October 26, 2005 - We are currently in “get-ready” mode awaiting the arrival of our new little one. Becky has been deep-cleaning the house and methodically crossing things off her list. The list she has for me seems to be a bit more neglected for some reason. The kids are doing great in school and love spending time with each other and their friends. Auriana is continuing to improve on the mandolin and just brought home a perfect report card; Isaac just finished a fun soccer season and has become an excellent reader; Natalie also just finished her first soccer season and is amazing everyone with how smart she is. Enoch is becoming a great singer and is enjoying time at home with Mom, and Miriam is saying more words every day and continues to charm the socks off her dad. Work is going well for me – just finished another big issue of the Journal for FARMS. I’m relieved to have the Harvest Moon Hurrah over with and am now looking forward to the Christmas concert for the Spanish Fork Chorale on Friday, December 9. It starts at 7:30 if any of you are interested in attending.
Spiritual Thought
As I’ve been reading in the Book of Mormon each morning with the kids, it has been inspiring to me how interested and even excited they are with the things we read. We recently read about the two thousand sons of Helaman and also about one of my greatest heroes, Captain Moroni. “Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” Its thrilling for me to get caught up in a story or in teaching them a principle that can be learned from a story and have them asking questions and really internalizing the messages of the scriptures. Many times I have said, “Ok, lets stop there for now,” only to have them shout out, “No, keep reading!” I can think of few blessings greater than having my children develop an understanding of and love for the scriptures. The spirit that comes into our home each morning is such a blessing and I know it serves as a shield for them throughout the day. Along the same lines, Becky and I have rediscovered what a wonderful thing it is to read the Book of Mormon together each night. Often times, our personal scripture study takes place at different times and the companionship study is neglected. But on those nights when we read the scriptures together, there is a special spiritual bonding that occurs that just can’t be achieved any other way. I have a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon and its potential for power in our lives. I encourage each of you to continue developing that testimony individually and as a family.
