Ari's Lamp

 Have I mentioned that I have a very dynamic, responsible, enthusiastic, fun 12 year old in my world?  Of course I have!  Ari seems to be taking off as an adolescent, growing in every way.  I am so thankful for her.  Instead of asking, "What's for breakfast," she asks, "Can I make pancakes?"  When she practices cello, she puts Tziporah in her crib in the same room with a bottle and some toys, so that her little sister can listen, and also to keep her out of my way while the other kids practice.  Yep, Ari is a godsend.  She has been tall for her age, and now she is starting to grow into her size, as her peers catch up.  She is absolutely beautiful.  She loves to choose her outfits with care, including matching accessories.  I love it when she wears her Hoosiers shirt.  Here's she is holding the lamps she and the other girls made at Young Women's.  Throughout the year, they will keep track of how many "drops of oil" they put in their lamps.  Metaphorical drops, not real ones.  We don't need a bunch of teenage girls with lamps half-full of rancid oil in their bedrooms.

In terms of preparation for life, Ari is really on the right track for filling her lamp.  She studies hard, she practices diligently, she is a good friend, she is a responsible daughter and sister and she has an inner light that will help her in spiritual matters.  She and I have been reading our scriptures together in the mornings, just for a couple of minutes, so that she can finish the Book of Mormon for her Personal Progress.  Last night, Ari and I went to see The Saratov Approach, a harrowing account of two LDS missionaries kidnapped in Russia in 1998.  The missionaries' actions recalled the scripture in Proverbs, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path."  (Proverbs 3:5-6)  Because of their understanding of this principle, they were released relatively unharmed, and without harming their captors.  At the end of the intense movie, I turned to Ari and said, "Wow!  So, do you think you want to serve a mission?"

I would have said, "No way!"  But Ari smiled, looked down, and said, "Yeah."

I hope Ari can keep her lamp filled as she navigates junior high and high school.  We have always said that the world can't touch Ari, she has such a strong will.  I have every confidence that she will use it to light her world, and I'm in awe of the privilege I have to bask in her glow.