The Hardman's: Analogies

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Analogies

My husband thinks I am smart.

Like, super smart. And he thought this was great.

I was writing my brother Jason, who is on a mission in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for our church.

I had a pretty eventful day on Tuesday at work. I ended up having physical altercations with three of my students. Hey- coming back from a three day weekend is TOUGH! I won't go into the details, since the nature of my job is private, but I had three sad kiddos. There was hitting, kicking, biting, scratching and bruising, and I was the punching bag for their frustrations. Hey- it's what I'm paid to do!

Anyways, in the letter, I was trying to connect my life to Jason's life in the field. I wanted to give him an anaolgy. Several people that day kept asking me if I was okay. "Are you mad?" "Are you hurt?" "Don't you just hate your job?" No. The answer is simply no. I LOVE my job. This is where the analogy comes in.

Just like missionaries, you are thrown into a new place (for me, new school) with people you don't know.Yet somehow, Heavenly Father gives us the ability to TRULY love those people. I never quite understood how missionaries could love people they didn't know very well. Well, now I do. I barely know my students. Yet, I love them more than anything. I can truly say that I feel such a strong love for them, much like a parent would to a child. They are mine, and I love them.

So how does this relate?

I belive that when you are doing exactly what the lord wants you to do, and you are where he wants you to be, you are blessed with that ability to love. This gift helps me get through the hard times. I am where I am supposed to be, so he is taking care of me. Of us.

Along with that, these are some of the most innocent creatures on the planet. I know now how Heavelny Father can love us unconditionally. We may do silly things, like hit, bite, kick and scream, but he remains calm, loves us through it, and picks us up when we are done, feelings unchanged. Am I comparing my self to him?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I am simply saying I GET IT. I have learned this lesson. I hope I pass the test.

2 comments:

Tara Nelson said...: Alicia, that was a great post and something that I needed to be reminded of. Thank you for a great way to start my day!; September 8, 2011 at 7:58 AM
Potters said...: You're amazing Alicia :) I miss you....This is just what I needed.; September 8, 2011 at 9:13 AM

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I used to think one day, they'd tell the story of us...

Devin and I met on the internet. Go ahead, laugh. We were both coming out of awful relationships and playing the field. Devin was working in Park City at the time, and drove over to Provo after work to hang out with me and my roomies. He totally ended up kissing me that night. I thought I wouldn't ever hear from him again, but he actually responded to my text the next day! We talked back and forth all day long. The next morning he showed up at my work (45 minutes away from him!) with flowers. The office secretary said, "Oh! He is a keeper!" I wasn't totally sure. After a romantic lunch at Taco Bell, he asked me to be his girlfriend. How corny! But, I said yes of course! Things moved quickly. We ended up stuck in Park City together and had to stay the night at the Marriott due to the weather. My mom was terrified and said, "I watch CSI! Be careful!" Devin and I just stayed up late and talked. That is when he told me he was falling in love with me.He even sang a song to me. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry! Haha! I was feeling the same way. It was so fast, yet so real, and exactly how I thought it should feel! I was smitten! He kept bringing up marriage. I had recently been engaged to a loser-extrordinare, and didn't want to rush into anything. He backed off and said, "Oh yea, me niether!" A few days later we were talking and he looked at me and said, "This is ridiculous, we know we are going to get married!" The next day we went ring shopping! He proposed on January 30, 2008. I was called to the main office and was told the prinicpal wanted to see me. I was kind of nervous! I had just talked to Devin on the phone, and as far as I knew, he was at home! I was also under the impression the ring would be out getting sized for atleast another week. I was not suspicious at all. I walked into the office and saw several flowers, but thought nothing of it. The secretary told me to go around the corner. As I turn, Devin pops out of the nurses office and drops to one knee. In my shocked state, I exclaimed, "You're doing this HERE!?" We laughed, we cried, he got on with it and I said yes. We were married 5 months later, and the rest is history. Or the present. And you get to read about it!