It seems to be the way of my emotions with two teenagers. We had a mid morning scripture study with all of the kids that just was fantastic. I felt the spirit so strongly while we were talking. We are reading in Alma 53 and we talked about a few different things--one a comparison of the stripling warriors to the youth battalion that President Nelson invited them to join. And that if they want to know what is expected of them, then read about the type of boys those 200 young men were. And then we talked about whether or not some of the Nephites were a little bitter about having to defend "the people of Ammon" who actually were amazing fighters but just "couldn't" fight. And whether we would've felt bitter to risk our lives fighting for them because of a covenant they had made or if we would've been the ones that said, "oh, no don't pick up your weapons, we got this for you."
And then that led to a discussion about "helping others keep their covenants". I said, "tomorrow morning you make sure I am up nice and early to read with you all and dad too. That is helping us keep our covenants (the kids have still been awesome about getting up at 6:30 to get all their chores done before school and Ryan and I are struggling to wake up:( and then we were talking about why Pres. Nelson asked us to read the BOM before the end of the year and that the BOM "is a great sifter of members of the church in the last days" and that we will fall by the way if we do not have a testimony of it and read it regularly. Then inspiration hit and we said, well maybe the family could help us girls keep our covenant to read it--and could we all finish the BOM by the end of the year together--starting where we are in Alma already--which we did the math and means we need to read 3.3 pages a day together and those days that we don't quite make it we can make up for it on Sundays and read a bit longer when we have more free time. It was such a good discussion and for the most part they were pretty engaged. and I felt so grateful all day for the scriptures and how much I am falling in love all over again with the Book of Mormon. and for the teaching moments its provided as we've been diligent in reading it together the last 7-8 years.
And then tonight, I fought Aubrie and Robbie to help make dinner as they complained about how miiiisssserable they were from fasting. And I'm thinking/saying--why don't you help so its on the table faster. Which they didn't really help so I told them they had to do the dishes. Which is literally like twisting their arms. After a long day of being a solo parent since Ryan was gone a lot of it, plus being in Primary for 2 hours with unruly kids and mostly administrative--non spiritual stuff, I wasn't in the most patient of moods. And after arguing about it and them talking back too much I kicked them out of the house--literally. And told them to go with dad to the youth fireside and to just leave and I'd do the dishes. I just didn't want to have to do anything else with my emotions and trying to be patient.
So sometimes it is the best of times and sometimes it is the worst of times...ha!
