Little Miracles
The new year came and we were in a new house, a new school, a new ward. We were a little nervous about all the change, but I began to see small miracles take place to help us along.
The new year came and we were in a new house, a new school, a new ward. We were a little nervous about all the change, but I began to see small miracles take place to help us along.
The bishopric visited us within a few weeks and it turned out that the bishop was also our home teacher. They showed genuine interest in us and were kind towards Josh when he shared his concerns about the church. Josh and I were invited to a New Member night at the home of one of the ward leaders. Many people introduced themselves to us and made us feel welcome. The Young Women welcomed Aster and they started going to the youth activities and making new acquaintances. The Primary Presidency was amazing. They made a point to ask me about Gabe’s needs and how they could best support him. A wonderful Primary Specialist sat with Gabe in Primary when he needed a break or a fidget toy.
I felt at home in Relief Society and loved being with the sisters in our ward. I met my new visiting teaching partner shortly after we moved in, and we got along great from the start. Soon we got acquainted with our visiting teaching ladies, who have become wonderful friends and have especially been a strength to me during the past two years.
With each person we met in the ward, with each activity, I felt like a little miracle was happening. I remember thanking Heavenly Father over and over again for those tender mercies and for being welcomed into this new community.
We still all attended church together as a family. We read the Book of Mormon together after dinner, watched church videos on Sunday, and prayed before meals. I went to the temple occasionally by myself and also accepted a calling as a Cub Scout leader, which I was happy to do since I enjoyed working with the scouts in past wards. I continued my own personal scripture study and prayer, and listened to General Conference by myself. Despite our separate spiritual practices, my relationship with Josh was strong and we were figuring out how to honor each other's spiritual path.
Although Josh didn’t feel connected to the Priesthood anymore, I still asked him to give me blessings when I needed extra comfort from time to time. I felt that it was important to continue to honor the sacred bond we had as a couple, and Josh was a great strength and support to me when I was troubled.
That year I had been growing weary of homeschooling. My health issues made it really hard to keep up with everything. For the most part homeschooling had been a positive experience for us, but this thought continued to repeat in my mind “I don’t want to do this anymore.” I wanted so badly to be a great homeschool mom, teacher, tutor, principal, counselor, school nurse, field trip chaperone and bus driver, so I resisted listening to my inner voice. Josh could tell I was having this internal conflict so he listened to my inner voice and fired me. And we made plans for the kids to go back to public school.
I had no idea how to go about getting support for my kids in public school. They would need specific accommodations and extra guidance at their schools. The ward member who assisted Gabe during Primary happened to have extensive experience with the school district, special education programs and IEP’s (individual education plans). She explained a lot of the services available to Gabe, encouraged me to be a strong advocate for him, and even went to our first IEP meeting. She was another miracle among the many I was seeing in our lives.
On Monday, June 6, 2016, I wrote in my journal:
I am grateful:
that I registered Gabe for public school today! After 4 years of homeschooling, I am both relieved and nervous.
for all the ways Heavenly Father has guided us towards this decision: encouraging family, friends, contacts who know about the public school resources, etc.…
for prayer and scriptures– my connection to heaven.
That September, Aster started 8th grade at the middle school and Gabe started 4th grade. It was an adjustment for all of us, but I was sure grateful to have some independent time to focus on my own goals. I signed up for a yoga class. I set up my art space and started working on more art projects. I began Phase I of our forest restoration project, hiring a crew to cut down all the overgrown invasive species.
The holidays came and on December 18th I threw a surprise 40th birthday party for Josh at our home. I loved seeing the smile and surprise on his face. It was so much fun to see old and new friends and coworkers there to wish him a happy birthday. I wanted him to feel loved and appreciated, especially at a time when he felt that he was losing part of his church community because of his spiritual shift.
As the year came to a close, I was grateful for the many miracles and blessings that helped me feel supported and connected to a loving church community.
