Finding My Words

by Kari Diane Pike

What do you do when you've been planning a large family reunion for months and the owner of the cabin you had reserved for almost as many months cancels the contract just  three weeks before said reunion? Besides panic, I mean.

Stay calm and pray. Then use your resources! In this case, we needed a venue for about seventy people...half of them children under 12. The Solution? An elementary school! Of course it helped that my husband works for a charter school organization. After all was said and done, I knew this was going to be even better than a cabin in the forest. The little ones love the swings and the slides.  It's amazing how many things middle-grade kids and teens can find to throw through the basketball hoop. I absolutely adore watching children in the middle of creative play.

Within the first few hours here, we have experienced a gorgeous sunset, uninvited, yet fascinating guests (what's more interesting than a tarantula?), car problems and solutions, minor head traumas (and the accompanying lessons in physics and the the law of gravity), and lots and lots of love.

In the quiet before the chaos of breakfast (and discovering that there are two refrigerators and one freezer in the kitchen -and yes,we had guessed incorrectly) I got in a little scripture and pondering time. I knew I needed to write this post, but struggled to find the words to describe the emotion that fills me to overflowing and leaks out my eyes.  Then I came to Ether 12: 25-28. In these verses a great prophet describes his own struggle with putting words down that could adequately express his feelings and knowledge. Then the Lord answered that prophet's concerns and promised him that "my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness...my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak thing become strong unto them."

Well, complete chaos has erupted. Hoola hoops, basketballs and pool noodles are flying across the gym. A two-year-old is crawling over my back and a five-year-old just slid into my feet. The giggles and dimples are just too important to miss. I hope you all have a great couple of weeks. As soon as I get home from this reunion, I fly to Washington for another...and then I have three weeks to finish wedding preparations for our youngest daughter. See you soon!

hugs~