Quiet Little Lessons

A couple of nights ago we had a really good/bad storm. Good if you like high winds, lightning and thunder. Bad if you don't. And bad if it really was a teeny tiny tornado--not sure.

The next day (yesterday), we were out running errands and drove by a neighbor's/ward member's/friend's house who I know is on vacation. I thought, as I drove by, "Hmm...everything looks okay. Can't really see the back...."

When we got home, I got a phone call from my friend. She had heard about the storm and wondered if anyone could/would check on her house. I told her that we had driven by and everything looked okay. "I didn't really see the back, but it looks fine."

That afternoon, James and I were out and about and we drove by again. This time I slowed down and looked more carefully. "Yeah, still can't really see the back, but it looks good," I thought. As I got to the end of the street, I told James that was just going to whip through the alley--just to make sure. Now I get totally confused in our alleys. They wind around and I have no idea where I am. So...I got to a T in the alley and wondered, "Where the heck am I? Which way do I turn to get to their house? Ok...I'll just turn right." And right in front of me was a street. My friend's street. I'd just passed their house. Didn't see anything--nothing stood out.

James said, " That's their house!" Me: Oh! Yeah! It is! Ok...well, looks okay then. James: Yeah, except for their gate being down.

Uh, what? We came back around and this time I knew where I was going. We saw this. Don't ask me how I didn't notice it the first time by. Thank goodness James was there to keep his eyes peeled.

I asked James if he knew why I kept thinking about the back of the house. In his most matter-of-fact voice he said, "The Holy Ghost." Duh, Mom. I like those times when you don't even know you're listening to the Holy Ghost and you follow through anyway. And I like it when my boys are around to experience it and it's not a FHE lesson or a sit-down-and-read-the-scriptures-and-talk-about-the-Holy-Ghost lesson. It just happens and it's real life.

Then Richard and Chris got to experience "service," by going over last night and this morning and replacing the fence posts (they'd snapped off near the ground) and reattaching the fence piece. All in all...good lessons all around.