My favorite part of not starting my church meetings until the afternoon, is the quiet solitude these Sabbath mornings provide. My spirit seems to always recognize that Sunday, is the Lord's Day; and upon waking is filled with gratitude for all that He has done for His children. I will admit, that His blessings for all, become very personal. I think that's the way He would want us to feel. Don't you?

Right now, as I write, my son Alton is playing the piano. I can't tell you how this fills my soul with gratitude for him, and the young man he has become. He recently told his dad and I, that we are going to miss him when he leaves for college, in the Fall. He thinks we will be bored. How funny is that? He doesn't even begin to think that perhaps we are ready for a rest - as we have been parenting now for 30 years! I love that about him. I love him. But, I can assure you, we won't be bored. However, we will miss his beautiful spirit in our home and the joy he gives us each day, just to be around him.

Alton graduates from high school in less than three weeks. He plans to immediately take off with a few of his buddies for a surfing trip, along the coast of California. He is counting the days to FREEDOM! He will then return from his trip and work through the summer to save money. In August, we will drive him up to Idaho, where he will attend iBYU for the fall/spring semesters. Things will most certainly be more quiet around here, but not because he is a loud kid.

Alton is full of light - a lot of it. He came that way. He's been seriously tested -- and passed. At least for now. He is converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His personal conversion has come through serious life's experiences - and through study, and also by faith. He is truly a remarkable young man.

Have you ever had the feeling that as Spirits, your children may very well be older than you? I know of no doctrine where we are taught that we come to earth in any type of chronological order. In fact, as I understand our premortal existence and our placement here upon this earth - age had nothing to do with it.

If we are supposed to learn from those who are older and wiser than we ourselves are - then this question must be given some consideration. Boyd K. Packer, in his classic book, "Teach Ye Diligently" had this to say -- I will paraphrase...

"Parents will learn more from their children, than their children will ever learn from them."

I came upon this truth during the second time that I read his book, and I don't recall that quote the first time around. I obviously didn't understand what Elder Packer was teaching me, at the time. However, when I read this AFTER I had parented a few teens - and was just coming out on the other end of some pretty crazy stuff - LIFE looked much different! It definitely caught my attention. I was in a very humbled state, to say the least.

Since then, I have pondered on that eternal truth, many many times, and concluded that yes, parents are the students -- of this, I KNOW!

tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs
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