Update From Dad Entry and Misc.
We had Family Home Evening last night, and we were (supposed to be) talking about working together as a family i.e. housework etc. and the benefits of hard work and why it's good and all of that. One of the MANY chickens we saw though is that my dad was talking about the blessings of tithing and he said something about peace of mind and then my mom said "You just made me think about something, but it's a chicken, so I'll wait until after FHE." We all wanted to hear so she told us. She was like "You said that one blessing was peace of mind, and I thought 'Yeah right. How is being $1,000 overdrawn in our account bring peace of mind?' and then I heard this little thought. How many other times have we been $1,000 overdrawn and I have been out of bed and feeling this good instead of IN bed with the covers pulled over my head avoiding life? How many times have we already been overdrawn and still been able to just write a tithing check anyway?" So we all thought about that for a moment and agreed that being faithful tithing payers and still paying it even when you don't think the money is there (luckily the tithing check cleared anyway) really did give us a form of peace of mind. Some might look at the situation and think "How is there any possible good there?" but we were still being blessed. The check cleared, as did my dad's grocery shopping earlier in the pay period even once negative so that we have food and necessities for the next two weeks, my mom and all of us have had overall peace of mind, and we have still been doing very well as a family this last week or so. We've laughed, and talked, and went to church, had fun, etc. Anyway, I thought that that was important to share. I know I talked in the other entry about how I loved that our family could still be happy and joke around and get along even in difficult financial times, but until last night I hadn't truly acknowledged or seen the Lord's hand in it, especially as a blessing from paying tithing both in the past and that pay period.
Another thing that happened recently is that I went with my mom to her "visiting teaching group" at Sis. Taylor's house and as Sis. Johnson and I were leaving (the others were still in the house) she began talking to me and she made a comment about how happy our family always is. I thought it was interesting because when I was at Sis. Vance's house one time, she said that Bro. Gunnell had made a comment like that. It surprises me that we're known by different people as such a "happy" and "close" family. The close part not as much...but happy thing kind of surprises me. It's not that we always put on a happy facade when we're actually miserable or something. I mean, I think we sometimes do, like if we've been yelling at each other we aren't going to make the same kind of remarks when the home teachers are here or something. We'll put it aside. But I don't think that's what we're ALWAYS doing. I've just never thought of us as an extraordinarily happy family. Especially with my mom's bi-polar I've figured we had good days and bad days and either we were really getting along well and laughing and joking or it was not so great with yelling and name calling and biting remarks. I knew that we always got over it and got along again later though...I just wouldn't consider that "happy." I don't know. I never thought of us as happy or angry or anything in particular. I guess I've always thought of us as in the middle, or normal, with ups and downs, just more extreme than other families may have them. But it made me think that if two people have noticed that about our family that maybe it is something real and a blessing that we - or at least I - often overlook. If two separate people, at separate times, can notice that in our family, even with all of the trials and challenges we face personally and together then maybe it is something that we should be more aware of and grateful for.
In other news, my dad is now officially in college. He has been for a little bit. He seems to be doing well. I think that he is actually enjoying it a lot more than he thought he would. He was always very smart- he was in the top 5 or 10 kids in his high school class and was actually featured on a special page in the yearbook with the other kids in that top number. He's also always been good at school. But it's almost like watching him come to life in a way. Like he's just a sponge, soaking it all in. It's just interesting and I think good for him.
Anyway. So that's what's new.
Another thing that happened recently is that I went with my mom to her "visiting teaching group" at Sis. Taylor's house and as Sis. Johnson and I were leaving (the others were still in the house) she began talking to me and she made a comment about how happy our family always is. I thought it was interesting because when I was at Sis. Vance's house one time, she said that Bro. Gunnell had made a comment like that. It surprises me that we're known by different people as such a "happy" and "close" family. The close part not as much...but happy thing kind of surprises me. It's not that we always put on a happy facade when we're actually miserable or something. I mean, I think we sometimes do, like if we've been yelling at each other we aren't going to make the same kind of remarks when the home teachers are here or something. We'll put it aside. But I don't think that's what we're ALWAYS doing. I've just never thought of us as an extraordinarily happy family. Especially with my mom's bi-polar I've figured we had good days and bad days and either we were really getting along well and laughing and joking or it was not so great with yelling and name calling and biting remarks. I knew that we always got over it and got along again later though...I just wouldn't consider that "happy." I don't know. I never thought of us as happy or angry or anything in particular. I guess I've always thought of us as in the middle, or normal, with ups and downs, just more extreme than other families may have them. But it made me think that if two people have noticed that about our family that maybe it is something real and a blessing that we - or at least I - often overlook. If two separate people, at separate times, can notice that in our family, even with all of the trials and challenges we face personally and together then maybe it is something that we should be more aware of and grateful for.
In other news, my dad is now officially in college. He has been for a little bit. He seems to be doing well. I think that he is actually enjoying it a lot more than he thought he would. He was always very smart- he was in the top 5 or 10 kids in his high school class and was actually featured on a special page in the yearbook with the other kids in that top number. He's also always been good at school. But it's almost like watching him come to life in a way. Like he's just a sponge, soaking it all in. It's just interesting and I think good for him.
Anyway. So that's what's new.