LDotFMotNYl: Deleted Scenes (5)

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(Note: this is the fifth in a series of deleted letters from the Last Day of the First Month of the New Year Letter. Visit the previous deleted scenes here: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

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While Parents Busy, Big O Joins Exclusive Club

Since we last reported a year ago, Lady Steed has conquered the Relief Society, as she compiled reports on sisterly diligence, and the Young Women program, as she wrangled twelve-year-old Beehives into all sorts of upstanding behavior, including paying attention for as long as forty-three seconds.

Theric meanwhile, fell just short of the Mormon Secretarial Trifecta when he was never called as secretary of the Sunday School. He did serve as executive secretary and as secretary of the elders quorum which, in retrospect, was probably enough.

While his parents were distracted with these responsibilities, the Big O passed the eighteen-month mark and joined the Nursery. No more hanging around on the outside looking in! Now he too could chase bubbles and color pictures of Jesus and play with that awesome circus train! And the best part? Mom and Dad aren'’t eligible for membership. Priceless.

Commentary

I didn't even want to write this one, to be honest. I did want to talk about O's excitement to go to Nursery, yes, but not the rest.

And he was excited. Weeks and weeks before he hit that magic number 18, he would walk over to the Nursery and look in at all the kids having a good time. Oh, how he wanted to go! And he has loved Nursery too. Just loved it.

Some of the family letters we receive from friends include mention of how they have been serving in their congregations, and Lady Steed and I find that information interesting, but I always feel like, if I ever tell anyone anything about callings I have or have had, that I am somehow boasting--no matter the calling, it feels like boasting.

Of course, that's absurd. No one in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can reasonably assume that a calling--no matter how high and mighty-seeming (or base and lowly-seeming)--is ever something that can be boasted of. He whom the Lord calls, he qualifies. In other words, any idiot can do any thing if God's on his side.

But still I remain self-conscious. So I insisted this one go.

Besides, the whole country club conceit wasn't really coming off right....