With All Her Heart...

We were sitting in church today. They post up in the front of the church the page number of the hymns we will be singing. Number 116 was going to be our hymn for before the sacrament is passed. Jessica always opens the hymn book to the page of the hymn we are singing and looks at the words and music notes. When she was little, she used to get excited if she could find the right number. For the last few years, she loves for me to take her finger and move it over the words as we sing them. Sometimes she'll recognize the chorus or some of the words and she'll sing them softly. Mostly she loves to hum along with the organ.

Today, before the hymn started she told me in an excited little whisper..."Mom! I read all of these words! The title says Come Follow Me". Then she took her little finger and said "The first line says, come follow me, the Savior said, then let us in His footsteps tread." I hugged her and said in an excited whisper "Good job buddy! You really read all those words!" Then the organ started playing the song. In the most serious of little faces and sitting up as straight as she could sit she belted out the whole first line of the song at the top of her lungs in her very best singing voice. After the first line, she looked at me with so much excitement and I knew she was saving singing that first line of the song that she had studied so hard just for me. It brought tears to my eyes and a huge lump in my throat to see how excited she was to read and to hear her very loud little girl voice sing about Jesus. (she is VERY VERY loud) I normally don't get emotional about this kind of stuff. But there was just something about her excitement, the words of the song, the spirit in the room and it all coming together in a beautiful moment with my daughter.

I'm so thankful to be a parent. I didn't think I would love it this much. But I love it more than anything I've ever experienced. Today, I am truly grateful to God for my family.