mom, do you want to play catch?

i was sitting upstairs typing on the computer when i hear addison say.....
mom? what ya doing?
me.....typing on the computer....
add.....are you going to be very long?
me.....why?
add.....do you want to play catch with me?

well.....i haven't had that question asked me by addison for about 10 years!
i was about to turn him down, when i thought......"i am not asked to do this every day, i had better take advantage of it"
it was like he was 8 years old all over again....
we played catch for about 30 minutes and he was like a little boy again.....

obviously, i couldn't turn his request down....
oh, such fond memories brought to life once again....just 10 years later!
love ya, bud!

things observed....

things i have observed since mark has been made bishop:

addison commented on how he could feel a different spirit in our home already.
ashley was feeling the spirit before mark got put in, but wasn't sure what it related to until we told her he was going to be bishop.
my love for mark (mind you, i have always loved him) grew 10 times stronger.
i am amazed by watching mark, it's like you can see a spirit walking with him at all times.
i watched mark give marty ellswood a blessing at the hospital and it was as if christ was standing next to him while he gave her that blessing.
i have watched love fill his heart for the members of the ward.
members of the ward have been very supportive and sweet to mark and our family.
i had several people come up to me the day he was set apart (people that i was a bit shocked to hear from) express to me how pleased they were that mark was bishop.
mark conducted at the temple for our ward temple night and bore a sweet testimony.
mark conducted his first funeral for marty ellswood and gave a strong message of how we should "be happy and find joy."
i feel like i am falling behind sometimes with the spiritual stuff and i can't keep up with mark.
i don't always feel like i am quite up to snuff in the spiritual category.
i am trying to change a few things in myself in order to be in sync with mark.
it has been a joy these last 3 weeks watching the mantel of the bishop take hold and settle in on mark....i am learning a lot about the spirit, god, christ, my testimony, mark and myself.

story of a bishop, continued...

we were in shock and sworn to secrecy....for 2 whole weeks!
we couldn't even tell the kids until the day before.
when we did, addison accused us of lying, which we did.
he understood why, though.

the morning that mark was to be sustained and set apart (may 1, 2011), we were both so nervous.
i was pacing the house and mark was just sitting in the recliner in our room....all nervous.

fast forward to sacrament meeting......

what an incredibly spiritual meeting.
the testimonies of the out-going bishopric were very touching.
mark got up to share his feelings and testimony and i wasn't sure if he was going to be able to say anything because he was so caught up with emotion.
humbly, he bore his testimony about the truthfulness of the gospel and trusting in revelation.

the stake president got up and explained the process of calling a new bishop and read part of the letter that the first presidency sent to him.
he also said that if you question how one is called, then know by this letter that he is truly called of god.

i was amazed that the first presidency prays about the new bishops and gives then gives their approval if it is right.

when mark was given the mantel of being bishop, you could feel the spirit surround him.
what an incredible feeling!