Modern Times

In Primary Sunday, I told a chalkboard story about a father and grown son who lived on either side of a tall mountain. I asked the class how the father and son could communicate if they were unable to travel over the mountain. First two answers? Text and Skype.

lol

On the Frontier

For the past six months at church I was a counselor in the stake Primary presidency, which meant visiting different wards 2-3 times a month to train and observe their Primary organization. I missed the children in my ward, but I loved the women I worked with and I enjoyed meeting the children and leaders in other wards. In November, the church created a stake in my town, and I assumed (based on things that were said to me) I would have the same calling in the new stake (all four of us from the former presidency are in the new stake).

Well, that isn't the case. The other three women were reinstated, and I'm now the adult Sunday School teacher in my ward (Gospel Doctrine). 

Yes, after years of teaching teenagers and children, not a person under 25 is in sight anywhere. I'm happy for the opportunity to study the scriptures, but very nervous about teaching adults. With the exception of about four months of teaching Gospel Doctrine a few years ago, I've taught children and teenagers for the past eight or nine years. 

The past Sunday was my debut, and it was rocky. I prepared extensively for the lesson, but started late because I was nervous and spent far too much time on the introduction to the lesson. The former teacher was excellent (and in the room), which just increased my anxiety. I'm hoping for a better experience this week. 

New Adventure

I received a new calling Sunday as second counselor in the Stake Primary presidency. So instead of teaching the five year olds every week, I'll spend one Sunday a month visiting other congregations in the area to advise and counsel with their Primary leaders. The three women I'll work with in the presidency are awesome, and I'm looking forward to knowing them better.

During the meeting this morning, I thought about the fact that even though I don't have children in my home, I've been able to know and love many children as I've worked in Primary. Later, in the setting apart blessing, I was blessed to come to know many children in the stake by name and to have an influence on many of them.

I listened to all three setting apart blessings, and each prayer was unique and nearly nothing was repeated for two people. That, along with the personal blessing I mentioned, reinforced my conviction that this is the place the Lord wants me to serve right now. I'm not sure how I'll come to know many children by name in only one visit a year, but I trust that it will be so, if I do my part.

I've been extremely fortunate to serve in the past as a counselor and secretary to two of the best Primary presidents the Church could have produced (one is my mother), and I know I've been well prepared for this calling.

High as a Kite

It was fun to see so many boys sporting back-to-school haircuts yesterday at Church. Primary was particularly challenging yesterday, partly because our half of the building had no air conditioning. Another factor was the presence of so many talkers in my class--everyone wants to tell a story about nearly everything we mention, whether its relevant or not.

Yesterday, however, C and E broke all previous records for crazy behavior, constantly messing with each other, skipping around the room, talking to each other, etc. When they both hid behind the table folded against the wall during the closing prayer, I pulled them out and took them in the hall while the others finished the prayer. C is 5 and about to start kindergarten. E is 6 and starting first grade.

After, the three of us talked about what might help them be more reverent and respectful in class, and it was obvious C felt bad about her behavior. I'm not sure E realized there was anything unacceptable about her behavior, but I can only tackle so many things at once. E said that singing an activity song before class would only give her more energy, but C said that she might feel better if we sing a quiet song. C is going to bring her Dad to class next week (her idea), and we'll try the reverence song.

Our class meets right after Sacrament Meeting at 10:15, and we take a water and bathroom break before class starts and let everyone share some news. We sometimes have pretzels or cheese sticks as a treat. I haven't kept track of whether treats affect behavior. But, I welcome any suggestions from my more experienced readers. Any ideas?

It's in the Bag

Last night, the Relief Society met to make pillowcases/bags for children taken from their homes by CPS. The idea is that a homemade bag is a bit more comforting than a garbage bag when you're taken suddenly from your home and have to pack whatever you want to take in just a few minutes. Later, you can use the bag as a pillowcase.

This was part of an Eagle Scout project, and I was impressed by how many people were there. I took my sewing machine, and arrived about 30 minutes late, by which time most people were set up and working, usually two machines to a table with several people each cutting fabric.

I'm not sure how I expected things to work, but the cases were cut loosely to size, more or less straight, and in the middle of things they started pinning the tops to make a deep hem. No ironing. No measuring. No cutting board or rotary cutter. No regard to grain. (They did iron the finished pieces.)

I'd like to say I rolled with the punches and cranked out a bunch of cases.

Instead, I can say that I finished two pieces during the two hours I was there. I went back out to the car early on to get my rotary cutter and mat, and evened things up as best I could. I waited to use the one iron to get out the worst of the wrinkles. I did a bit of pinning. I'm not sure how comforted a child will be by an oddly-shaped brown or tan poly gabardine pillowcase, but so be it.

My two cases apparently passed quality control and made it to the finished pile. I took home two in-process cases and quite a bit of fabric (corduroy and a western-themed print cotton) to make a few more during the week.

Here's what I learned:

• Next time you volunteer for a sewing project, take your own iron and cutting tools, not just your machine. Take your own round head pins also.
• Try to set yourself up to work alone. Because I was late, I was able to do that last night. So, people might have wondered why I kept cutting on fabric that was already cut, and why it took me 40 minutes to finish one case, but at least they weren't wondering that while sitting right next to me.
• Attention to detail and demanding personal standards can be a drawback.

Actually, I knew that last bit already. However, as much as I don't always like that part of myself, I don't think I can do much to change it at this point.

