I start blog posts and never finish them. dear life- please stop being busy
My dear Arielle Oara Hall turned eight last month. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in Panera with Keri talking about what they were going to name the baby on the way. Today she was baptized. It was beautiful and tender and I was so grateful to be able to be there for her baptism.
As we sat waiting for it to begin, I looked at her in her dressed in white. She was grinning from ear to ear. I just sat there thinking she was still the four year old girl I remember. When did she grow up? How is she old enough to realize what she is doing? Is she really ready to be accountable for her sins? My thoughts were put at ease as my father stood and talked about baptism. It is at this time that we BEGIN to be accountable for our sins. It is not like yesterday was a free for all, and now you are expected to be perfect. We are all progressing, and with the knowledge we have we become more and more accountable. I looked at my niece and her excitement and was so proud of her. After being baptized she came back in dressed in her beautiful white dress. She was radiant. pure.
We went back to Matt and Keri's for some lunch and family time. I had a one of those wonderful father daughter talks. They seem to be far and few between since I have moved away from home. He had something in his talk that I had never heard, that I instantly fell in love with. He told Ari that she might not feel any different after she was baptized. He recounted the day he had married my mom. He had gone up to her later and asked if she felt any different. She responded that she felt same. She then told him the change didn't come when she made the covenant, but when she fell in love. He told Ari that she might not feel any different because the change had come when she fell in love with the gospel. So my dad and I talked. We talked about change, love, dating. He gave me his advice, to which he put the disclaimer "you must do what is right for you- take this for what it's worth"
Another moment came when I went downstairs to grab the fruit for lunch. I hadn't seen Ari, so I peaked my head in her room. "Ari, are you down here?" a muffled "yes" came from under a blanket. We went on to talk about what was wrong. She wanted to wear what she was wearing but her other grandma told her to put on play clothes rather than the pajama like clothes she was wearing and she didn't want to. We talked. We talked about how important it really was for her to change, why her grandma might have asked her to change, why she didn't want to change. Once the situation at hand was diffused- our conversation switched to the exciting events of the day. We sat there on her bed talking about what it meant to her to be baptized. We talked about the sacrament. It was one of those special moments, one that I loved and will remember for ever and always. She followed me upstairs with the promise of being my buddy during lunch.
The rest of the day was filled with naps and a trip up to heber. We had the priviledge of visiting my mom's cousins who are serving missions at the Heber Valley Camp. It was the coolest camp...ever. complete with challenge courses, volleyball courts, cabins, nice bathrooms, a lake front with paddle boats and canoes, they had the whole shabang. Family Reunion 2013. it's going to be epic. (ps I am missing Family Reunion 2012 because of EFY, to say I am sad would be an understatement. thank goodness for technology that allows us to keep in contact)
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| my paddle boat buddy. not smart in a dress. |
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| such a good little canoe-er |
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| the extended family |
Life today was wonderful. I am so grateful for my family and to have them so close. I am so blessed.
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