Mom, Mom, I chose the right!

My four-year-old has been pointing out to me when he makes a good choice, or when he obeys, or remembers to follow a routine.... It's been a cool thing for me as a mom to hear him report on his personal successes.

I thought maybe he was telling me because he thought I didn't notice... it's true, quite often, that I'm not always aware of what each of my six children is doing. I've talked with mothers of just one and they admit the same thing.

Of course, I get notified when one of the kiddos notices his sibling doing something wrong -- or is the victim of a fellow child's bad behavior. Rarely, though, do they bother to let me know when "all is well in Zion."

So having a son who wants to be recognized a little more often and a little more positively is a nice change from the ol' role of referee!

As this phenomenon has continued for a few weeks now, I think it may not just be about Mommy being told, but I think his little reports are a sort of self-reinforcement.

He is feeling that innate sense of right versus wrong playing out in his own life, and by sharing his discoveries, he is self-congratulating and therefore more likely to continue with the better choices!

I believe God instills that feeling in us, both the simple understanding of what is good, as well as the accompanying joy. He wants us to be happy, and he knows the "secrets" -- that's what the commandments are! As we obey, particularly the most important commandments of loving God and loving each other, we will experience that consequential happiness, and continue on that path.

I want to always remember

Y know how certain moments get etched into your brain? I'm not sure how my brain decides what pictures get burned in but I feel confident that writing about today's preciousness will help with the permanency process.

I took the five kiddos that are mine and only mine this week (Ted took the oldest to Scout Camp) to the local splash pad. Miriam, at age two, wasn't quite sure if this was fun or not. Initially, she just stayed nearby and found a couple of puddles that gave her great pleasure in the footprints they produced. 

As she got more comfortable -- and noticed the joy of her siblings as they ventured off -- she decided to find a spot she could run back and forth to from the safety of me. (By the way, I love love love being my children's safety net!!!)

And so during one of her trips away from me, I worked my brain into etching mode... 

Amidst the sometimes dull, dutiful drudgery of day-in and day-out mothering, may I also remember -- and even choose as a focal point --

Cuter-than-cute little buns peeking out through the wedgie on her swimsuit! 

Hair and skin shining from water mixed with sunscreen. (Yes, I spray her hair with sunscreen hoping to protect her scalp)

Her feet running, skipping, sashaying, zig-zagging... 

Then I hear her let out a "woo-hoo!" almost involuntarily! 

Joy, luckily, is contagious... and I have the blessing of being surrounded by lots of infected little people!

BINGO!

I know it's cliche, but last Thursday, I got together with the ladies at church and we played BINGO!

Now, it wasn't just any BINGO -- the little pictures that we covered with our jelly beans had symbols of Easter on them. Nails, soldiers, folded linens, pierced hands, dice, that sort of thing.

So we were giving ourselves a review of the most amazing occurrence in the history of mankind as we played this game.

I was feeling pretty good about how my chances were looking. I had a couple different ways that my jelly beans were covering spaces near each other, and I thought surely I'd get to call out BINGO soon.

I sort of pitied the lady next to me. Her jelly beans were scattered all over her page. None of them were on squares anywhere near any other.

But she ended up calling out BINGO before I did.

And it occurred to me: such a situation is reflective of the awesomeness of Christ's mortal ministry and how it ended -- or appeared to end, but then...

He was supposed to be the Messiah, but there he was, hanging in agony on the cross. Surely some of his followers were worried that this was the end.

But, then came the Victory! Within just a couple of days, they were able to call out BINGO! HE WON! Even though everything had looked so bleak just a few days before...

How I hope I will remember this lesson, especially in those times of life when I feel scattered, headed for disaster, pretty sure I'm going to lose. Keep playing the game, Regan! Don't give up!

All things work together for good 

to them that love God!