More on a different kind of pillowcase next time.

How I Spent Saturday Night

Sunday's Primary lesson is on being an example. In order to involve a student who is autistic, I have been illustrating some of the lessons with comic panes (he will usually pay attention if something has word bubbles). This week, I drew and scanned several figures and then assembled everything in Word. Not the most efficient method, but perhaps legible than my 100% freehand attempts.

(You'll need to click on each pane to see it in large format)

Feeling the Love

If you're feeling unloved and unwanted, volunteer to teach the 5 year olds' Primary class, and then take a two week vacation. Sunday, after a two week absence, I received no less than 5 hugs from the 3 girls in my class. The one boy in class didn't offer me a hug, but he did smile as he walked past me in the chapel.

Looking Forward, or, An Ohio Evening

I just made plans with my dear friend eb to go to Ohio over Labor Day. She's offered many invitations over the years, but in the past I've demurred with excuses of work, penury, or school. Those excuses still exist (work and school are now combined, since I work at a school), but I'm going to say "What the heck" and do it anyway. I'm feeling happy about having another fun trip to look forward to. Also, buying a ticket to Ohio will put me even closer to another Southwest award ticket, which I promise will be used to go to Texas.

The trip agenda includes eb's high school reunion, which should be infinitely less painful than my own reunion, which is also this summer (Mom, are you certain you already threw away my invite?). Two of eb's siblings are getting married (not to each other, of course!) in August and will have an open house in Ohio that weekend, we'll drive through Amish Country, and visit some of the Ohio LDS historical sites like the John Johnson home. Maybe I can even wrangle a meet-up with the original sources of my aunthood and their younger sister, who are just a hop, skip, and a jump from Ohio.

(Soundtrack for this post is my latest download, "Look at Miss Ohio," on Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains (Music from the Motion Picture), performed by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, with additional vocals by Gaida Hinnaw).

Out of the Frying Pan

I told a few of you that I was released from teaching adult Sunday School two weeks ago. Well, it appears that starting next Monday at 6:15 am, I'll be teaching seminary*. Yes, you read correctly. Seminary.

Considering the huge struggle it was to drag myself out of bed and to work by 8:45 this morning, I think I have a big challenge ahead. My parents, when not feeling sorry for me, should feel a slight tinge of satisfaction remembering the 4 years of dragging me out of bed to attend seminary and knowing that it is now coming back to haunt me.

*Seminary is a Latter-day Saint program of weekday religious instruction for youth ages 14-18. Here, the class meets Mon-Fri, 6:15 to 7:15 am. This year's course of study is the Old Testament. In parts of the country with large LDS populations (Utah, Arizona, etc.), students can take seminary as an elective during the school day and are taught by full-time Church Education System instructors. In other places in the United States and around the world, the instructors are volunteers and Seminary class is held before school.


Photo: Chicago Daily News, Inc., photographer. (ca. 1917). Naval reservist, sleeping in a hammock, on the Commodore, a training ship. Chicago Daily News negatives collection, DN-0067875. Courtesy of the Chicago Historical Society. Available from Library of Congress American Memory http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/
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NPR and the Holy Bible, or, Never Say Never

If you look at this site with any regularity, you may have noticed the contents of the "Currently Enjoying" sidebar are pretty static these days. I should just change the contents to read NPR and The Bible, since that's about all I'm listening to and reading these days (discounting Pandora.com, which I'm playing in the office).

How did this come about, you ask? I can't explain the NPR bit. I never thought I would end up an NPR listener (nothing at all wrong with NPR, just wasn't my style), but here I am. The music station I sometimes listen to interviews stand-up comics all morning, so one day I happened upon NPR, and here I am.

As for the Bible, by the time I get through reading for the next Sunday School lesson, I'm too tired to read anything else. Again, nothing at all wrong with the Bible, but I'd like to someday get back to the other books I've put aside.

It's Official

Some of you may know that I am teaching Sunday School (Gospel Doctrine course) for three weeks until they have a permanent instructor.

Well, guess who the permanent instructor will be?

Yup--you got it. I can't say I'm surprised. But I see all the Primary children in the halls and it makes me homesick for Primary.

In other Sunday news, I got to Church today and found I had only one organ shoe with me (the left). Oops! Things went ok with only one, but the closing hymn was a bit rough. For some reason, without a shoe on my foot suddenly couldn't figure out where it was and where it was supposed to be.

New Opportunities

So there I was, sitting in my office on my "lunch" break, catching up on Heroes, when my phone rang, showing a 615 number. And guess what? While I was out of town last Sunday, our ward was split to form the Blackman Branch, of which I am now a part. The branch has about 260 members, which makes it nearly big enough to be a ward. And, we're meeting in the Smyrna building.

Hmm. I will have to leave a bit earlier for Church this Sunday than I usually do. Quite a bit earlier, since I'm playing the organ (hence the phone call, though I suspect and hope someone would have called me before Sunday regardless). Any bets on whether or not I'll be called as Ward Organist?

Personally, I think this is a good thing. It's much easier to get to know people in a branch of 260 than in a ward of 500-plus. And since I haven't formed any strong attachments in the ward, I'm not as sorry to leave as I'm sure some people are.

Finally, call it coincidence or not, but I was supposed to work this Sunday. Just this afternoon, however, someone in the office asked to switch with me. Great timing, eh?