17 Miracles

My heart is full. I just watched "17 Miracles," a movie about the Willie Handcart company crossing the plains to get to Salt Lake City. The movie was beautiful, and it helps me remember my blessings.

I've been thinking about the idea of "angels among us" and I want to examine how my family members are like angels.

I feel like Brooklyn is the "easiest" angel in our family. She isn't old enough to be bossy, or make rude demands, or push and shove her siblings. She looks like a fat cherub:). She is radiant, cuddly, and I can always feel her love. She is so pure, good, and she doesn't ask for much. All she needs is food, clean clothing, warm shelter, sleep, and a bath every day for the sheer joy of it, if I wouldn't mind providing it. And all our love. I cannot imagine the tremendous loss it would be in our family to lose her (in light of the movie I just saw, wherein mothers had to bury their babies.) I am so thankful for my Brooklyn angel.

Lucy is my precious little girl who seems to be constantly wrestling with obstacles barring her from happiness. If she could just have everything her way, she could relax, dance, and sing in her flat, nasal voice to her heart's content. Instead, she wrestles to assert her indignation, or to assert her power. As an angel, she is my 3-year-old source of warmth and love every day. She has me hold her in my arms every night and sing her our lullaby, and every time she crawls into my lap and hugs me, I tell her it is the best part of my day. And it is. I will never forget holding Lucy in the bitter cold as a 1-year-old wrapped in blankets, so she could breathe better. I love her so much, and want to help her find happiness through obedience, self-control, and joyful activities. It's there--she just needs to be directed to it.

Isaac is my joyful angel. He came home from a play date yesterday almost literally walking on air. He had so much fun, and could not wait to report all of the fun with breathless enthusiasm, and a high voice marking the joy. He couldn't believe his luck. And he is that way about seeing hawks fly in the sky, about turtles and salamanders, and about every other discovery. He is the angel who helps me look around at the world as a priceless canvas. He makes the world beautiful.

I know I sound sappy, but remember that I just watched a meaningful movie, and review my previous post if you really think I'm over the top--both this post and the previous post are true.

Doug is the angelic man of my dreams. He is real and different from me--watching politics like it's a reality show, checking Jimmer's stats faithfully, buying used shoes on E-bay because they're the highest quality shoes, carrying the kids up and down the stairs--often two at a time--because that's their preferred mode of transportation, hopping out of a safe, good job for what he sees as a brighter future--he is fun to get to know! He is also so humble, so kind, so forgiving, so loving, and so self-sacrificing. He deprives himself of singing at the top of his lungs all morning long while he gets ready because I'm trying to sleep in. I am married to an angel.

I taught a lesson in Young Women's today about follow the Savior's example, and I feel more motivated to act well. I can honestly say that I have been a terrific parent since about 10:30 am this morning. While that may not compete with, say, the last five years of my life, it feels good to know that I haven't lashed out at my children since then. In case you were wondering what happened before 10:30, Isaac refused to wear tennis shoes because his church shoes were missing, and I sternly reprimanded him, also demanding that Lucy look for the Candyland cards because most of them were missing. It wasn't a pretty moment.

But this is a pretty moment, wherein I am so thankful for my life!