Thank Goodness for Home Teachers

So, this week I have been running around crazy, like a chicken with it's head cut off. Since Monday, morning at 8:00 am I have been busy with Christmas Tree Fantasy. UGH! - (ugh - in a good way.) It's a great community event that raises $ for needy organizations around the county, like the senior citizens center, the crisis center, the developmental center & so on. It's a good cause.

But. I'm on the board. The board being a group of lady's who plan this big fundraising event throughout the year & pull it off by the skin of their nose the week after Thanksgiving. We ask everyone & their dog for donations & volunteer hours & it's a huge deal. After it's finished (this Saturday, thank heaven above) & CTF has raised like $50,000.00, then we get together a couple months later & have a big cat-fight type meeting to decide which organizations are the most needy.

That big disbursement meeting & all the planning meetings up to this point are the kind of meetings where if you want to make a change to something you have to call it an 'amendment' & then you have to make a motion to do it & someone else 2nd's it & the board votes on it. I know. It's way above my head - like I've ever made a motion to do anything except go to the bathroom (& I only make those motions in my head).

Why do I do this to myself?

I have to admit, it's fun. I love serving & volunteering & working with people & getting to know the public. I'm a people person. I don't have a problem saying 'No' to things - good heavens, no one asked me to do it, I volunteered to fill this post! My problem is that I want to do everything & forget that I still have young children & a husband & home to take care of. This simply isn't the right time in my life to be doing these things. There is a time & season for everything, I believe it.

So, I've decided that this year is not only my 2nd year of doing this, it's also my last year.

Anyway, back to my original reason why I felt the need to take this time out of my crazy schedule (besides this being CTF week, 3 of my 4 children have rehearsals all week for their play on Saturday, seriously, I hope to still be alive by Saturday night - at this point I have to schedule breathing just so I don't forget to do it.) to post. For one thing this is like therapy for me. The other thing is, I feel the need to bear my testimony about good cops right now.

As I have been running around like crazy my speedometer keeps increasing. Hm, funny how that happens. I'm not normally a speed demon, but this week I have thrown all caution to the wind. It's not like I'm speeding on purpose, I just simply haven't been paying attention. I have to be everywhere, right now, so I'm just on automatic pilot mode, which unfortunately is set too high.

Last night as I was coming home from CTF at 9:30, I just wanted to get home & go to bed, but I still had some papers to print out & calls to make. I was going through the to-do list in my mind when I saw the lights flashing in my rear view mirror. Whoops! Also, those red & yellow flashing lights - Freak. Me. Out. Officer Friendly approached my vehicle in his extremely cautious way, we went through the drill, & he took my info back to his car. From the tone of his voice & the way he walked I thought for sure I was going to get a ticket. Sometimes, I can sense these things. And then, miracle of miracles, the kind officer gave me several warnings for things he could have ticketed me for, apparently speeding wasn't my only problem, whoops, again! But he didn't ticket me. Oh, sigh, THANK YOU, dear, sweet law enforcement man!

Then, this morning as I was headed back into CTF after dropping the twins off at preschool, I saw the lights again.

Are you kidding me?

I've just realized, I have a problem & no amount of denial is going to take it away. Speeding isn't my problem (clearing throat, & cough, cough), paying attention to what I'm doing, specifically my speedometer, is my problem.

This time, you can imagine my joy when I saw the officer get out of his car & it was a former home teacher of mine. It's been a few years since he visited us & since we go to the Spanish branch in our stake, I wasn't sure if he'd remember me.

Please. Please. Please.

At first he didn't. And then I saw it click. He was so nice! He didn't even take my stuff back to his car & even though I live here in this neighborhood & should know the speed limit by now, he just gave me a warning. Oh, sigh, where do I even begin?

Do you think someone is trying to tell me something?

If so, I got the message. I don't care how far behind I'm running today & from now on, I am going under the speed limit, just to prove I can.

Thank you police officers, I know the speed limit is true. I am grateful for it & both of you - I don't know where I would be without it, or you ..... probably in jail. I say these things in the name of law enforcement, Amen.