Today, Jace turns the big 14. He has grown up a ton in the last year, both physically and emotionally and now towers over most of us in the family, except his dad. He is over 6 feet tall and wears a size 14 shoe, and he's not done growing yet. We spent the day as a family at the Hill Air Force Base museum (pretty cool, actually), having lunch at Pizza Pie Cafe (maybe someday he will grow out of that being his favorite!) and shopping at Station Park for presents/things needed for our upcoming cruise. He requested Shepherd's Pie for dinner and DQ cake, but we were still so full from lunch, we skipped the Shepherd's Pie and will have that tomorrow and went straight for cake for dinner, as you do sometimes. We played games into the evening and just had the best day together.
Here's some thoughts that have been on my mind- I promise I'll tie them in eventually. :) I have been struggling in the past few weeks with a lot of turmoil at work. It's been overwhelming, stressful, and just rough. I admit, I have been wallowing and been a bit down about it. I need to make some choices and honestly, I don't like either choice, which makes the whole thing harder. I went to the temple yesterday with some friends, hoping for some clarity and guidance on the situation. I didn't get any. Sometimes that happens. However, after the temple, my friends and I went to dinner. I told them about the situation at work and how stuck I feel. My friend Annette told me that many years ago, while she was going through a rough time, I had told her that she should "look for joy". That absolutely does not sound like me, now does it? But she swears it came out of my mouth and she wanted to remind me of it yesterday. Look for joy, despite the struggles, she told me. It struck me pretty hard. I have a choice to make and I can choose to still look for joy, even today, tomorrow, and in the weeks to come, despite the crazy at work.
As I drove home, I thought about her words. One person came to mind immediately who epitomized joy during his life- my brother-in-law Chris. I thought about him and all the struggles he faced and how he did it all with joy. It's been 16 years since he passed away and he still remains one of my heroes. Chris went through one of the hardest things I can imagine, and despite the illness that took so much from him, he was still happy, grateful, and service-oriented until the end. I often think of the story of him going to help set up chairs for stake conference, despite his limitations. It was a way he wanted to serve, and he did. I remember him saying "thank you" to everyone who helped him, all the way up until the end. He was full of gratitude. He is such a good example of looking outward, not inward, during his challenges.
Jace was born on Chris's birthday, and no March 1st goes by without me thinking about Chris while we also celebrate Jace. Jace was born two years after Chris passed away. We probably would have given him Chris's name as a middle name anyway, but because he was born on his birthday, it was extra special. Despite the fact that Jace never met Chris and is not biologically related to him in the least, the two share a lot of characteristics. Besides Chris, Jace is the most grateful person I know. He is always looking for ways to serve others and he is always upbeat and kind. He cheers for the underdog. He says thank you so much we often have to tell him to stop. Recently, I was in Chicago and our ward had a break the fast. Devin didn't want to go, but Jace did. He took himself to the church without anyone in the family, sat with friends, and enjoyed his meal. My friend (the mom of his friend) sent me a photo of Jace after the meal sweeping the gym floor. No one asked him to do it she said, he just saw a need a filled it. This is 100% Jace. I couldn't be more proud that he embodies many of the same characteristics as his namesake, Chris.
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| Happy Birthday Chris. Thanks for being one of my heroes! |
And now, some pictures of Jace over the last year. Except for this first one. How did he go from that tiny baby to a now giant 6' man?! Jace loves playing the cello, Dungeons and Dragons, Star Wars, time with family, service, school (he was student of the month- 4th picture down), sports, exploring the world, baking (he is always begging to bake something, especially snickerdoodles), going to the temple, and being a student body officer for his junior high. He is a well-rounded kid. Oh, and he has his first crush! I won't name names, but he did surprise us all by buying a girl in the neighborhood a Valentine! We had to tell him that it's probably time to start doing his hair and wearing clean clothes if he hopes to catch a girl. :)
