Rain Dance

Gavin’s new karate schedule has carved out a convenient weekly date time for Arwen and me on Thursday afternoons. This week the pouring rain put Arwen in her element. I responded to her pleadings by standing out in the driveway with her for a few minutes, then retreated to the front porch to capture her gallivantings. Her puddle stomping has delighted me for years – I love watching her pure delight and utter disregard of being cold and wet.


For some reason, the kids’ preference for going out for hot chocolate translates into a personal challenge for me, so I try to make it fancy at home. The Trader Joe’s peppermint hot cocoa bedecked with whipped cream, fudge sauce, and chocolate sprinkles, accompanied by a chocolate chip cookie, made it a “real” date for Arwen.

Friday morning a group of parents gathered over breakfast to share with our legislators the impact our children’s school has made on our families. With state funding issues hitting our school disproportionately to other magnet schools in the state, we were anxious to share our stories as motivation to maintain the financial support needed to support programs that make possible the school’s mission of academic excellence in an environment that values diversity. It was a moving experience for us all. See the writeup and additional photos in the local Patch here.

This Saturday was my soccer morning with Arwen. I really enjoy watching her learn new skills and enjoy her friends on the field.

This weekend was the semi-annual conference of our faith. We joined with millions of members of our church worldwide to watch online as living prophets and apostles shared teachings specific to the challenges and opportunities of today’s world. I always look forward to the chance to find insights on topics I’ve been thinking about, and there were plenty this time around. Among those that caught my attention were the process of seeking our own answers from God, the importance of our family relationships, and putting ourselves in a place to feel the love God has for us.

While Chad and I provide some structure and expectations about the kids' participation in General Conference, it meant a lot to me that Gavin and Arwen made their own choice to watch most of this morning's session. Here they are listening for specific themes in the speakers' talks so they could fill out their bingo cards. I hope in time this will translate to their finding their own answers to life's questions through God's word.