Thursday Thinking – Always Learning

Marcia, Lee, me

On Monday I flew down to St. George, Utah to attend the wedding of my niece Eliza.  My sister Marcia and I shared a motel room.  The first night we stayed up until 2:00 am visiting. Marcia is a learner.  She is always reading, always studying, always traveling, always attending lectures.  So when you’re with her, there is always something to visit about.  (I know “always” is an absolute and I didn’t misuse it in those sentences either – Marcia is always learning.)

 

One of the conversations we had was whether or not we are where we thought we’d be at this point in our lives.  Frankly put, are we as successful as we planned to be.  Marcia said that she’d gone to lunch with a group of women a year ago and confessed there that she thought she’d be more successful by this point in her life.  The women were surprised.  Marcia has her doctorate in education and has been a principal and a university professor for many years.  She has impacted a lot of students’ and teachers’ lives.  The women reminded her of her success.  Marcia deflected the praise and one woman said, “You’re a mother.  You have a wonderful daughter.  That is a very big deal.”  Marcia responded that anybody can be a good mother, but the woman countered, “Not so.  I have three children.  One committed suicide, and the other two are in prison.  Not just anybody can raise well-adjusted children.” 

I’ve obviously thought about the importance of being a mother since hearing that comment.  I remember when it really occurred to me what power I had been given.  It was about ten years into mothering.  Cali told me recently, “I just realized that I am to Levin what you are to me.  I can’t believe that I could be so important to someone.”  I am so glad that she has learned that early.     

I’ve thought about the woman’s honesty.  Perhaps the other women were aware of her children’s circumstances, but Marcia wasn’t.  The woman put herself on the line to help another gain perspective.  I’ve thought about when and where is the time and place for revealing, and whether I reveal too little or too much to others.

I’ve thought about forgiving yourself (mostly because that was our lesson in Young Women’s on Sunday).  I don’t know the woman’s circumstances.  I would imagine she has blamed herself (whether accurately or inaccurately).  I don’t know if she continues to, but I thought of myself in that situation and what it would take for me to come to peace with it.  Sterling W. Sill said:  “God’s forgiveness is often nullified because the sinner does not forgive himself.  What good does it do for God to blot our evil from his mind, if we continue to let it dominate our thinking by rerunning it in our own?”   Like I said, I don’t know the woman’s circumstances or if she struggles with forgiving herself; I was just imagining myself in that situation.

It was really good spending time with Lee and his family and Marcia and her family.  Really good.  I’ve thought a lot about that, too.  I’ve thought about what it takes to make a family work and our families.

And that’s what I’ve been thinking about . . .

Oh, and salt.  Lee’s uncle-in-law taught us all about the value of salty soil in the disposal of nuclear waste.  It was quite fascinating, and it added one more reason to the list on "why the Savior said we should be the salt of the earth" lesson – we have the capability to deflect the poisons and evils of the world.  

And hairspray.  I borrowed Marcia's and my hair didn't move or fall once during the day.   


What have you been thinking about?