So I know the whole purpose of having your child blessed is to have their name on the records of the church... but I am having mixed emotions right now. Let me explain:
I realized after Lincoln was born that January 11, 2009 was a Sunday! I was so excited. The reason I was so excited was that was the EXACT date that Parker was blessed in 2004. I remember dates quite often and I know that was the day my youngest sister, Sharolyn, gave her "homecoming" talk after serving a mission in Philadelphia. Parker was blessed along with his cousin Reese. I was so excited to have Lincoln blessed on the same day and have that tie with him.
I was also excited because we were changing the time we went to church from 1-4 last year to 9-12 this year. 1-4 church is HORRIBLE when you have young children who need naps.
So a week ago our Stake President informed our ward that there would be boundary changes to the wards in our stake to even them out more as our ward had way more people then the other wards. We were told the changes would be told to us on Jan. 4... yesterday. I figured we would be a part of the main part of the ward and wouldn't have to worry about things, though I would be sad to see some of my friends go to other wards and not see them each Sunday.
Boy was a wrong... and this leads to my mixed emotions:
1. In the meeting last night we were informed that we would be moved from the Aspen 9th ward to the Aspen 6th Ward. We were also informed that we would be attending at a different church building. We were also informed we would be attending church from 1-4pm again.
Just thinking about this makes me want to cry. This is why:
I want to cry because we are back to the nightmares of Tyler not getting a nap on Sundays because of church from 1-4. I want to cry even more because we will be blessing our son, Lincoln, in a building where 2/3 of the ward doesn't know us, and don't know Parker. I want to cry even more because we are going to a building where we were with Parker for 2 months (as a new building was built). I have so many memories of Parker in the 9th ward building... memories of him running up and down the halls and seeing all of his friends in the ward. All the people in the 9th ward who were there with us at his funeral (which was in that building).... How do I find closure when I was expecting this? I wasn't ready for this change. I wasn't ready to move churches. I want to cry.
My friends who remain in the 9th ward also moved to the 1-4 time slot for church... so now they won't be able to come to see Lincoln blessed even if I invite them because they will need to be there as the new people who are now a part of the 9th ward come the first week. I love the 9th ward... I have served so many and love them so much and they have served us so much and helped us through the hard times with Parker and this past year when we lost our jobs. My testimony has grown so much in that ward.
I know I will find more friends in the 6th ward and we will help each other grow together... but it is just so hard right now. I don't know how to get the sadness out.
One positive note: Rodger was called to be the Ward Clerk in our new ward. I am so excited for him to have this opportunity. It will help him grow so much. Go Rodger!
Homemade Granola
6 years ago
6 comments:
Lindy- I count meeting you through the 9th ward as a huge blessing in my life. Your faith and testimony always lifts me up so I hope you will continue to share it on your blog! we are sad to be moved to a different ward too. But with no napping kids iwas happy to welcome back the 1pm :-)
Awesome blog Lindi. We will miss your family in the 9th ward so much. One time Bro. Cook said in a primary meeting "Sis Shumaker runs our ward. We couldn't do without her." I will miss your testimonies and comments in RS. Every time you say something I think to myself "she really knows what it's all about." I agree with you about the 1-4 church time. I guess we get to show our Father in Heaven more devotion this year. :)
Colleen
You are an amzing person with amazing faith. Thank you for allowing me to become your friend. If you are blessing your baby this Sunday we will be there. We can still get our ward for sunday school and RS to meet the new folks. Let us know.
I'm sorry for your mixed emotions!! There is a rhyme and a reason for everything.. you will find out someday why you had to switch wards! Keep your head up! Love ya!
Hi, Lindi. I just am stopping by from the PCMC group. It's funny that you are attached to the building. I have just the OPPOSITE problem. I have flashbacks with our building where Bridget had her funeral. We are trying to wait to see about a supposed stake split and hopefully our building will be changed. I literally cannot attend meetings or ANYTHING in that building, so our bishop is seeing what they can arrange.
I was just going to tell you, though, that we blessed Bridget on a Saturday because our older daughter was baptized that day and it was just a good way with so many people going to be there Saturday who couldn't make accommodations to stay through Sunday to be able to participate with both.
We still haven't blessed our newborn because of the issues with the building and other things. But we already talked with the Stake President, and you don't have to bless your child during Sacrament meeting. So you could actually bless Lincoln on the 11th, but do it in the evening or something. You'd have to call the building scheduler and so forth to make arrangements, or you could do it in your home even.
It's not as "traditional", but in every way just as official.
Anyway, it doesn't "fix" anything really. But just wanted to give you some ideas. I tend to be really fixated on dates as well. I always avoided blessing babies in September after Dominic died. Funny that I convinced myself that I was just being superstitious, and then we blessed Bridget in September. And then she died too. :( So I'm the opposite with dates. I try to avoid connecting dates with our living kids. It's funny how we all grieve so differently.
I hope that you can find some way to balance it all. I have attachments to certain places, too, and it would be hard not to have that anymore. Like my house-- I just can't stand the idea of ever moving, but who knows if we'll have to someday. So I can see how hard it will be from that perspective to have to say "goodbye" again to something you love and cherish, especially relating to Parker. It's hard when you already had to say "goodbye" once, and you don't really want to have to be forced into yet another goodbye.
I don't know if this will make it easier, but I told my kids when Bridget was dying that Goodbye is short for "God Be with Ye". And it doesn't mean we won't be associated anymore, but it will just be different and that we wish a blessing on our friends and loved ones to whom we must say goodbye, and remind them that we fully expect to someday be reunited. It isn't the same with ward splits, I know. It's hard to really keep as close to your fellow members when you don't attend the same meetings. But I do think there will still be "reunions" either here or in the eternities. I don't know. I'm rambling too much, so I hope you can find an answer that will make this occasion special for you and Lincoln, and Parker, too. I think he probably will be a part of it somehow, even if it ends up being in a different way than you'd planned.
Oh, Lindi... I will miss you so much! You amaze me with your faith and steadfastness. I'm with Gail. You tell me when and where... I'll be there.
Post a Comment