When Dad Works on Sunday...

Getting three kids ready for 9:00 am church by yourself is no simple task. Especially when you have to be out the door by 8:20. So last Sunday I did all I could do to prepare. All outfits were picked out the night before, I woke up bright and early and got myself ready before the kids. We were out and loaded in the car by 8:15. I was so pleased with myself. And then I turned the key in my ignition...nothing. Commence slamming of head on the steering wheel.
Because of our funky ward boundaries there are only three other active families that live within ten minutes of me. I called my good friend hoping that her husband would be with her. He wasn't but she came right over. She pulled into my garage and like any good farm girl I went to work hooking up the jumper cables to our batteries only to find that the cables were not long enough to reach. "No problem! We can just push my car out of the garage." I thought with great optimism. Because of the incline of our driveway,  one person needed to be in the car to push the brake. Jen told me later that while I pushed with my super strength my kids were giggling at me in the car. I'd rather them laughing than crying about the situation. Even though I'm super strong, there was a rise at the end of the driveway that I just couldn't quite get over.
I was feeling so discouraged and I didn't want to keep Jen waiting. I decided to call my other friends that lived close by but figured they would already be on their way to church. But they had been trying to pick someone up and were still on our side of town. Jen left to get our friend Serge and the kids and I ended up piling up in the back of our other friends' car. The biggest miracle of all is that we were still able to make it to the church during the sacrament song.
I could have looked at this experience as a horrible debacle, but I think I was blessed to see it in a different way. Sure things didn't go the way I would have preferred but so much good came out of it. I was touched by the willingness of my friend to rush right over to help, when she could have said, "I don't know anything about cars and I don't want to be late for church. Plus, I haven't been feeling very well this pregnancy." Instead she came and did all she could to help. And just the fact that the couple we rode with normally would never be as late as they were, but because they had been waiting for someone who didn't even show up we were able to get a ride.
I am so glad I didn't give up. I could have just unloaded the kids right when the car didn't start and we could have had a nice relaxing day at home. But what would that have taught them? Instead we went and it was such a good Sabbath day. We were able to partake of the Sacrament, and I was able to teach my Young Women and feel their wonderful Spirits.
As much as I don't wish trials on myself, I am so grateful for the lessons I am able to learn from them. And I am so grateful for the wonderful people in our Ward who are so willing to help. We are so blessed.

I took this picture later that day after we had all taken a long nap. These three keep me good.