19 Days of Thanksgiving : Patriarchal Blessings

IN about half an hour
we're taking Daisie to receive her
Patriarchal Blessing.

I'll write more later.
But this,
THIS is a really great day!


***Later:
First thing:
Daisie comes racing upstairs,
outta breath,
and says,
"Mom! My Patriarchal Blessing is at 8:30!"
I calmly said, "Oh that's right. Okay."
 To which she responded, "At 8:30!! It's 8:24 now!"
Seeing that I was still in my pj's, she sorta freaked out.
"It's only 7:30, Sis. Daylight Savings Time."
To which, she collapsed on the stairs in a heap of relief.

Mr. W and I went with her to the Patriarch's house.
We sat with him for a few minutes in casual conversation,
then he said he had a few things to say before
giving Daisie her blessing.
He first asked her why she wanted a blessing.
She told him it's something she's always wanted,
and has prayed and fasted about,
and knows that it will be a special gift to have,
that will bless her life.
He spoke of lineage.
And a few other things, then asked
Me and Mr W to tell him what we love about Daisie.
That triggered an emotional boobage response from my eyes,
and my carefully applied mascara turned ugly as it gathered in pools
around my eyes
and ran like a river down my cheeks.
Hey, I couldn't even apologize--
my mother-heart reacts like that when I'm asked to
say what I love about my yahoos.

Dara is unique in our family.
Ask anyone.
She came to me,
as an infant--
full of joy and excitement and curiosity.
She's that way still.

So I related the things I love about her,
her strengths, including her capacity for compassion,
especially her interest in the survivors of the Holocaust,
her passion for all things nature--especially marine biology,
her free-spirit ways that both delight and challenge me,
her love of the Gospel and determination to live it.

Then, it was Mr. W's turn.
He echoed my thoughts,
and said,
basically, that if it weren't for the fact that she's 15,
she'd be pretty good. LOL

The Patriarch then turned his attention to Daisie
and asked her what she loves about herself.
She was nervous at first,
but two minutes into it,
rattled off everything she had spinning in her noggin,
as we chuckled and laughed with her.

I wish I could have a meeting like that every week
with every one of my yahoos.
I need to.
It was wonderful.

Then the Patriarch asked Daisie to sit in a small wooden chair
while he placed his hands on her head
and pronounced a beautiful blessing upon her head.

For me,
it was so amazing to hear Heavenly Father's love
for His daughter...reminding me that she is not just my
"Daisie", that she is known to him, has been in His Presence,
long before she came to me,
and He knows her so well.
It seems I am the invited guest in her life
as her mother.
What a humbling experience to hear
Father's words tell her how lovely she is,
and what grand things lie in store for her life.
Truly awesome.

After the blessing,
the Patriarch spoke to us for a few minutes more
and then excused us.

The first words outta Dara's mouth
in the car:
"Wow. I am cool."

Then she let out huge sighs and a few tears
and just soaked it all in.

Eternal Perspective is what's gained through
Patriarchal Blessings,
in my experience.
We are taught in a very personal way,
how lovely we are,
have always been,
and what great blessings lay ahead
if we but do our part
to live faithful lives.

I know that these blessings are true.
I've seen my own blessing be fulfilled
in numerous ways to testify that it is
from Heavenly Father.

I am an excited cheerleader
as I watch my children extend their faith,
and receive the gift of their own patriarchal blessing.
Daisie is going to have a remarkable life.
I can't wait!