What Matters Most

Tonight I finally sit down to prepare a lesson for the young women in my church when after only a few minutes I hear Smith coming down the hall. It's after ten and I am done dealing with him. If he takes a nap during the day we pay for it at night!

So I am on the LDS webiste searching for a talk when he sees a picture of Jesus and starts to talk about Him, I just ignore him. It sounds horrible but I know Smith and he has a plan. He'll try and talk to me in a sweet voice and act interested in what I'm doing just trying to prolong his time out of his room. I'm tired and don't want to get up again so I figure I'll put him back in a few minutes.

So I keep searching, he keeps talking, and I keep ignoring. Out of the corner of my eye I see his little fingers wiggling and notice that he's been telling me the same story over and over. I see the desperate look in his eye for me to listen to him - so I listen. He is telling me about Joseph Smith and the first vision. He starts by saying, "Smith, Joseph, like me Smith". Then those same little fingers I saw wiggling earlier represent that there were "too many churches" that he "didn't know which church" so he went to "the grass and prayed" and that "Jesus came". He went on to talk about the Book of Mormon and "the true church, my church". I couldn't believe my little two year old (almost 3) understood the first vision let alone could repeat the story.

I was instantly humbled as I listened to him. I was reminded that even when we are doing "good" things we can sometimes let them get in the way of what matters most. In this case it was my little boy sharing with me his budding testimony of the first vision. I would of preferred to have had this experience like 2 hours earlier but it never seems to work out that way.

My Friday

When I went to pick up Eliza and Isaac from school on Friday my usual parking space was taken. I will usually wait till they leave but I was late and decided to park in the second lot that is farther away.

I go to Eliza's class and pick her up then Isaac's and get him and another little boy that I take home. As we are standing outside the door I have the two older boys hold hands with the younger ones. Isaac's teacher looks at me and compliments me on how well I handle "all these little kids". And yes, inside I'm thinking the same thing, "I am doing such a great job" & "I am a such a good mom". Smith must have heard my thoughts.

We got all the way down to the end of the first parking lot and then it happened. Smith takes off to the fields behind the school to chase after some birds. I decide not to run after him I figure the other kids will follow and we'll never get out of there. So I just let him run and try and talk him back. Pointless and stupid.

After a while the kids all start straying and now I am threatening everyone to stay put. For a moment I just stood there not knowing what to do. Finally I decide to do the "Bye I'm leaving" trick while Isaac is yelling at me telling me that I'm not a good mom if I leave him. I tell him I am just pretending and he tells me I'm lying.

It worked. Smith followed and we got to the car. All I did was take out my keys from my purse and look up to find Smith running towards the street. He's standing right on the edge of the sidewalk and I know if I chase after him he will run into the street. So I tell him to look at the plane and while he looks up I sprint towards him.

I didn't realize that while I was going after Smith Eliza had followed me. A teacher saw Eliza in the middle of the parking lot and ran over to get her. I come back with a screaming Smith and see Eliza crying and the teacher wide eyed and full of disapproval.

I tell her thank you and then start to get everyone in the car. Eliza and Smith are doing a screaming/crying combo, Isaac is very upset on the verge of tears at all the chaos and his friend looks fearful. The teacher just stood there for a moment and then walked back to her car and sat there staring at me until I drove away. I wanted to cry but forced a smile for her instead.

I've always thought so negatively about people with kids on leashes but after a day like that they are looking pretty good!


I just don't know that I could really do it though. I'll be honest when I think of kids on leashes I tend to picture this instead.


Enough said. Definitely some good times for the Sorensen family. I just wish I didn't have to see that teacher ever again!