It was a good day. :) I was overwhelmed with all the positive comments after. Several of our primary kids had invited nonmembers or family members-and I am so glad they came on a day where the spirit was so strong. We had some funny moments, many spiritual moments, several beautiful musical moments, and tons of very proud, humble moments. I am never going to be able to fully express how I feel about this, so let me just give some highlights below, highlights from my perspective anyway.
- We had 13 numbers, 5 small groups, 2 duets, 3 solos, and 1 sign language number. One of those small group numbers was 6 adults, including the Bishop and his wife. It was a lot to arrange, and I have to admit, it was something I was nervous about in terms of making things too complicated. But my overall goal was to give each child a "musical moment", a chance to come up and sing in the mic and bear testimony through music-that's such a powerful thing to feel. I was so pleased with how well the kids sang each and every number, including the special numbers-they knew their words, they responded well to my "Sing Louder" sign, they stood up and sat down when they were supposed to, and I didn't miss any of my cues. For being such a complicated musical demonstration, it went more smoothly than I could have imagined.
- Karianna Stuff: I was perfectly fine during the whole program. I started getting a little misty eyed during A Child's Prayer, but I was okay. Then we came to our last song-We'll Bring the World His Truth. My mom played the introduction to the song on the piano, with strong, powerful key strokes, and you just knew something special was going to come. And then you hear Karianna sing the first verse as a solo. Her voice was crystal clear, ringing through the room, such a pure testimony from a child. I could not have been prouder in that moment that she is my daughter. I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of her and her voice, and the spirit that was rushing into the room. I will never forget that moment
- JD Stuff: JD's magical moment came while giving his talk-he had the longest talk by far about Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel. He has become such a good reader, he did so well reading the whole thing. The moment came at the end, where it said something like, "Joseph Smith knew the church was true; I KNOW the church is true...." He completely emphasized that second "know", and it was powerful. He said he was just reading it how it was written, but it was a strong moment of testimony and he didn't even realize. The stake primary representative who was there specifically mentioned this moment amongst the many other that invited the spirit. JD also sang a small group number as 1 of 4 boys, singing the 2nd verse of "The Golden Plates". I told them to pretend they were Nephi singing about this-strong and powerful. They didn't disappoint, and I was super proud of JD for actually singing-sometimes he shies away from that because he's too cool but not today!
- Jordan Stuff: Jordan's small group number was singing the second verse of "I Want to Live the Gospel" with all the 4 and 5 year olds-this was our biggest group number, and the one I was most nervous about honestly-8 kids trying to swarm around the mic! They also had been struggling with their words, and although I had visuals for them, I was nervous it wouldn't come out and I'd just be singing a solo ;) Wasn't necessary though-they did GREAT and though I wouldn't have predicted he would do this, Jordan literally grabbed the mic (I had told them not too....) and sang every word right in it, right on pitch. It was impressive, though he was being a bit greedy with the mic! It got a good giggle out of the audience, and when the rest of the primary joined in for the chorus, they almost took it as a challenge to sing louder than the small group, and it was again, powerful. I was also proud of Jordan for NOT saying "Happy Birthday" into the mic, which he did during the program practice....
- Sara Stuff: For me, I knew one of the highlights would be the sunbeam number. Our three adorable sunbeams got to sing "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission", all on their own, into the big mic at the pulpit (everyone else was at a side mic except Karianna). Seeing those three, cheek to cheek at the mic, singing those words, was so adorable and they had all those words down! I was just tickled to see how well they did, especially Sara (who insisted on holding onto the mic). The rest of the kids joined in for a second round of the song, and the sunbeams continued to sing in the mic-the extra volume revved them up, and the song was just reverberating in the chapel-again, such power! Sara said her lines well when the time came, and while sitting in her chair, she couldn't stop from sharing her necklaces with Kenzie, hugging Sam, and when they would stand to sing, those three sunbeams would hold hands and rock back and forth. End of the day, reverent or not-adorable.
