Sunday, January 27, 2013

last Christmas before missions

Well, here goes.  First post of the blog that I will be keeping while my four children go on missions..(I was going to say "out into the world" but ...they are all stateside so far.  We still hold out hope for Bethany to break our family's trend of serving missions in the states.  Ben, my oldest, who went to Minnesota claims that , "The Taylors" do not serve foreign missions.  I think he believes that he has unearthed the great secret that the General Authorities do not want us to have grand adventures in foreign lands. Okay, really...he is proud of his siblings and I want to think he knows that inspiration directs these callings.  These valiant young people are called to where they will be the best they can be, touch certain lives, and be refined and molded into servants of the Lord.

I would like to say I am excited.  But...not so much as yet!  If you know me, I detest change of any kind.  I have not been very happy the month of January.  The only thing that keeps me going is the laughter and noise of large children stomping around, baking things, and adding a little chaos to the monotony that is January.  It has been a particularly hard month because of the cold, the fog, the snow, and of course, that ridiculous ice storm.  I need blue skies and sunshine, and there has been none of that. I like lots of people around me.  It is one of the reasons I had seven children.  I wanted to ensure that I would have crowds at Thanksgiving.  Out of seven kids,  I figured that someone would want to spend time with me.  My married kids are busy with their own lives.  Oh sure, they will come over if I offer them food, but they don't hang around in their pajamas laughing into the night.

I know that these mission opportunities offer Jerry and I an opportunity to become closer to our Heavenly Father, and to revere our Savior as never before.  Our children will be spiritually enriched, and we need to take this time to immerse ourselves in the scriptures, to feast upon The Word, and to take four journeys with our righteous children.  And...they are so righteous!!  I am humbled by their desires.  I do not believe we can take much credit for their righteous actions.  They have always been good kids.  I think the Lord knew Jerry and I were extremely inept in raising kids, and getting them where they were supposed to be, and not losing them. (we have lost them , more then once, and there may be a blog on that later on.)  He knew it would be a struggle just to bathe and feed them, and so he send us obedient kids who usually did what they were supposed to do.

We have had plenty of other trials, but thank goodness, the kids have pretty much adhered to the principles of the Gospel.  They have been a great example to us.  I love opening Rachel's door and night to find her reading her scriptures in bed, or to listen to an insight  that Mark has recently discovered.  Ahhh, I will miss my baby boys.  To think that I wept when I found out I was having more twins, BOYS!!  They have been a true joy, and have added so much to our family life.  Bethany is my hero in so many ways.  I am in awe of her courage and fortitude.  I know that life will give back everything that she works so hard to put into it, because she is one of the coolest people I know, and she is my daughter!  Rachel is so pure, that I visibly blanched in horror (well, maybe just inwardly)when she read her call to Detroit, Michigan.  These words come to mind when I think of Detroit, "high crime, poverty, dirty, unemployed"  I always visualized sweet, naive Rachel skipping blithely along on some remote tropical island with sun baked, good natured people who adored her.  Oh well, the Lord knows best.  My friend Amy has assured me that her friends, who are perfectly normal people love Michigan and have chose to live there of their own accord!   Maybe Rachel will come home, hardened and determined to make the world her own having defeated her own self doubts in Michigan.

Perhaps my own self doubts will be resolved as I make this journey of all journeys with them.  I expect highs and lows, tears, and depression (all of it mine)  I may have Jerry be a guest blogger from time to time.  For those of you who know him, he is a man of few words.  It will be amusing to get him to write a few thoughts.  I know those thoughts are in there, sometimes it is just tough to wrench them from him!! haha

Please stay tuned for past and future experiences and musings!!  Thanks all, for support, we couldn't do it without you!!


                                                   Our last Christmas together     I tried to hide it, but I was very melancholy, and once or twice, the boys would ask , incredulously, "Are you really crying?"
Yes, boys, because I have had missionaries before, and life is never quite the same......