2006-03-22

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....

8 comments:

  1. I've never felt comfortable with listing what my callings are or have been. I'm not even sure why, either. It doesn't really seem like bragging, per se, but it just seems weird. It's not like it's any accomplishment of my own or anything to be Primary President--that's just what I've been asked to do and what I try to do my best at.

    Oh, and I'm glad Big O loves nursery. Sundays are so much happier now that Sophie loves her nursery class and is excited about going to it. And she has a really sweet deal right now because there are only 3 other kids and we have two really wonderful leaders.

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  2. .

    Wow. I wish my college classes had been like that....

    And I'm with you. It seems to me that in Zion we very well may never quite know who has which calling.

    Of course, we will, but it will matter so little we may as well not.

    Or so I imagine.

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  3. ok, well I like knowing what callings people have or have had because then you can, for example,

    Call friend Kathie who is also the Beehive leader in her ward and ask her how she might handle a situation I am dealing with in my Beehive class. Or if I learn that Sara is now the enrichment leader I can call her up and say, "Hey, if you ever need some enrichment activity ideas I've got plenty, I too was an eenrichment leader for a while."

    That's why I like to know about what callings my friends are holding.

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  4. .

    And Lady Steed is right of course. It's just that to me, in my warped mind, it's always about pride.

    Sigh.....

    Looks like it's time to go repent again....

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  5. Well, if we're talking about Zion then we're talking about Fob, in which case I know that Tolkien Boy got called to be Sunday School teacher without his permission, and now I know that you have been two secretaries. And I don't care much.

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  6. .

    Actually, I have been secretary of just about every organization I have ever been a part of.

    Now do you care?

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  7. They had to bribe me to get me to go to nursery. And Sunbeams. And pretty much all of Primary.


    zvaotz. It sounds Russian almost.

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  8. .

    Russians don't "bribe" . . . .

    Not exactly . . . .

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