Of mice and men.

Yesterday was a perfect day.
Isaac was baptised, when the other 4 of my children, who have been baptised, had their day, I was unbelievably stressed, in fact so stressed that I can barely remember the days, so worried was I that all would go well and hitch free.
Isaac is different, in many ways he is different and one of his quirks is that he doesn't like any fuss, which for me, is a gift, a glorious and happy thing.
So, I decided that his day, his baptism, would be done his way, no plans for crowd of spectators, no chapel full of hymn singers and friends of friends, no invites, no party. Just Isaac and his baptism.
We used the little room that is beside the font, just our family and perhaps 9 or 10 people. Grandma gave a talk, Isaac's teacher gave a talk and the time they were speaking, because we were in a little room and they were right in front of him, his eyes never left their faces, it was as if they were talking to him and him alone, he didn't falter when he walked into the water, he listened as H said the words before he was put under the water and when he came out of the water he was smiling.
I discovered that H, glorious as he is, had fasted for 24 hours before baptising Isaac, so he would be spiritually in tune. I love him.
While Isaac and H went to get dressed, I had planned to play some lovely spiritual music, instead a few of the people that were there bore their testimonies. Such beautiful, simple words of how Jesus Christ is important to us. The lovely part was that no-one knew that was going to happen, nobody had time to think about what to say, it all came from the heart. There were a few tears, some from me because, although I usually avoid having any visible part in my childrens' baptisms, I just couldn't let the chance go by without sharing how I feel.
Sophie came. She arrived early, straight from work, looking beautiful and she perched uncomfortably on a side seat and looked as though she wished she were anywhere else.
I chose songs from the children's primary song book, just 2 songs, one to start and one to end. She sang them, from start to finish, because she remembers them from when she was a little girl. She was sitting just to the right of me and I dare not look at her because I could hear her singing.

" There's a right way to live and be happy,
It is choosing the right every day
I am learning the teachings of Jesus,
They will help you and show you the way.
Choose the right way and be happy,
I will always choose the right.
Through the gospel I learn to be prayerful,
to have faith, to repent, to obey.
And I know if I live by his teachings,
I will truly be happy each day."

Funny isn't it, how the simplest of words can mean the most.
So many people look at how we live in the church and say how hard it must be, how difficult to abide by so many rules. The opposite is true. Living the gospel, abiding by the simple guidelines makes living much easier, by accepting that to live in this world but not be of this world, by having priorities that are based in spiritual wealth and not material gain life is simple, it is infinitely easier to feel you are ahead of the gain.
I am so sad that somehow, I didn't let how I feel about the gospel evident to my children, I assumed that they would know, by seeing how I lived that I do this because it is right, it is good, it is beneficial and it is so precious to me that I cannot imagine not feeling as I do, not having what I have.
I am fiercely, but far too quietly protective of my beliefs, I am unable to speak about it and stand back while what I love is perhaps ridiculed.
I am far too often quiet when I should speak out, I have a friend, who isn't the same religion as me who is so unashamed, so incredibly in tune with her spirituality, she loves to share how she feels and wherever she goes, people love her because this is who she is.
I want to be more like her.
When we were going to Boston, either the first or second time, somebody said ( and I forget who it was) " I want to hear Helen pray"
At the time I was surprised because I don't think I share the spiritual side of me often enough at all, I was happy that someone felt that way though and sad that somehow, the time passed without my getting to pray with my friend. I wish I could go back and rectify that. ( which would be easier if I could remember who said it!)
While we were at church in the morning, mum asked me to drive her and Leah home, so I did that and then had the clever idea to run home, put the chicken in the oven so it would be ready when we arrived home.
Chicken in, I went to the loo, checked emails while I par boiled some potatoes, walked back into the kitchen and a mouse the size of a cat ran in front of me, that thing was FAT and I saw it run into the laundry room. GAH!! Kitchen mice, not good, huge great big fat ones? REALLY BAD!
I was incredibly brave, telling myself how it ran away, it was scared of ME...I poked my head around the wall of the laundry room ( which has had the worst funky smell for WEEKS) the whole time making a pathetic "oooh, ooooooooooh whispery noise" I saw where it went and where it has been coming in and out and a plan was formed.
I went to leave and as I waled past the cupboard in the hallway, I heard scratching, real loud scratching and I felt as though I was in a horror movie. I am now convinced this house is over run with rodents, nightmare sized rats that wait for me and are planning how to get me.
Last night was rough, I kept shoes on and I jammed things against the cupboard door and the laundry room door and I put lights on, lots of BRIGHT lights, fluorescent strip lights and I jumped at discarded socks, there was a rubber octopus on the bathroom floor, dark and creepy looking right in the corner and I tell you, that thing made me jump and SWEAR!
I told H all the things we needed to do, today. I love him because he absolutely got that when I said 'WE' I meant 'HE'. I bought poison and then I took the boys out. He cleared the laundry room , found the huge hole where they have been coming in and out, he cleaned and cleared and filled and blocked. Then he went to the cupboard under the stairs and he cleared that and emptied it ( the black home of car seats and vacuum spares, sewing boxes and crap. Lots of crap and as he went to grab the last box he saw it. THE MONSTER MOUSE. Our kitchen is full of boxes and car seats and vacuum spares because even H, level headed no nonsense H was freaked, he put down poison and he slammed the door shut, blocked the gap under the door so the bugger can't escape and he walked away. We are telling ourselves that we are giving the poison time to work when actually neither of us wants to go back in there and see where it is. I did quickly open the door, grab the tray with pellets on and I spread peanut butter on them because I am told PB is irresistible to mice and I so want them to eat it and DIE. ( hoping they eat it, run outside through an invisible escape hole that will then close itself up in a magical way.)
Plan B is to get Sophie drunk and tell her her new pet is under there, give her a box and set her free.
Whatever works.
All in all, it was a good day, a great day.
Hope we got rid of the mice, shall be keeping the man. Perfect.