Where I'm Supposed To Be

There's a lot I appreciate about fellow church members, such as the fellowship they offer outside of official church or church activities.  Last night Ava and I went to dinner at the Schott's, a family we'd only ever saw and briefly spoken to at church.  They had invited several other families, also people we didn't know very well, but it made no difference.  Ava was immediately swooped up by the older children, I was immediately in thoughtful and fun conversation with the adults.  Two and a half hours passed in a blink, and by 7:30 I wished we didn't have to go home.  As I sat eating the delicious smoked pork that Brother Schott had been smoking since midnight the night before, I had nothing on my mind other than the company and conversation in the room. 

Eventually the women and men separated, as they naturally seem to do, and we all sat around the kitchen table talking about kids and pregnancy as two of the women were pregnant.  As we sat talking a thought apart from the conversation entered my mind, and it was the thought of "this is where you belong."  And I don't mean specifically at the Schott home, though it was so warm and beautifully decorated (I wished my home looked like hers) that I would've almost liked to move in, but with other Saints.  When I am around these families the mothers are suddenly universal mothers - no matter the child, if they're the one able to render assistance, care or love then they do.  For example, Ava sneezed and one of the kids immediately pointed out that she needed a tissue.  Before I could even position myself to get up from the deeply reclined chair on their back porch another mother who was closer to Ava went over, knelt down, and wiped her nose.  I'm alone on evening outings most the time because Bill works second shift, so to have other adults there to help without me having to ask is so valuable and cherished by me.

Another thing I enjoy about being around other Saints is if the Spirit speaks to me, I feel safe to listen.  And not only do I feel safe to hear the Spirit, but when I'm in a good environment the Spirit is more likely to whisper to me, too.  That's why I had the thought come into my mind that the Schott home that evening, with those Saints, was where I was supposed to be.  It was such an uplifting environment.  My daughter was around other kids raised with the same values so I'm less likely to have to worry about any of them suggesting ill speech or action.  Notice I say "less likely," Saints are Saints, sure, but we're also human.  Heaven knows the phases I went through, and all the mistakes I still make today.  The adults bring out the better traits in me, which I of course love.  I hope that the more I'm in environments there my better traits are allowed to shine the more they'll shrink out the less desirable traits I posses.