Smiles

Sometimes I Forget

The other night Leyla and I went to Fred Meyer to pick up a few things. I went to check out, got everything scanned, reached for my purse only to realize my debit card was sitting on top of my chest of drawers at home. Did I mention how everything was scanned, cashier waiting for payment, line of people behind me? Sad huh? What's sad is that's probably happened to me at least 3 other times in the past year.

We've been trying to make a week long menu before we go grocery shopping each week. We've only done it for a few weeks now but it seems to get easier each week. We go grocery shopping on Friday or Saturday and we tend to plan our best meals for the weekend because by the end of the week we've somehow depleted our entire stock of food. I must have been feeling extra ambitious this week because on the menu for Sunday was german pancakes for breakfast and baked salmon for lunch. I seriously dreamed about the upcoming feast all night Saturday. The kids all slept in, no one woke up until after 8 am, what a perfect way to start the morning. As I was just really waking up Nick turns to me and announces that it was fast Sunday. Of course it was. My mind quickly raced back to my New Year's resolutions...like the one where I was glad we had 1 o'clock church because it would help me have a meaningful fast each and every month. Was it too early in the year to give that one up? After church we ate turkey pot pie, and no, it will not be on the menu again.

I forget a lot of things. I forget where I put my keys, I forget the load of wet laundry waiting to be dried, I then forget to push the button to start the dryer. I forget that 3 hours of church is too long for Leyla to go without a bottle or her binki- and they're both sitting on the kitchen counter...and we've walked the 6 blocks to church that day. I forget that it's after 8 pm, my kids remind me we haven't had dinner yet, and they haven't had a shower in two days, oh and their bedtime is 8 o'clock. But those are the small things, at least I try to remind myself that those are the small things.

I forget that just 5 years ago I became a mom. That it was the craziest, most wonderful, inexperienced day of my life. I would forget that I had kids because for two months they were in the hospital, but once they were home I didn't think I could ever forget my children. I did though. I forgot my baby girl in the car that was only a few weeks old. I didn't make it into the house before our friends reminded me of the precious cargo I had just forgotten. Humiliating. I forget that my boys will start school this fall, that maybe I haven't taught them enough, and that I haven't played with them enough.

Sometimes I forget to say family prayer before bed, but my kids remind me. Sometimes I forget to read my scriptures, the Spirit tries to remind me, but I don't always listen. Sometimes I forget to pray for my husband, my kids, myself, and I wonder if life wouldn't be so hard if I would just remember to do these things, to not forget.