Weekend Wrap Up

I am trying to catch up on sleep around here. I an effort to do anything, almost, to allow our kids to go to EFY, Zack and I left our house at 6:00 PM Friday night to drive 5 hours to San Antonio. That may not sound so bad, but we picked up the kids--6 of them--and turned around and came straight home. We arrived back at our house at 6:00 AM. We got immediately in bed, but Zack's family was all in town for a family reunion, so we weren't there very long and got up to go entertain. We had a great time reconnecting with family we haven't seen in quite a while. And after a long nap on the couch this evening, here I am awake after midnight, blogging!!

In my opinion, Especially For Youth--EFY is worth almost any sacrifice. My kids come home so changed. Granted it usually doesn't last forever, but it is so good for them to have the things that we have tried to teach them reinforced by kids that are just a little older than them. I don't know how they do it. They inspire these kids to do more than they wanted to before. Mary Catherine has been reading her scriptures, having a wonderful attitude, and making some great decisions. She is in a great place. I am so thankful. Taylor was online today downloading the Book of Mormon from lds.org. He wants to load it onto his phone. Wow! He has been telling me about his favorite scriptures.

I was asking the kids today on the way to church what it is about EFY and how do they inspire the kids to do so much changing. Alex said, "they don't do anything.....it is just EFY." I don't believe that. It is all what you do that invites the Spirit or drives out the Spirit. I can feel a different spirit in my home with these changes that have happened. I feel like it is my job to do nothing that can take away from that spirit. I want to even discipline in a way that allow all of us to feel the Spirit. I am grateful to be able to recognize the difference in our home. I want to use this time to help firm up some goals we have been working on as a family. It is soooo good. I think we are moving in a good direction. It's nice to be able to say that with all the worries of having a house full of teenagers. Sarah Beth is watching her older brothers and sister so closely.

I enjoyed Sacrament meeting today. It made me think so much about Trust and Faith. I hope that as my children hear others bear their testimony about a gospel principle, they will think...I want to feel that, too. I know that if "Brother Young" tells me that he feels blessings from attending the temple regularly then I want to be inspired to attend more so I can try that out. If we trust those around us and believe when they tell us that the gospel works for them, then we will be moved to do those things in our lives. I have done that throughout my life and it has helped me achieve more than I would have thought by myself.