How our Summer Began

Porter and Luke strut their stuff in the back yard...

o
A basement full of boys watch movies, for a while. Most of them were back outside wrestling down the football before the show was over...is it attention span or sheer boyhood aggression that drove them out to play?

Ice Cream Cake is always the requested dessert of choice for Porter's Happy Birthday. This year we were joined by several adult party goers for singing etc. as John hosted his monthly game night in the library while Porter partied through out the house.

Porter prepares for his baptism. Dressed in white, he and John pose at the church before the ordinance.

The Last Day of School was the first day of Porter's 8th year. A party full of enthusiastic boys followed the excitement of school's end. We thought having John's "First Friday Game Night" would not interfere with the party. In fact, it was the opposite. The party interfered with the men's board game experience as I had to ask John to help me round up the boys (think; herding cats...) for pizza and dinner. The highlight? Ordering the pizza on line and not realizing we had changed the delivery address to have the pizza sent to our friends' house in BOISE (from our recent trip there). When Susie called and told us a kid from Papa John's just showed up with 4 pizzas at her front door we knew we were in trouble...

Porter's birthday was closely followed by his baptism. Porter was interviewed by our local church leader (our bishop) and found prepared to take this important step. Porter was excited for this experience, which of course truly pleased his parents. This is a boy who will wrestle with his friends until they cry and intimidate babysitters with his forceful demeanor. And yet, I get to hear him pray each night for a prophet who he loves and wants to follow. While his teacher found him choosing to read comics in the back of the classroom instead of listening to her instruction I have found him with his new scriptures open, looking up verses that "teach him about God and Christ."

There is a story in the Book of Mormon about a group of young men, teenagers, who had been taught to follow the teachings of Christ by their parents, especially their mothers. In a time of war these boys vowed to serve their country and to protect their parents who had, as a result of past aggression and then conversion, made covenant with God to lay down their swords forever. The boys stepped in and stepped up-they protected their families and their nation because they had been too young to covenant. Though they were very young, they were bold and they were good. They fought valiantly and with faith that God would watch over them. What is most impressive to me is that they knew that fighting was not the best way-but that it was the only way to protect their families. They were defenders of faith and family, not aggressors against those ideals. These young men are known in Mormon culture as "stripling warriors". They are heroes in our history. They are a standard for boys to look up to.

I believe the little boys of today are the stripling warriors of tomorrow. I believe Porter came with the ability and resolve to stand and defend the faith his mother is trying to teach him. I hope I can be a mother who introduces and then exemplifies the loving kindness of Jesus Christ and the commandments He wants us to keep. If I do, this little boy with the big huge spirit will be ready someday to step up-on a battlefield, in a classroom, or in a crowd of peers-and defend the faith his mother has taught him.

Happy birthday to Porter. And more tenderly, happy baptism. These joyful events were the "begin it with a bang" way we started our short but sweet summer.