- A Child's Prayer: I loved this number personally. I had asked 6 adults to sing the 2nd verse, representing parents, grandparents, and church leadership (Bishop and his wife). The kids sang out their first verse nice and loud, and then the adults got their verse-it was beautiful. Their harmonies were perfectly matched, and I am so glad everyone agreed to be in that small group. The round went just as smoothly, and for me, that was the most beautifully sung number-musically speaking-in the whole program.
- Jared mentioned his favorite musical parts were when the kids went up to a high note and held it, which they did on a few songs. I had worked the kids really hard on cut offs and fermatas, and they did great with it, especially when we held a high note in "I Know Heavenly Father Loves Me". It was angelic-that's the word everyone kept saying. They did so good enunciating: "He gave me my LIFE. my MIND. my HEART. "Families Can be Together Forever" and "I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ" had equally beautiful moments where they held out a high note until I cut them off. It was very cool!
- Our one sign language song was kind of my "take a breather song", as that signaled to me the small group numbers were over. The sign language though kind of took my breath away all together-the visual imagery of that song with the signs was so beautiful. There are some signs that even if you don't know sign language, you FEEL the kids doing it. When they sing, "I want to be the best I can", they make the WANT sign by holding their arms out and quickly bringing them in towards their stomach-as if they are literally demonstrating how badly they want to be the best they can-and that sentiment was emphasized in their voices as a result. The sign for best is holding your 2 fingers to your chin, and then bringing your arm up in a thumbs up sign-every time they did that, I just smiled as wide as possible without even meaning too! I was so nervous to teach sign earlier this year, and I just loved the effect it had on the song and the presentation as a whole.
- After Bishop's closing remarks, the congregation sang "I Am a Child of God" as the closing song. Our normal chorister and organist were directing it of course, but I still stood up and had the kids rise on the stage to sing with the congregation. When we had practiced this, I had challenged the kids to be louder than the organ and their moms and dads....and they were! But that was the great part, you could hear those beautiful kids just ringing out in the chorus, singing "Lead Me! Guide Me! Walk beside me! Help me find the way; Teach me all that I must do-to live with Him some day." As a parent, I had to stop singing, and just listen to these kids pleading in their exuberant way to be taught how to return to our Heavenly Father. I mean, that is just powerful. When they sat down for the final time, I didn't want it to end. I wanted that spirit to linger because it was that powerful.
- The block ended with a very laid back singing time, during which I had the kids do ghost bowling: I took 6 full paper towel rolls, drew a simple ghost face on them, and stuck a song in the actual roll part. We stood them up and the kids got to take turns doing "Boo Bowling"; we'd sing a fun song after each turn, and the kids enjoyed the game while every adult in the room just enjoyed the kids. It was a good way to end a beautiful sacrament meeting program day.
I just love my calling. I love that when life get so busy and chaotic and confusing and flat out hard, I can go teach primary music to these kids and feel the sweet, simple spirit they invite. It makes me think things really aren't as hard as I probably make them. Things we doubt or question are really easy when you think about it. These kids know that. They sang that testimony today and I am certain every person within hearing distance felt uplifted, revitalized, determined to be a little bit better as a result. It was all because of the kids-how beautifully they teach me about what really matters.
Jared told me afterward that he was so proud to have me as his wife. He was crying. Jared is a sensitive man, of course, but it's not frequent for his emotions to get the better of him in the form of tears. I just feel so blessed to have the calling, the kids, the husband, the life that I do. The hard parts-they don't matter so much. It's moments like we had today that matter, moments where I am sure the Lord is here and watching out for his children, both young and old.
We'll have another great opportunity to share a primary program in a year-and I am honestly already thinking about how we can replicate the spirit we felt today with next year's songs! But mostly I am trying to soak up the spirit and let it carry me for a while-as long as I can. I love Primary. I love my beautiful kids. I love my amazing husband. I love the gospel and the peace it so easily invites into my life and the life of my family. We are truly blessed.
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