A Little Ray-diation

After a particularly tiring Sunday morning, getting the Little Rays ready for church, keeping them quiet in church and getting them home from church I locked the screen doors with the key to ensure that my Rays stayed inside (it was sunny enough already outside) and went down the other end of the house to feed Littlest Ray and put her to bed.  BIG MISTAKE.

I fed LR3 and put her down, and thought it would be safe to lie down for a minute.  LR1 and LR2 had been fed and were busying themselves with colouring and a movie.  No sooner did I put my head down LR1 came running in looking very upset. "Mummy, I tried to cook a muffin and now there is steam in the kitchen". 

No there wasn't any steam in the kitchen, instead thick black smoke billowing out of the microwave as a once tasty banana muffin had received a LITTLE to much RAY-diation and was now a black charcoal mass.  It was cooked for 7 minutes. I rushed LR1 and LR2 to the front door and remembered it was locked so had to try and make my way through the kitchen (where the keys were) and then unlock the door, ran outside, took a deep breath and ran back in as I had to unlock the back door, all the while the microwave was still going.  I couldn't get to it to turn it off until I had opened the doors.

I managed to turn the microwave off with 30 seconds left of the clock. Opened the door and almost died on the spot from even more "steam" that came out when I opened the door to the microwave.  Luckily LR1, LR2 and LR3 were safe and no damage was done to the house except for an awful stench that is still lingering 5 days later.

Although Little Ray 1 was the one who caused the "almost fire" I was so proud of the way he dealt with the situation.  He was such a big responsible boy who made sure that LR2 was safe then came and told me, he did every thing I told him to do and made sure his little sister did too but as all this was happening, LR3 was down the "safe" end of the house and his biggest concern the whole time was for her safey.

While children are young they have many disagreements, arguments and fights with their siblings but as I reflect on the events of our Ray-diation experience I thank my Father in Heaven that somehow, amongst all the bickering and taddle tailing that goes on during family prayer, family scripture study and family home evening, they have learnt how important they are to each other, they know how much they love each other and have the strength and maturity to ensure each others safety even at such a tender young age.

I am so proud of my Little Ray-man.  He is such a blessing to me.

Littlest Ray in the Darkness of Night

People think I'm joking when I tell them that I haven't slept in 7 years.  While it sounds funny it is partially true. Just when things were looking up and I was getting more sleep Little Ray number 1 was cloned and now I have the Littlest Ray (number 3).

For days and days I've hardly slept.  Screamed filled nights, children filled bed and spinning mummy's head.

Last night I did not even get to lay my head down on my pillow before Littlest Ray awoke for the night.  She is baby number three so I know all the tricks in the book that are suppose to help babies sleep, but sometimes they just don't work.

While listening to her screams, then holding her while she fought me, I thought of how I long for rest, the selfish side of me angry, dissapointed and exhausted and then the thought "what can I learn from Littlest Ray in the Darkness of Night".  My mind quickly turned to Heavenly Father, while I was trying so hard to settle her and not being able to consol her through any means I caught a glimpse of how our Father in Heaven may have felt on that most sacred of days when our Saviour offered himself a sacrifice for sin, when despite all His power Heavenly Father was unable to allow Himself to assist His Son through this time of uncomprehendible pain.  I thought that maybe He felt helpless as I did, His heart ached as mine was aching.  Then a beautiful sweet reassurance through the screaming.  I once again was able to see how much Heavenly Father loves each of us. He wants us to be with Him again so He painfully, but willingly let Christ die so we can be with Him again.

Thank you Littlest Ray to help me reaffirm this testimony and thanks to my Father in Heaven to help me get through each trial and for my Saviour who sacraficed himself for me and the beautiful gift of the Holy Ghost that can speak peace to our souls no matter how dark the night.

Little Rays of Sunshine - Little Glimmers of Hope

One of my nick names at work was Little Ray, something to do with my height and the fact that I was happy most of the time.

Now that I am older and I have children, I look at them and in my mind think "they are my little rays", they are sunshine sent from my Father in Heaven, little glimmers of hope, reminding me that despite Satans influences, there is still beauty and love in the world.

I reflect on children at school, and my love for all of them.  As I look at children who don't have as much love in their home, I see their desire to be loved, I see that they crave attention and want to know that they are important.

What a great responsibility we have to love all children, whether they are born into our families or belong to friends or even strangers.  You must never underestimate the power in acknowleding a child. You must never underestimate the power in giving a smile to a child. It is through their eyes that we can learn unconditional love and submission.

Next time we see a child, smile, say hello, think of what lessons we can learn from these beautiful rays of sunshine, these glimmers of hope for the future.  Pray for them, love them, listen to them, teach them and be taught by them.  In these things come great joy.