The Early Bird Gets the Worms

Lyndsay finished her first year of Seminary last week. On the final day of class, the parents were invited to attend a special testimony meeting. This year's course of study has been the New Testament, and each student was asked to share a favorite verse from the book of Revelation as part of his/her testimony.

I was crying as soon as the meeting started. For one, it was 6am, and my eyes are already naturally watery when they're still tired. But I just love the Seminary program, especially early morning Seminary. I really think God rewards these kids for sacrificing to be there every morning during those exhausting high school years. There's just something special about it. We opened the meeting with a hymn, all of our sleepy voices trying their best, and I just couldn't help but cry! Good tears. I am so grateful. Grateful to God, grateful to belong to His Church, grateful for these programs that help shape my children's characters and testimonies of His scriptures. I remember so vividly when it was me, getting up at 4am every single ding-dong day, and now, there I sat with my oldest daughter. One year down, three to go. And she has loved it. Her testimony was sweet and sincere and lovely. She believes that she was able to do so well in school, in Honors classes, entering public school after homeschooling, and even with a busy job, because she made the commitment to attend Seminary, read her scriptures, and never do homework on the Sabbath. That has not been an easy task, but she knows she has been blessed to earn straight A's because of it.

On Sunday, we attended the Seminary Graduation and Recognition night at the Stake Center. Of course, I cried through most of it, and I only know one of the graduates. It's just the milestone of a graduation, the bright promise of youth, my own sentimentality, thoughts of my children growing up, moving on. It's too much. I'm such a baby. Lyndsay received several awards: Excellence in Seminary (100% attendance, 100% daily scripture reading, no tardies, finished the New Testament in her reading, and memorized all of the scripture masteries), Extra Miler for Scripture Reading, Extra Miler for Attendance, Extra Miler for Scripture Mastery. I'm so proud of her. All on her own.

During the closing song, she leaned forward and caught my eye and broke out in this incredible smile. I just started crying more. She shook her head, smiling at me. "What's wrong, Mom?" she mouthed. I made something up about just how proud I was of all these kids. She's used to it.

But really? It was because when she flashed that gorgeous smile of hers and her eyes lit up as she looked at me, I was consciously making an effort to freeze frame that image in my mind, because the thought hit me that in three more years that smile will be far away from me, lighting up the world outside our home. And it was more than I could take. More than I deserve. Busts my heart wide open with love and appreciation.

I'm a lucky mom. And I never want it to end.