Winterguard

Last year Ashley really wanted to do winterguard (colorguard without the band and durning the winter) but it was up at Weber and there weren't very many people who would be in it. She pondered on it and prayed and just didn't feel good about it. She heard stories about it later and was glad she didn't do it but still wanted to try it sometime. Over the summer she heard that they might start a guard here. She was sooooooo excited. She told me several times how bad she wanted to do it and how she really felt good about doing it.

Lastnight was the Davis Competition. The band took 3rd overall, got best in musical, and guard took 2nd- they increased their score by 12 points so they did really well. She didn't get home until after 11:00 then still had to do homework. She was a pretty sleepy girl but happy.

This morning she came in and cuddled with me and said, "I found out that the practices for winterguard will be on monday nights from 6-9 so I'm not going to do it." She told me that she told Steph (the advisor) that we've been asked to keep mondays for the family and asked if there was another time to do it. Steph wasn't too sympathetic and just told her that monday was the only time they could have the gym. Ashley told me that she's felt so good about doing winterguard until she heard that then she immediately felt like she shouldn't do it. I felt so proud of her and grateful that she has such a desire to do what the prophet has asked. Having FHE has been a big deal for us because right now I have school on monday nights. It's my last class that is required for graduation and so we decided I needed to take it. We at first just planned on having FHE on Sunday night. Our inspired bishop gave a lesson about how important it was to have it on Monday as the prophet had instructed- not on Sundays or another day, but on mondays. He reminded us that we would be blessed for our obedience. Without saying anything to each other Jamison and I both decided we'd just do FHE when I got home from school. It's been fun to do. I LOVE to be with my family. Jamison bore testimony one week about the blessing that come from obedience and talked about this. When Ashley heard that the practices were going to be on Monday she thought of his lesson and our testimonies and knew that it wasn't what she should do.

I have to admit too that there was a part of me that thought, "Oh, it's just for a little while, we can adjust. This is a really cool opportunity for her." I didn't say that to her. I was so pleased with her choice. After the kids left for school I wanted to listen to a conference talk. I looked to see which talk was next but felt inspired instead to click on Pres. Monson's talk from the Priesthood Session. In the talk he told a story about a basketball player whose team played hard and made it to the final four. He was the starting center and was so excited until he found out that the final game would be on a Sunday. He was heartbroken and told the coach he didn't want to play on the Sabbath. The coach wasn't sympathetic and told him he needed to be at the game. At the semi finals the back up center dislocated his shoulder and would maybe not be able to play in the finals. The pressure was even more on him to play. He went home and prayed and asked if it was ok just this time. He said that the Spirit answered before he could even finish his prayer saying, "Clayton, why do you even ask? You know the answer." He did know the answer. He went to the coach and told him he wouldn't play. The day of the final he went to church at the local ward and spend a lot of time thinking of his team and praying for them to do well. They ended up winning and he was grateful.

He said that one time seemed like an extenuating circumstance so it could have been easy to be disobedient. But it turns out that his entire life is just one long stream of extenuating circumstance. If he would have crossed that line even once it would be so easy to get lost. He said that he had discovered that it is so much easier to be 100% obedient rather than 98%.

I felt even more grateful that Ashley had made the choice to be obedient. I love my little girl!