January 2012

After more than a year away from blogging, I'm back!

I didn't take a break on purpose; I just got busy and didn't post and then it seemed like it would take so long to get caught up so I just kept putting it off. We had some great things happen to our family in 2012 and I wish they were written about here. I am going to add some highlights and pictures from 2012 and then try to move forward from there.

January 2012

On Sunday, January  8, Donald and I were called into the Stake President's office. Donald was called to be the Bishop of the Raleigh 1st ward at that time. It was an interesting experience.  Back in December, the thought had come to me that Donald was going to be called to be the bishop. It was one of those thoughts that I kept pushing away but it kept coming back. I finally asked him if he had any thoughts on the matter.  He was thinking the same thing. Of course we were unsure of the timing, but it was a time for the two of us to grow closer as we considered the change that was coming. When Donald met with President Harding, he was almost sure of who his counselors should be, but asked for a week to make sure that his feelings were on course.  That week we went to the temple and his counselors were confirmed to him.

On Sunday, January  22, Donald was sustained as bishop during Ward Conference. All of our children were there except Darin who was still serving in El Salvador. It was a great day to be able to share with all of them. Donald's sister Ann and her husband, Terry, also came to the meeting.

One story that I don't want to forget:  A week or two before Donald was made bishop, I was sitting in Primary and holding a little girl on my lap.  She was looking at my wedding ring and then she looked up at me and asked if I was married.  I told her that I was and she wanted to know where my husband was. I told her that he attended church at a different time.  (Donald was on the High Council and rarely attended our ward.) She looked at me with a funny look and said, "I don't think so.  I don't ever see you with him."

I do think that there were members in our ward that had no idea who Donald Gilreath was--or even that there were Gilreaths in the ward.  I had been in Primary for almost two years and didn't know a lot of the new people. I'm grateful for the ward's willingness to sustain Donald--whether they knew him or not. I'm grateful for the many lessons and blessings that we will experience in the coming years.