Sometimes our biggest blessings come from being able to watch someone else be blessed. I had this type of experience last week. I had taken two of my girls, Anna (12) and Emily (3) on an errand. Emily wanted her window open in the car, so I rolled it down. A few minutes later she started screaming and crying, "MY MASK!! MY MASK!!!!" She was so beside herself. Turns out, she'd been holding her mask (the cool rainbow one from Grandma Diane) in her hand- out the window. (I know, face palm... But she's three and had no idea why that was a bad idea. Oh well. She does NOW...)
I got to a spot where we could turn around so we could go back for her mask. I had no idea if we'd be able to find it. It was a busy road with a lot of traffic, and we had quite a stretch of road it was possible for her mask to be hiding in. We drove all the way down the road, looking for the mask. We didn't see it.
So, we turned around and started going the other way. I had my eyes turned to the opposite side of the road from where we were now driving- the side we'd been on when she'd dropped it. Anna, however, was listening to the spirit. She was looking at the curb right outside her window. After a minute, she spotted it.
We found a side street to stop in, and Anna ran through a dirt field to retrieve the mask. Emily was ecstatic to have it back. When we finally got to the place we had originally been heading, she jumped out of the car, ran to Anna, gave her a big hug, and said, "Thank you for getting my mask!"
This was a cool experience for me as a mom for several reasons.
1) It was really important to Emily that we find her mask. She loves that mask, and hates wearing any other mask. She is only three and is still learning about prayer. But Heavenly Father answered the prayer in her heart, even though she didn't really understand how to voice it.
2) Anna had a really cool experience she will always remember. She listened to the spirit and was looking opposite of where logic said the mask would be. And she found it. It helped so much more that the mask was retrievable and still wearable- only two tire tracks.
3) Sometimes the spirit helps us, even when it isn't important in the eternal scheme of things. In six months, Emily won't remember the mask. It doesn't affect her eternal salvation. And she'd have been fine, albeit sad, without the mask. But Heavenly Father loves her, and decided her prayers should be answered, even if she hadn't been able to voice it.
This is just one more piece of evidence that Heavenly Father and Jesus love us and that the spirit is here to guide us.
Just a thought. :)
