Moments like this

A few weeks ago while reading my scriptures I came across a scripture that made me laugh because it seemed so applicable to life.  Lehi was talking to his sons about Adam and the need for opposition in life.  He says "And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good for they knew no sin."  Looking at a life of raising children I couldn't agree more.  Some of the greatest moments of joy have been with my children, also some of the hardest things I have had to face have been with my children.  Learning to let go and let them make their own decisions has been a painful growing experience.

I was driving my children to the church a few nights ago, listening to a couple of them laughing in the back of the van as they talked and shared headphones while they listened to music.  It made me think that it is moments like this that make parenting worthwhile.  As a parent it seems like most moments are full of demands, schedules x 6, dishes, grocery shopping (lots of it), loads and loads of laundry, etc...  I feel like some mornings I get up tired just thinking of what has to be done.

A couple weeks ago one of those moments came hidden in a small crisis.  I got a phone call from one of my children.  She was using her brother's cell phone.  They had spent the day at a youth conference, and to my knowledge having a great time.  The phone call was a quick request to please come get me.  It took me a few minutes of asking her what was wrong to make sure this wasn't life threatening.  When I got off the phone I was met with several people asking if she was ok.  Apparently I was the only one who had no idea we had an issue.  When I got to the church building, after talking to my son twice, I was able to pick her up.  After a hug and a few minutes of calming down, we set out to McDonalds for a quick dinner.  I was able to get the low down on the last few hours and the mortifying moments of a teenagers life.  Through this whole time, it was repeated to me how her brother helped her, how much she was grateful he was there, and that he was her knight in shinning armor.   Amazingly after a couple days of calming down this child reached out to the boy who had "caused" the crisis and in a very Christlike way assured him that things were ok.  It was amazing to me that she had the capacity to think about someone else when she had been the one hurt.  It is moments like this that I realize that just maybe we are doing something right.   More importantly I realize how amazing my children are.

Of course as I was thinking of this in the car the Walton moment soon changed.  Kids had to move positions in the van and were "lovingly" responding to each other.  Oh well! Now we just wait for the next moment.