One Year Ago Today

A year ago today, we buried our sweet baby boy Daniel. We spent Friday (his first birthday) celebrating his life by taking a mini-vacation to Louisville, where Anna and I attended the temple on Saturday while members of the local FSA chapter provided babysitting.

So much has happened in the past year—much of it good, but all of it tinged by Daniel’s absence. We take great comfort in the teaching of President Joseph Smith, Jr.:

Children … must rise just as they died; we can there hail our lovely infants with the same glory—the same loveliness in the celestial glory” (History of the Church 6:366).

However, we know not whether Daniel’s spirit had yet staked its eternal claim on the tiny body he seems to have inhabited. Thus, we can only wait to see whether he will be returned to us in this life (which is currently our preference, ignorant though it may be).

If he is to be returned to us in mortality, we also wonder how this will happen: will he grow in Anna’s womb, as numerous Priesthood blessings seem to have attested, or will he come to us through another? And either way, our impatient humanity begs the question of “When?”

Regardless of how it all turns out, it suffices to say that even after a year, our beloved baby boy is severely missed. We love you, Daniel, and we cannot wait to see you again. :-*

Wise Beyond Her Years

I am so proud of my daughter.

Last night, the kids were watching Super Why! while I was cleaning up in the kitchen. For those that have never seen this PBS show, it’s actually pretty cool: a computer-generated little boy name Whyatt hooks up with three of his friends from Storybook Village to solve a problem one of them is having. The foursome become the Super Readers, and they make their way into a book wherein they learn how someone else solved a similar problem. Neat concept, really.

So anyway, in last night’s episode, the problem they were having was that Wolfie—a character I’ve never seen before, but what do I know?—erased the scoreboard, right in the middle of the kids’ kickball game. This obviously constituted a major emergency, since no one could remember what the score was. (It was 3-1, by the way; our heroes were winning.) ;-)

True to form, Whyatt immediately called upon the Super Readers to figure out what to do, which was interesting, since the winning team consisted of—you guessed it!—the three kids and one pig that constitute the Super Readers’ secret identities. I smiled and muttered under my breath, “Guess you’re just gonna forfeit that game anyway, huh?”

A few minutes pass; I’m still cleaning in the kitchen, maybe half–paying attention to the show. All of a sudden, Leah gasps. Without any prompting from the show whatsoever—it really had nothing to do with what was going on in the on-screen book, at that point—she says, “I hope the game’s not over before they all get back!”

That’s my girl. :-)

Love Unfeigned

I know we don’t do good deeds so that we can go around flaunting it, but I’m just so proud of my kids that I think this one just has to be mentioned.

As I’m sure you all know, there was a major earthquake in Haiti, about two weeks ago. (If you’ve missed this, you must have been hiding under a rock somewhere.) Thousands, perhaps millions of people have been giving their time and money to help the survivors in this already impoverished nation to recover from the immeasurable devastation.

As with most disasters, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was among the first on the ground, sending out not only medical teams but hundreds of tons of food and other supplies. But in the midst of such total destruction, there’s always more needs than can reasonably met, so the call has gone out for more.

Anna and I had been planning to make a donation anyway, but my darling wife saw this as an opportunity to help our children. When she told them what was happening (in terms a four- and almost-three–year old can understand), they immediately caught the vision and volunteered to share some money from their own piggy banks, to help others so desperately in need. This morning, before Church, I helped them each remove a dollar from their piggy bank, which they excitedly placed in separate envelopes (each with the appropriate offerings form) and gave to the bishop.

And again Alma commanded that the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given.

And thus they should impart of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God, … yea, and to every needy, naked soul (Mosiah 18:27-28).

Thank you, Leah and David. I love you, and I’m so proud of you!