Are you surprised?? She's a Bartlett.

Okay, I know this is odd, two posts in one day, but don't expect it to happen often! I was just thinking about something and decided to write it down.

So, Michelle had a play date this afternoon with a girl from her class. I know it is a good family, mostly because I know the mom's parents. These parents are someone Jay has known for many years (the dad was the Bishop when Jay got baptized and the couple taught him his Temple Prep Class). I have known of them almost as long as I have known Jay and have had a chance to get to know them myself over the last few years.

These are the kind of people that you feel happy to know, the people that you can't help but smile when you talk to them, the people who don't have to be asked to do things because they are already there helping. Jay knew quite a few of the kids in the family from school and always had great things to say about them. When the kids were at school, away from their parents, making their own choices, they were great choices. The whole family, you just meet one of them and know right away they are good.

Well, Michelle came home from her play date with the daughter of one of these kids in this family and they had sent a bag of cookies home with her. It was even in a paper sack tied up with a cute little bow! It was such a nice thoughtful thing and I LOVED putting down the phone from all my silent auction stuff and just having a cookie while I caught up on some American Idol. It was such a great break!

Okay, now I am getting to my point, bear with me. So, when Jay came home I told him that they had sent a bag of cookies home and how nice it was, like she just knew I needed a baked good break. Jay said, "Are you surprised?? She's a Lichfield." That was all that needed to be said, we both know who raised her and the kind of examples she had growing up and are not surprised to see the person she is.

So, I got to thinking, will that be the case for my kids? Will someone say, "Are you surprised?? He or she is a Bartlett," and will that be a good thing? Am I the kind of person who people feel happy to know? Do I have positivity and kindness with me all the time? Am I being an example of a Christ-like, loving, charitable attitude for my kids? Am I doing my part to help them become even more amazing than they are now?

I was also thinking about the April Visiting Teaching message. There is a quote in there, I think by Spencer W. Kimball, that talks about women and mothers studying the scriptures. I kept thinking about how it is my role as a nurturer and teacher to know the scriptures so that I can pass that along to my children and to all those I know. So I have just been doing some self-evaluating and am looking at things with a mother's heart, meaning instead of evaluating whether or not I am my best me, I have been contemplating whether or not I am fulfilling my potential as a wife and mother so I can be my best for my family.

Just some things to think about...