenges that others must face, I feel great admiration for them. I pray that they will be strengthened in their trial and I will admit that I thank God I was spared that particular challenge. But I also ask for similar strength, should I ever encounter such struggles.       Every once in a while though, something presents itself in my life that has a much more powerful affect upon me than I anticipated. It may start out as seemingly benign and I think like any carefree, go-getter girl, that I can simply brush it off and continue with my life. But sometimes it's not that easy. Recently, I learned that some things will interrupt your life and demand more time and energy than you may be willing to give them in order to be processed and moved passed.        My experience taught me at least two important lessons....

The musty smell of chlorine mingled with sunscreen. Drippy chins stained blue or green from popsicles. Barbecues, car rides, fairs and fireworks. Summer brings it own brand of exhausting and exhilarating magic. Utah offers unique opportunities for fun and education throughout the summer. Today I'd like to highlight some of the events we've enjoyed this season. Splish-Splash Bash        Fitting for a desert, this area has no shortage of public pools and water parks. Spanish Fork and Springville both boast lovely splash-pads, free and open to the public. My children like to gather bark or bring bath toys from home to have boat races! Springville's pad is much longer, with a variety of depths and fountain areas. Spanish Fork's will get you wet whether you intended it or not! But each has a separate playground next to it and bathrooms available. I also love the sculptures, waterfall and rocks that decorate Springville's pad. Of course either one gets pretty crowd...