This weekend

I'm away from kids this weekend - having a girl's weekend at my parents cabin. I am here with my mom, sister Janae, sister-in-law Karla and some of their friends, and on a typical weekend, I am sure I would celebrate every moment of being responsible for me & only me. I have no doubt that on a typical weekend, I would relish the moments of adult conversation, the freedom to read a book for hours if I wanted, and the time to work on all the projects that I never seem to have to time to work on. But, this is not a typical weekend, and this weekend, my natural tendency is to want to be home with Brad and to have my children within view and under my mothering wing as much as possible.

This weekend is not typical because our dear family friends will be laying to rest a sweet and beloved baby daughter, granddaughter, and niece. Last week, one-year-old Camille Waite drowned in a tragic accident at her home. Camille is the daughter of Stephanie (Harris) & Jonathan Waite - granddaughter of Ann & Morgan Harris and our families are lifelong friends. My heart has been heavy as I have contemplated the loss our dear friends are facing. When a tragedy hits so close to home, it is a brutal reminder of our absolute mortality and utter dependence on the Lord for even our very breath, and it makes me want to breathe in my children with every ounce of my being. I have found myself wandering into their rooms late every evening this week (even more so than normal), kneeling by their beds and getting close enough to caress their cheeks and feel their breath on my face. So though I am thankful for the chance to be at the cabin with the girls, away from the heat, this weekend, I would prefer to be tending to the needs of my children - bathing Ben, reading Lacey a story, combing Katie's hair, giving a reluctant Madi a big motherly hug and trying to help her understand that I really am not as much of a nuisance as she thinks I am right now. This weekend, I miss my family more than ever.

As I went visiting teaching this past week, I appreciated a quote from the message in a way that I would have not appreciated it just a week prior -

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985): "If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 15).

This weekend, my thoughts are with the Harris family - an amazing family, who individually and collectively are strong and faithful. They have rallied together in support of Jonathan and Stephanie - helping them through things no one would ever want to face. Through their faith in Christ's atonement and their firm convictions, they have received strength and comfort to sustain them. Both Stephanie and Lesli share very poignant thoughts and feelings about this experience on their blogs. This weekend, I am thankful for the influence the Harris family has had on my life, and I thank my Heavenly Father for my sweet husband and children.