First and Last

We had our Primary Children's program in church this past Sunday, it's really one of my favorite Sundays of the year.  The meeting just puts a smile on your face and it stays there through the whole presentation.  My favorite quote this year was from a little, sweet four year old. "I love my family.  I love my Mom and Dad.  They make me food."  Classic!!!  Life is so simple for small children.  They are grateful when their basic needs are taken care of and when they know they are loved.  It's that simple.

While the Primary chorus was singing their hearts out to the song, "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" my thoughts quickly turned to my daughter, Ashton and her first solo moment singing in Sacrament Meeting.  She was probably no more than 8 years old and she confidently sang that very song.  The words were so touching and she literally had the congregation in tears, myself included.   While the Primary continued singing I lingered on that long ago moment with Ashton and how many "firsts" we have in our lives.  A first time singing a solo in church, a first Christmas, a first time passing the Sacrament, a first time riding a bike with no training wheels, a first date, a first time being a mommy or daddy, a first time having a child go on a mission, a first child graduating from high school, a first child getting married.  There are innumerable "firsts" in our lives.  We value those firsts and we often celebrate them as momentous events along the timeline of our lives. I for one am grateful for all of the firsts that I have experienced on my own and in my children's lives.

Those of you who have read my blog for a while know that my mind does a lot reflecting.  The whole "firsts" idea really got my brain going.  I was melancholy as I went down Memory Lane with my thoughts.  And then it took an unexpected U-Turn.  With all of the firsts that we experience, we also experience "lasts" and that's when my brain started to get overwhelmed and spiral out of control.  I'm kind of in that weird phase of life where I can look backward to all the "firsts" that we have experienced as a family, but I am also experiencing a lot of "lasts."  It kind of hurts my heart to be in this phase of life.  But you know what?  As I looked forward I caught delightful glimpses of more "firsts" in my future.....a first grandchild, my first returned missionary, a first daughter-in-law ( I already have my first son-in-law!), a first college graduate, a first empty nest with all the time in the world to spend with my husband, and the list goes on.

Life is this amazing blend of firsts and lasts.  Just when you are overwhelmed with all of the "lasts" and the emotions that come with that, there's always a "first" waiting around the corner to bring joy again. It's a wonderful cycle of life that keeps repeating through each generation.  I love the firsts I have already experienced and can't wait to embrace many more as I continue through this journey of life.