Dear McKenzie,

I hear it all the time... one of the most important things for me to do as your mother is to be a good example for you. Sometimes that's the only motivating force behind me stumbling to the living room in the quiet darkness of morning to bow my head into my scriptures for a few moments before everyone wakes. Sometimes thinking of you is the only thing that can bring me to my knees at the end of a long, hard day when all I really want is to climb into the warm sheets. In the hours between, I try to hold my tongue before I lash out in anger, hoping you'll learn to do the same; I try to be patient and speak with kindness, hoping you'll treat your brothers the same; I try to be happy as I go about my housework, so you may feel happy while helping; I try to tell you about the good and bad things that have happened in my day, and hope that you will tell me about yours. We both know I fail sometimes, maybe even more often than not, but striving to be a good example for you is always at the back of my mind.

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Your new second grade teacher sent home a little blue lunch bag with the instructions to fill it with 5 things that told something about you.

"A rock, definitely," you said - you are very into collecting rocks.
"How about a piece of candy?" I suggested.
"And maybe a picture of Carson and Miles," you added.
"How about a picture of Jesus?"
"Oh, yeah!" you exclaimed. Wow!? You were actually more (much more) excited about the picture of Jesus than you were about the piece of candy. You thumbed through your magazines to find the perfect one, cut it out, folded it up and tucked it into the blue bag. Curious, I picked the picture back out of the bag, unfolded it and said, "So, what are you going to say when you hold this up to your class?"
"Hmmmm," you thought. "I know! I'll say: This is a picture of Jesus. He is important to me because I know he loves me. Or, maybe I should say us because then everyone will know that he loves them, too."

Perfect, Kenz - not only because the words were beautiful, but because it came from your own heart.

Your class is filled with Christians, but you are the only Mormon, so I was nervous for you as I put you on the bus the next morning. I think my nervousness stemmed from my own insecurities about sharing religion with others... you weren't worried at all. After school, I asked how it went and you said that people had all reacted with "Oh!'s and Hey!'s" when you pulled out the picture of Christ. You said that, of all of your things, that picture was the favorite of the class.

I'm proud of you, Kenz. It wasn't a big deal for you, but to me it would have been challenging. Thank you for your example - you have reminded me that Christ is the 'favorite' among most of the religions in this area, and that people are teaching their children of Him. You have given me an example of standing for what you believe in, and sharing those beliefs - excitedly - with others.

I'm so lucky to have you...

Love,
Mom