Sunday, August 31, 2008

farewell my pillow...

Yes, you may weep with me, agony and the ecstasy of church callings is upon me. Today I got asked to teach early morning seminary (for those of you unfamiliar with this it means I will be teaching the New Testament to high schoolers every morning at 6 am for my church). This is of course one of the most beloved, and most feared callings (especially for those of us who don't love jumping out of bed early in the morning, in fact I get sick to my stomach if I get up too early). Seriously, I think early morning seminary was the reason I skipped a grade in high school, anything to avoid one more year of 5:45 class!
It is beloved, because it really is a great experience. Feared, because it is intense and definitely cuts into the sleep factor (especially for a mom with 3 little kids who has a baby still getting up 3x a night!) So yes my love affair with the pillow will be ending. This will likely cramp my blogging style a bit, as I will be prepping lessons or trying to catch extra hours to make up for my morning loss, but do not leave me in my hour of need! I have to go tell my neighbors not be scared of the suspicious activity occurring at my house at this early hour.
My thankful 3
1. good people to cheer me on
2. wise friends to share ideas and tips
3. blessings (right?)

17 comments:

Trueman twins said...

I am so sad. I have been quietly mourning the loss of my wonderful secretary all week! I know that you will do such a wonderful job and the kids are so lucky to be able to learn from such a skilled teacher!

andrea said...

Oh my gosh Les...for so many reasons this is the best post ever. So many of my high school memories come from seminary. What fun we had. The best years, of course, came when we had great teachers. You will be fantastic. Weren't we just there ourselves though? And did we not rock the scripture chase? Seriously. Three cheers for seminary nerds.

smart mama said...

oh andrea those were the days- pencils in the ceiling, sliding scriptures to knock peoples sleeping heads off theirs and onto the table, those plastic javelin things, remember the class journal with illustrations that was a riot!!- good good times! Come join me in a redux I am open to a team teacher!

Char @ Crap I've Made said...

That right there is the #1 reason for me to never move from Utah. ROFL. You'll be fabulous, I'm sure.

Suzie Soda said...

I have taught seminary twice....once in the snow, pregnant in Illinois. Once ( 2 years) in Vriginia right after the fire. Both times were hard to say yes. It is a huge committmenmt.But it was so good for me. You will be great and they are lucky to have you. My advice is prepare your lesson for the next day right after the kids leave..... or else it will be midnight and you will be going crazy reading.
If I stayed organized. I could do it with 5 kids still at home and manage everything else. Good Luck.

nanci said...

Les,

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I am thrilled you'll be teaching Dan's seminary class! You are an excellent teacher. Our youth will be so blessed by your knowledge, insight and teaching abilities.

Did I say Thank You?!

Unknown said...

Oh, Leslie, I am SO excited for you! I can live vicariously through your agonizing, wonderful year with the youth at those awful am hours... I was just released as early morning seminary teacher, and, despite the fact that I am NOT a morning person, I am sad to let it go. Nothing like a dose of teenagers 'trying' to jumpstart your day! I LOVED it, and I know you will too. It's also a given that you're staying up on your personal scripture study! Automatic 'A' for YOU! I'll be your number one fan.

Swimmingmom said...

Dh was trying to remember the new calling you had- thanks for filling us in. You'll be so great despite the lack of sleep. How many youth will you have? Will it be held at your home?

Swimmingmom said...

Oh, you're bedroom looks nice by the way. Love the painting above the bed.

smart mama said...

TT- you know I will miss primary- I love primary!

Andrea- please come to my class-

char- no fair-- you must move to at least life with risk!

SS-thanks for the vote of confidence!

nanci- we'll see if Dan still wants me in a few weeks- LOL

Jenny- seriously how do you do it all- i am so in awe-

D- thanks- yep here- and whopping 3

Kris said...

You will do great - the hardest callings are the ones we learn the most from.

Anonymous said...

whoo hoo!! My mom talked for years how that was the one calling she didn't want. She was called to teach seminary the year after my little brother graduated high school!!

Smilin' sunshine said...

This was a great post!!!!

I think you will be absolutely fabulous!!

Can you do it next year too...that is when I will no longer have an early morning love affair with my pillow, as I will probably be driving my kids to early morning seminary for the rest of childhood!

Tamlynn said...

I grew up in UT so I do NOT have a testimony of early morning seminary. My dh's branch was so small that the teenagers -he and his sister- did their seminary work at home on Sundays.

BUT, I am sure you will learn SO much and the students will love you!

Christy said...

We will all pray that your children will learn to sleep past 6:30! I can see Bennett wanting to join the class though, making insightful comments...
You have lots of support! Don't forget that!

Jamie said...

I'm really feeling for you. Not because you'll spend so much time preparing lessons (which I'm sure you'll be great at) but because you have to wake up early in the morning cold turkey. I wonder if there is any kind of program you could hurry and put the babe on to ensure he sleeps through every night from here on out. Good luck!

You're pretty lucky to have Dan to teach, not every teacher is so blessed.

LL said...

may the force be with you!