Keeping the Spirit

Earlier this year, our water heater went out.  Yeah for challenges!!!  I spent the next few days calling around and trying to find someone who could help, and for the best water heater for the best price.  For the upcoming week, there were always two large pots on the stove boiling; for dishes, baths and washing.  During the later evening hours, I would begin the walk from the kitchen to the bathroom, dumping large pots of boiling water into the bathtub.   I so wanted my kids to feel warm, safe and secure---- that everything would be ok, during this time of challenge and family change.   It was so cold outside.......... yet inside, I kept boiling water to care for my family.  One night, exhausted from the day, I found myself walking down the hall towards the bathroom, with a pot of boiling water.  As I waited for the next pot to boil, I would study my text books, which I layed open on the kitchen counter.  Trip after trip, until the bathtub was just full enough for a child to barely bathe, I walked and read, read and walked.   I paused for a moment and realized what meticulous care I was taking for the physical warmth and care of my children, but was I keeping the Spirit boiling in my home, in order to meet their spiritual needs?  That cold, winter night, I prayed for help.  I promised my Heavenly Father that if He would help me find a way to replace the water heater, I would do ALL I COULD do to make sure the Spirit was invited into my home.  That I would help my kids feel and recognize that warmth ---- and that keeping the spirit with them was worth any price!!!