Letter - Cavities that Become Reservoirs of Joy

Sunday, May 04, 2014

Last Monday my niece Shelby who is serving a mission in Brazil sent me a nice email in response to my letter last week.  It was so kind.  Thank you Shelby!!  My nephew Chad’s last letter was so funny, he is serving in Argentina.  My other nephew’s Reggie and Levi are also serving missions--Reggie in California and Levi in Guatemala.  I love reading each of their letters each week.  It is so neat to hear their testimonies and to hear about how they are helping people make positive changes in their lives and come closer to Christ.  Their service and their letters are a blessing to me.  They build my faith.  On Monday afternoon the girls and I watched this funny “Let it Go” music video over and over again.  We showed it to the older kids when they game home from school then watched it again for FHE.  We love it.

There are lots of prairie dogs at the kids school.  I snapped this picture of several of them on Monday morning.

Last Sunday at the fireside for the Stake YM encampment they introduced this Captain Moroni Award that the boys can work towards now in preparation for the camp.  Spencer is excited about it and wants to earn it.

Tuesday morning I woke up around 6:00 and at 6:15 since I couldn’t get back to sleep I decided to get up and follow my cousin Mindy Rowley’s example and go to the temple.  I was able to get to the temple by 6:35, do a sheet of initiatory names and be back home by 7:25 for our family scriptures and Come Follow Me lesson.  I LOVE having a temple so close to our home!!!  Tuesday afternoon Bryant showed me his cool new trick.  For mutual on Tuesday night the Priests in our ward taught our Laurels how to change a tire and then the Laurels provided refreshments.  It was fun and informative.  A few months ago one of my graduating laurels suggested we learn how to change a tire.  I thought it was a great idea and suggested that we could have the priests teach us.

Wednesday I went to Zumba and then took the girls to Grammy days.  I had a dentist appointment at my old dental office later that morning to get a second opinion on some dental work that was recommended at my new dentist office.  The new office recommended several procedures for my gums that were going to cost hundreds of dollars.  I felt that they were trying to squeeze every last cent they could from me so I opted to ask my hygienist at my old office who I trust what she thought about everything.  The only reason I left that office is because they dropped my insurance.  I’m glad that I asked her opinion because after examining my gums and taking measurements she said that I was maintaining my gums fine and that she wouldn’t recommend any of the expensive treatments the other office was recommending.  I’m going to continue going to my old office and use their in house payment options.  Wednesday night Chad and I went to The Keg steak house restaurant to use my free birthday dinner.  It was the last day my coupon was valid.  It was fun to have a date night in the middle of the week.  After Chad took me out to dinner he took Karalee out for ice cream since it was her turn for a date that week too.

Marlee wanted "Elsa" hair.  Elsa is a character in the movie frozen.  The girls are kind of obsessed with the movie Frozen right now.

Thursday I made some bread, the missionaries came over to teach Puring a member discussion and Spencer and Bryant had an end of the year student council party.  Chad wanted to take Spencer to go do baptisms at the temple that night until he realized his recommend expired on April 30^th and it was now May 1^st.  Oops.   

Tilly watching Frozen.  She would watch it all day long if I let her.  :)

Friday afternoon I hosted a lunch for all the sisters on the Sanders’ side of the family since Heather is in town.  We had a nice lunch and had a good time visiting while all the cousins played.  Saturday night the kids invited some friends over for pizza and to play basketball.  They played until about 10pm.  It was fun.

Yesterday morning Bryant had a football game at 8:30am.  They lost again.  Bryant played so hard and had some really nice catches and ran the ball a few times too.  His team is 0-7 this season.  It’s been a tough season to go through.  After we got home from the game I started to feel terrible.  I got some sort of stomach bug or I ate something bad the day before.  I was so sick to my stomach and couldn’t eat.  I had to lie on the couch or in my bed all day because I was too weak to do anything.  I had to stay home while Chad took the kids swimming at the Lamoreaux’s for the first swim of the year, cancel my pedicure appointment with Amy, and miss the adult session of our stake conference.  It was a bummer.  This morning I felt better but was pretty weak from not eating the day before.  I’ve gotten stronger as the day has worn on though and I am feeling back to normal now.  It is not fun to get sick and to be of no help around the house.

Bryant is on the far left, playing defense.

Today we had stake conference and heard nice messages from our stake presidency.  This evening we had a family birthday party for all the May birthdays at the Sanders.  Chad was the only one celebrating a birthday this month that showed up though so that was sad.

Chad and Spencer eating lunch today.  Don't they look so much alike?

 The kids are all doing well.  Spencer loves being a deacon and being able to pass the sacrament.  He is so responsible and wakes up before I do on his own every morning to read his scriptures and practice the piano before school.  Bryant loves cub scouts and playing football even though they haven’t won any games.  He really wants to win though.  He is so helpful and is a peacemaker in our home.  Karalee is doing well in school.  She is very independent and is a perfectionist.  She likes to play the piano.  Marlee is happy.  She is a sweet girl.  She plays well with others and all by herself.  Sometimes I just love to sit and watch her play by herself.  She has a cute imagination.  Lately she likes to play in the water a lot.  She keeps making water messes all over the house.  It’s kind of driving me crazy.  Tilly’s favorite phrase these days is, “No, I do it.”  If we are in a hurry and I try to help her she will start all over again and do it by herself.  She is so cute and fun though.  She is getting so big.  I love being a wife and a stay at home mother.  As a young girl that is what I had hoped to be and it is more enjoyable and fulfilling than I thought it would ever be.   

My quote for this month was shared by Brother Evan Bingham on Facebook this week.  Brother Bingham was one of my favorite high school teachers.  He taught me my junior year in seminary and he was also the teacher over the seminary council that I was on during my senior year.  The seminary council had some fun parties in his home.  He was an influence for good on my life and on my testimony.  Anyway, this week he posted a tribute to his oldest daughter who died eleven years ago at the age of seventeen and included this beautiful quote.  Elder Maxwell once said, "Righteous sorrow and suffering carve cavities in the soul that will become later reservoirs of joy. Moreover, the meek not only understand when such reservoirs are being readied, but also that those reservoirs often fill gradually. So, too, the gradual stretching of our frail spiritual muscles by stress can strengthen the very sinews necessary to exercise tough love. Such isometrics require patience and meekness." M&L 11

Love,

Mindy

P.S.  Bryant wrote this poem today to pass off one of his Faith in God requirements.

God’s Creations

By Bryant Sanders

Heavenly Father created the heavens and earth

And sent us here through birth

He created the cows that eat the grass

And all the flocks of birds in a great mass.

He created all the land animals

Even all the great camels.

He created the animals in the waters

Like all the fish and the otters.

Heavenly Father made the fruits and vegetables,

That we eat on our dinner tables.

That is all I have to say

About the things God made before yesterday.