fathers & stuff

I had fun with John during church today. A couple of times he put his head on my lap for a few minutes and actually listened to the speakers but he would only recognize phrases here and there, not the entire message. But it was fun to see his eyes light up when he recognized something and he had to repeat it. So there was my little parrot in my lap, excitedly squawking out words like "missionary!" and "temple!" and "Nephi!" At least it got him to pay attention for a few minutes.

I had a thought on my way home from church. I realized what a great tool prayer is to teach my kids about the nature of God. Even from the age of 2 or 3 there's no need to attempt vague, indefinable explanations about a supreme being and where He is or what He's like because they develop their own ideas and images as they talk to Him several times a day! Utilizing the principles we use in prayers I can teach my children about God, Jesus, our relationship to deity, the creation of the world, an endless supply of teaching points to reference based on the simple conversations we have every day with a Heavenly Father. Today I feel thankful for prayer.

Another thing I'm thankful for, that should go without saying, is fathers. My own father has been pivotal in my own development and I feel utterly incapable of expressing my gratitude for having been born to my goodly parents. That is a fact I have been aware of and grateful for since before high school and my appreciation for them has only grown in the intervening years.
And I would be completely remiss if I didn't express my love and appreciation for the father of my own children. I can't even begin to count how much he does. I can hardly list the number of chores he assumes on a regular basis in addition to the rigors of working to provide for our family. Most of what he does would stress me out beyond capacity but he does it without complaint and still makes it look easy. I fall in love him more every day when I see how much our kids adore him and how much they love spending time with him. You are the best thing in my life, sweetheart. Happy Father's Day.