Back to the... slog (blog?).

Where do I begin (again)? So much has happened since I last posted. I guess since this is my family blog, I should talk about my family. My children are so much older, Juliette (Julie) is in her last year of high school! Shock horror! Jordan will be 15 in about 6 weeks’ time. Eden is in her last year of primary school. Kael is approaching the tween stage in a hurry. I have almost 3 teenagers in the house – should I be feeling old? Paul and I are happier than every before. Last year we had quite a ‘paradigm shift’ which has brought us a lot closer and we’re more a team now. It’s a long story and maybe one day I’ll share it.

I think that in talking about my family, I need to first talk about me and where I’m at. It’ll add a lot more perspective to the way I see and feel about my children, in paticular. In 2016, we had a young man from church come and live with our family. He was almost 17 and had been kicked out of his family– which was him and his grandfather. We felt that it was right for us to help and since we had the means to provide for him, it was the only logical thing to do. It was the most trying year of my life. Ever. I also started teaching Seminary. This was the start of quite an amazing journey of self-discovery and growth for me. I won’t bore you with the details, but after the year was over, we moved house and the young man couldn’t come with us (which is how we wanted it).

I taught Seminary for another year (2017). This was also a difficult year but easier than the previous one. Six months into the year, Julie decided that she didn’t want to go to church anymore – including doing Seminary. It was a very bitter pill to swallow. I struggled for months to come to terms with it. Eventually, I realised that I can’t force her because that is not how Father works with us. Needless to say, agency has become a huge part of my staunch belief system. It’s rather ironic though because the very thing which drew me to the church (being able to make our own decisions based on our own personal revelation) is what I was tested on.

In 2018, my calling was changed to Institute teacher for the Young Single Adults who attend the university. This is by far the best (official) calling I have ever had!! I learnt more about myself during those 18 months than in any other calling I’ve ever had. I have such a love for the YSA I taught. They will be my friends for the eternites.

Now, in 2020, Jordan has decided that he’s an atheist. Interestingly though, this hasn’t shaken me as I thought it would have. I have come to rely on the plan for his life and I trust that Heavenly Father is in complete control. I will always pray for my children but my job is to love them, not control them.

I think the biggest thing for me this past year is that I have become happier with who I am. I have learnt that my relationship with Heavenly Father is worth more to me than anything else because no matter what happens and who comes or goes from my life, I know He is always there for me. This is, in part, some of the ‘shift’ I mentioned earlier.

More to come!