The miracle

I would have to say that when it comes to having a relationship with my kids, I've got pretty good ones. (Kids and relationships, that is). I think they can talk to me about any problems they are having and share their feelings with me. Lately Brian and I have been very concerned . . . maybe even extreemly concerned, with Celeste's lack of enthusiasm for Young Women's and church in general. Every Tuesday night was a wrestling match to even get her to go. Sometimes she would leave in tears. Not exactly the agenda I think our Heavenly Father had in mind when he created the whole Young Women's concept. And each Sunday the fight would start in sacrament meeting and the bargaining would begin. What could she do for me, so I wouldn't make her go to the dreaded 3rd block (Young Women's). It was pure torture for me. And along with that, every fireside, Youth Conference, combined activity and stake YW night was anguish! Don't get me wrong - my young women's experience would rank right down there with root canals, and chinese water torture, so I could completely understand how agonizing it can be to go to Young Women's when you don't want to. But even my past experience didn't seem to allow me any empathy for her complaints. It was wearing me down.

After months of this battle, I turned to the Lord, and what should have been my first resort, became my last resort. I poured out my heart to him knowing He was the only one that could help. Each night I begged and pleaded that He would hear my prayers and open someone's heart that could touch her. That somehow she would have a change of heart and feel the Lord's love through Young Womens. It made me think a lot about the suffering the Lord felt in the Garden, and I wondered "If one daughter could cause me this much grief, how in the world did He ever bare the weight of all the pain of the entire world?" I thought a lot about my co-worker and an issue that had troubled her, which recently has been resolved in her life. I asked how it happened and she said simply "Lots of prayers." I was hopeful that if it had worked for her, it could work for me. Every day my prayers grew more ernest.

Then, the miracle took place last Sunday. Two weeks ago our ward was split, and we added the street over from us, along with three condo units. With this split, we lost every single auxillary leader. We had no idea who was in our new ward boundaries. I held my breath. Then last Sunday Sister Armour was called as the new Young Womens President. She is young, she is exciting, she is new, she is fun and Celeste LOVES her! She is totally "Legally blond" as Celeste says. I asked exactly what that meant, and Celeste explained that she gets excited about everything. After church, Celeste was so afraid she would miss young womens because she had to work! This week she turned in more job applications, and she wrote on the appilication that she couldn't work Tuesday nights because it was her church youth night! I could hardly believe it! Words couldn't express my complete and utter joy in her new found enthusiasm! I was in awe! And on top of that miracle, she is in a laurel group that has 5 other laurels! The biggest young womens group she has ever been in! I asked her about the girls and she said none of them are very out going, but she said "That's OK. I havent got to know them yet."

After church, I couldn't thank my Heavenly Father enough. I think I said thank you 10 or 11 times in a row. Words couldn't express the gratitude and pure joy I had glowing in my heart! I know things may change in the next two years, and her change of heart may be short lived, but this is the miracle that I needed right now in my life. Just a little something that reminded me that Heavenly Father is aware of me and my problems that seem unsurmountable. And even though it may have been a small thing for him to accomplish, to me it has been huge!