Emily was starting 9th grade this year and she has a very heavy schedule. She had decided to take four honors classes and as her mom I was very nervous for her. Emily is a great student. She has always loved to learn, and is self motivated. She pushes herself hard and demands the best out of herself. This is a good quality, and has served her well, but I always worry a little about what will happen if she gets too much on her plate and fails at something. I was grateful that one of her classes would be Seminary. I loved Seminary when I was in High School. It was a break from the day and I know many blessings came from it. I knew that Emily would love Seminary also. She loves the gospel and has had a desire to do what is right from a very young age. She also was not afraid at the young age of three to let others know what they were doing that she did not think was right. I can't tell you how many times she scolded our young neighbor in San Diego for smoking outside his apartment.
Even now it is hard to bend her. To get to our Stake Center from our home you have to cross a busy street (smaller town busy). One day Emily and I headed to the stake center for a meeting. when we got to the corner to cross the street Emily insisted that we would be Jay Walking and we needed to walk two blocks down to the Crosswalk and cross there. I insisted that we were fine and dragged her, with much distress from her, across the road. After we safely crossed she lectured me all the rest of the way to the Stake Center on how I had just made her break the law.
When it was her turn to receive her blessing Ryan blessed her with many great things. He blessed her that she would be able to manage her schedule and that she would enjoy her classes. Then the blessing turned to a warning. A warning that I did not understand and made me question what this year had in store for her. In the blessing Emily was told that Seminary would be one of the most important classes for her this year and that she needed to make sure that she always attended it and make it a priority. I can't remember the exact wording in the blessing, but I remember the way Ryan was saying it made me feel like there would be a reason that Emily would not want to attend Seminary.
This was confusing to me because it would be so unlike Emily. I began to wonder what on Earth was going to happen this year to make Emily feel this way toward Seminary. My daughter who won't even jay walk with me.
As school has progressed this year I have had many conversations with Emily about Seminary and her other classes, and things going on in between. There has been nothing out of the ordinary, and just as I thought Emily has loved Seminary. School is more than halfway over and I have been feeling really good about things.
In January Emily started going to Spring Warm Ups for the high school softball team. She has loved softball from the moment she started playing at the age of 7 and she was excited for the opportunity to get to try out for the team. As more information started coming home I began to realize that if she makes the team she will have to miss a little bit of school. The way her schedule is now that would mean missing her drawing class and Honors Biology. Drawing I am not too concerned about, but I am not sure about her missing Biology. Unfortunately she had gym last semester so switching her schedule so that is last is not an option. Looking at her schedule the only class in it that she could miss without too much stress was Seminary. But as soon as I thought it the words and feelings from her blessing came rushing back to my mind. I then knew that moving Seminary for softball was not an option. I also remembered the promise that was given to her in that blessing if she did what she was told and put seminary first. She was blessed that she would be successful in her classes and be able to manage her time well. Emily and I talked about her schedule and she too felt the same way I did. That Seminary was the only class that would be easy to miss, but that it was the only class she could not miss. She too remembered her blessing.
Yesterday we found out that Emily made the team. She will be playing on the Westlake Lady Thunder sophomore/freshman softball team. Her schedule just got a whole lot busier. I am so grateful for the priesthood blessing she received at the beginning of the year to help us know what we need to do with her schedule. I know that as we work with her teachers that Emily will still be able to be successful in school and have fun playing softball. This experience is another time in my life where I have seen that the Lord knows us individually. He knows what is to come for us. He has a plan, and if we listen he will help us along the way. I hope that Emily realizes just how much her Father in Heaven loves her and is aware of her. The gospel is such a blessing in my life and I know it will be in hers too.
I am so excited for her to get to play on the school Softball team, and I can't wait to cheer her on!
I love you Emily
