Mormon wards (congregations) tend to be noisy. You know what? I don't mind. I don't mind because I love that parents know they can bring their small children and babies to meetings. I love the babblings, the squeals, even the outraged cries for they remind me that, despite all the bad stuff that goes on in the world, there is hope for tomorrow. How can one doubt that when that hope comes in the guise of such innocent faces and sounds?
As a mother who has raised her chidlren and a grandmother, I am looking at this from the other side of the equation. In the throes of mothering, I cringed when one of my toddlers let out a blood-curdling scream in the middle of church. When I look at the young mothers as they struggle to instill reverence in their children, I want to reassure them, "It's okay."
I believe that Heavnly Father loves the noises that babies make, for He, Himself, is a Father. I picture Him in heaven smiling when one of His littlest angels babbles "Uh-oh" over and over in church. I imagine Him wrapping His arms around this child and drawing him into a tender embrace.
So, for today, I am grateful for the voices of angels.
Thanks, Jane. I'll be thinking of you when I leave in the middle of the meeting (again).
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