Sharing My Joy

I went to parent-teacher conferences yesterday.

Samuel

His teacher said that he was doing great! He was a good listener, kind to all the children and he was just pure joy to have in her classroom!

A small piece of our conversation--

Mrs. T. : "Does Sam have any food restrictions or allergies?"

Me: "No??"

Mrs. T.: "The other day I offered the children some coffee cake. Sam insisted that his mother would not allow him to eat coffee cake. I thought maybe he couldn't have sugar?"

Me: "Oh, well, we don't drink coffee and he probably assumed that the cake had coffee in it. I make it all the time but we call it breakfast cake!"

It was really sweet to hear that Sam is so sensitive and understands that he can stand up for himself.

Joshua

His teacher told me that Joshua is a perfect example to all of the children. He listens, follows directions and obeys quickly. He is respectful to the teacher and all of the children. He is doing great with his reading. He is determined and works very hard to accomplish every goal! She said that Joshua adds peace to her classroom!

Kimball

His teacher just couldn't say enough nice things about Kimball. She loves watching him learn and is amazed at his ability to absorb information, memorize and formulate ideas. She said that she can't understand how he can have so much information in his head and retrieve it and then make connections with the new information she teaches them.

A few weeks ago Kimball told me that he really wanted to give his teacher a Book of Mormon. I was surprised and a little unsure how to handle this request. I told him that I didn't know the teacher that well, I didn't know how she would respond. I didn't want him to get in trouble, and that they might think he was proselyting in the private Catholic school. I suggested maybe he could give her the movie "Joy to the World" for Christmas. He was satisfied. Since then, every few days he repeatedly told me that he really wanted to give her a Book of Mormon. He told me that she was very religious, how she would love the book and that it would be better to give her the Book of Mormon than just the video.

While I was visiting with Kimball's teacher I too realized what an amazing woman she was. I realized why Kimball wanted to give his teacher the most precious gift that he could think of. I could feel the Spirit while in her classroom and felt complete love from this beautiful teacher. So while we were talking, I told her of Kimball's desire to give her this special book. She was filled with appreciation and joy! She told me how she would love to have the book and that she was very open to all religions. I then felt impressed to invite her to church in two weeks when Kimball would be speaking in the primary program. She again accepted with much anticipation. She wrote down the information of when and where and told me she would try very hard to make it to our church meeting.

As I left the school I was filled with so many feelings that I started to cry.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance... Galatians 5:22-23

I felt humbled! Why did I doubt Kimball? Children hear those whisperings of the Spirit so much easier. I learn so much from my children each day. I pray that I will be humble enough to recognize what my Heavenly Father is continually trying to teach me. Someday when my 5 boys leave to serve on missions I will send them out to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the ultimate joy that is all of ours to share.

Sharing My Joy
For me the very best part of being a mother is watching my children learn and discover. Sharing that joy with a teacher has always been hard for me. But now I feel so blessed that my children are able to be with these Christian women. They love them, they rejoice with them as they learn new ideas and skills. They teach with the light of Christ. They have faith and hope for the future of my children. They pray for them and give them all their energy and strength. I'm grateful that their teachers are free to talk of Christ, his love for each of us and guide my children with gospel insights while at school. More importantly, now my children are sharing their own testimonies, spirit, and joy with them. My children are truly my greatest joy!

I remember....



They are Heavenly Fathers first...


He lovingly shares them with us!


Late last night when I was relating these wonderful feelings with Jeff he said, "Now, we are going to have 3 non-member friends at church with us! Remember, I invited my friend from school and his wife?"

Our family prayers are being answered.