What I Wrote in My Highschool Journal and How It's Coming Back to Haunt Me

I'm at the point in my life where I am dealing with a full-fledged teenager!!

The problem is that now I am on the mother-end of this relationship.  And it isn't as just cut and dry as I thought it should be for parents as I did when I was 15.

So I am learning, learning, learning those lessons that only come with experience.

One of those profound lessons was written ever so discreetly in my high school journal which, I happened to pull out this week  . . . and actually dared to look inside as I opened to a completely random page.

On the one side was my personal experience of meeting a prophet of God with real teenage descriptive words such as "cool" and "awesome."

On the other side of the page was high school drama and emotion that made my eyes grow big enough that it squeezed my brain into realizing that, YIKES I was 15 once!!

Gulp!

Back then I really didn't know much of anything!!

And as I quickly shut that journal, I marveled that somehow between being me then and being me now, is that I still I really don't know much of anything!  But the little that I do know is, Father in Heaven is good and kind and patient.

And, if He can be good and kind and patient to a 15 year old girl who was me, He will be good and kind and patience to a 15 year old boy who is mine for now. . .

Family Home Evening - The Holy Ghost and Praying to Our Heavenly Father

Since I didn't post last week's Family Home Evening Lesson idea, I'll add it to this week's post.

We got last Monday's lesson from HERE and this week's lesson from HERE.

The Holy Ghost
First of all we talked about the Holy Ghost - his personage of spirit and his relationship to the Godhead.

Then, we divided family members into pairs and gave one of the following clip art pictures:

- a campfire
- a warning sign
- a person giving a testimony in court
- the sun
- a compass
- a quilt

The assignment was for us to discover and share the mission of the Holy Ghost. Each companionship was to 1) discuss how their picture related to the Holy Ghost and 2) find a scripture that teaches the connection.

As we each shared what we learned, we also found ourselves recounting personal experiences we have had with the Holy Ghost. Even our youngest children were able to share.

Praying to Our Heavenly Father
We did like we did last week: divided into pairs, and each pair was to consider and discuss one of the following questions as presented in the manual:

- What is Prayer?
- Why Do We Pray?
- When Do We Pray?
- How Should We Pray?
- How Are Prayers Answered?

In discussing the answers, we were asked to use the scriptures to find a verse or a story to teach the answer. We were also asked to share a personal experience with prayer.

And the Highlight of Tonight's Family Home Evening . . . (drum roll, please),is when our fourteen year old son raised his hand and said, "I learned something about prayer." And there was a hush because usually he says something more along this line, "Uh, pretty much everything I heard tonight is just review."

"Heads up everyone," I announced, as I nodded for him to continue.

"Well, it's exactly what our Stake President said yesterday in Stake Conference. (Whoa. He was listening in Stake Conference?!)

"And what was that, son?" I coaxed. Because it is so nice to hear this teenage boy of mine talk about what he learned during Church.

"Remember the story he told of the two teenage boys?"

We all nodded, so he went on.

"They were caught speeding and the police that it would be a good idea for them to stay overnight in jail so maybe they would learn a lesson. Well, the next morning when they awoke, they realized it was Sunday.

'It's Sunday,' one of the boys said, 'our families are in church.'

'We should have our own church since we can't be with them,' replied the other. 'You say the opening prayer and I'll give a lesson.'

'Okay.' the first boy agreed as he bowed his head.

'Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this beautiful day. We are so happy to be here. We are so grateful to meet in this beautiful building and hope those who are not here will be with us next week.'"

We all laughed.

"So," our 14 year old continued, "I think I need to be a little more aware of what I am doing and what I am saying in my prayers."

Para bing. Para bang.