Parable of the Popcorn

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'Behold at the time of harvest, the ears of corn did bring forth kernels which were dried and prepared for the Popper's hand. And then it was that the Popper did take the kernels, all that did appear alike unto Him, and applied the oil and the heat.

And it came to pass that when the heat was on, some did explode with promise and did magnify themselves an hundred fold. And some did burst forth with whiteness which did both gladden the eye and satisfy the taste of the Popper. And likewise some did pop, but not too much. Behold, there were some that did lie there, and even through the Popper's heat was alike unto all, some did just bask in the oil and keep everything that they had unto themselves.

And so it came to pass that those which had given of themselves did bring forth much joy and delight to many munchers. But those which kept of the warmth and did not bring forth were only cast into the pail and thought of with hardness and disgust.

And thus we see that in the beginning all appear alike, but when the heat is on, some come forth and give all, while others fail their purpose as chaff, so as to be discarded and forgotten.'

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This was given to us at church last Sunday and it really inspired me. It goes along with what I have talked about in the past couple of postings. When 'the heat is on' in our lives, we can choose to learn from it and magnify ourselves and by doing so let the experience of our trial help us to bless the lives of ourselves and others ... OR when 'the heat is on', we can choose to be upset or angry and just keep 'basking in the oil' and by doing so continue to pity ourselves and wallow in the trial. We all know which one the Lord is hoping we choose. He wants us to learn from our pain and experiences so that we can be stronger and be better able to serve Him with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. The past couple of days have been tough. I usually have tough moments every day, but the past couple of days have been mostly tough. I know the days will continue to have the tough moments, but I do truly want to just be grateful for what I have had, what I now have, and what there is yet to be had. I am blessed. Aaron and Aaron Jr. continue to bless my life just be them being a part of me. I am blessed.

The past couple of weeks at church, Aaron Jr. hasn't wanted to go to Primary. So, I sat with him in sharing time today and he was clinging to my arm like he was holding on for dear life. When I would tell him that I was going to go to my class and I would see him in a few minutes, he would start to cry and hold on tighter. So, I finally got a photo out of my bag of Aaron and Aaron Jr. and asked him if he wanted to hold a photo of Daddy? He said he did and he took it from me. I then told him that I was going to go to my class and that Daddy would stay there with him. He said 'okay' as he held the photo and stared at it. I quickly slipped out of the room and he was fine for the rest of his class. He is such a sweetheart.

I try to talk to him about his Daddy often so that he stays in his mind. He has a shirt that says 'My Dad is the Man'. He loves wearing that shirt and he tells everyone now what that shirt says when he wears it. A couple of weeks ago, he wore the shirt that I made last year for Aaron's birthday. It is the one with Aaron and Aaron Jr. on the front of it. When he woke up the next morning for church, I tried to change his shirt to his church shirt, but Aaron Jr. wouldn't hear of it. He insisted on wearing his Daddy shirt to church. That was just fine with me. He wore it proudly that day. He is so proud of his Daddy. You can tell when he talks about him. We talk about him in the car and when we are going to sleep at night. He will know his Daddy. We miss him so very much.

Each day is a step in this process we call life... as they say in the movie 'What About Bob?'... Baby Steps. :)

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