intelligence

It is the end of another month and, as always, the time has flown by so fast it is a blur. Dad and I lucked into tickets to see a Broadway in Tucson production of "Fiddler on the Roof". We got to sit with Rob and Shella Brubaker which was a lot of fun.

This morning I had one of those moments when I really felt inspired. I usually think of myself as an intelligent person but today I realized that I'm really not so smart after all. As most of you know I am teaching a middle school math class. We spent one day this past week doing an activity measuring circles and finding out that circumference divided by diameter equals pi. So, we discussed the formula to find circumference and area. Then we spent another day measuring the area in different ways to get a better understanding of circles. I was supposed to be teaching these kids but only this morning I finally put it all together and it made sense to me of why the formulas work. I'm pretty good at putting the numbers into a formula and getting the right answer but now I realize that I don't always understand what I'm doing. Finally the thought came to me that you can liken this to living the gospel. Sometimes we have to just keep plugging the numbers into the formula before we get a testimony or have the Spirit teach us what we need to know. Also, I think that 'book smarts' does not always equal intelligent thinking. I can get good grades on a report card but often don't know how to use that learning very well and just having a testimony of the gospel does not get you to heaven. You must live it everyday.

To all those that I love...

For the past three weeks I have made doughnuts for breakfast. It reminds me of when all the kids were home and I was learning how to make dough. Many times we had "stones" instead of "scones". I finally broke down and used Jeanine Judd's recipe which is in the ward cookbook and they have turned out perfect each time. I wonder why I was so stubborn not to try it sooner. I guess it is hard to admit how dumb I am sometimes. The biggest thing is that it has made me miss my kids alot. I want each one of them to know how much I love them. I did make lots of mistakes as a mom and as a human being, but I did always love my children and want the best for them. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to all of you.