Build Upon the Rock

There was a time in my life where I could not comprehend life without babies and toddlers. And as exhausted as I was, the thought of the next stage of life scared me. I’d think, “HOW can I live in a world where things aren’t solved with timeouts and hugs? Where forgiveness doesn’t come easily, where consequences aren’t simply ‘no popsicles today!’ Will they trust me and love me like they do now? Will they believe in themselves the way they do now?”

I KNEW how to parent little ones. What happened when they turned into, like, PEOPLE?!

Well, guess what, I have people now.

BUT, you know what? This stage of life is kinda awesome. Getting to KNOW them, their interests, their fears, their successes, their failures, their sense of humor, their dreams. They’re PRETTY GREAT people. With a lot less jam on their hands.

Now they all start school tomorrow. Three different schools. Three different buses. 36 glue sticks and like 100 masks.

We moved in right before the shutdown, so some are really nervous to start again, crying, “I can’t do this!”

I’m nervous for them! It’s hard sending them off into the world! And I want to tell them what Helaman told his sons:

“Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer...that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” Hel. 5:12

School can be great, sure. But then, we all went through middle school. And it can be pretty awful. Anyone else still have nightmares about it? Just me?

There will be winds, hail, and storms. And I just pray those kids of mine can find that rock and hold tight! Everything else may be crazy, but there is solid ground! Remember who you are. Remember God lives. Remember He loves you! You can do this.

“Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.” D&C 6:34