Family Tree Pictures/Gathering

This morning I was thinking about all the hassle this week to bring to pass one simple task- a family picture. I mean- How hard is it?  Turns out- harder than expected trying to gather my not so little ones and have them stand in the same place and look "happy" takes the patience of Job.  First challenge was getting all 5 children under the same roof again.  They have scattered with the wind during the last 5 years.  With my daughter living in Japan for 2 years, son in Los Angeles, and others in college towns in Southern Utah-we just haven't been all together for a long time.  I know it will get worse as they start their careers and families.  This is normal-I know.  But when families gather- Oh what a blessing.  It is the BEST Christmas present ever.  It's hard to describe the overwhelming mother-hen feeling washing over me when all my "chickies" are safe and asleep in my little house.  Of course, on the flip side, these sleeping chickens are no early morning roosters.  I thought I gave them plenty of time to get up, get ready, take family pictures, and be off to our Thanksgiving feast in time,  but I was wrong. Guess trying to wake them up at the crack of 12:30 p.m is too early. 

 I tried the gentle reminders- Hey this is my only Christmas present-could you please get up so we can take our family picture-just wear black and jeans-here's some extra clothes if you need them.  I even took off my own pants and gave them to one son who apparently did not get the message about the jeans.  I urged my sons to shave their "mexi-staches" and wash their hair-anything to just look a little more presentable. After 2 hours of coaxing them I finally gave up with the idea of being on time to our commitment.  It brought back "good mommy memories" of trying to get my children out of bed for school and church.  I guess those mother hen feelings about her chickies aren't as warm and fuzzy as the safely in the nest theme; it's more like trying to herd cats.   Of course I didn't make it any easier by suggesting that my boys climb into a tree for the pictures.  I thought it would be a good symbol for our "family tree".  My instagram daughter was horrified at the photo composition and kept complaining about how stupid these pictures were going to turn out.  She referred to it as being too  70's cliche- I tried to guilt them into submission by reminding them that this was the only Christmas present I wanted- a family picture-and I wanted one picture of them in a tree. 

Last challenge was just trying to get them to smile.  I even resorted to tickling my son. It's hard to capture the best for each person in a group picture.  There's bound to be a least one person who looks terrible.  In the end-I just had to settle for a good-enough family picture.  It's not quite what I expected, but hey-we're all together- And that's the point.  The whole experience made me think of the scripture, "how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not." I love the follow up scripture in 3 Nephi: "O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.  But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers." 

God wants his family picture too.  This I know.  I'm part of this great gathering of God's family tree.  It is most difficult to gather scattered Israel and get us all back under the same roof.  Like my children- I am hard to wake, keep sleeping and ignore his voice-all the time.  I'm resistant to making changes in my appearance and behavior.  When asked to keep a particular commandment or "climb a tree" I question the command with "Really?"  That's just stupid.  And then there's the smiling part.  He not only wants me to appear happy-he wants it to be a genuine smile-the outward reflecting my true inner self.   The whole point of  gospel covenants is to "be together." I mention it in a song lyric, "Gathered families saved from sin."   We want to be gathered together as one big happy family.  This concept of family gathering-so prevalent at Thanksgiving and Christmas, is so wonderful, it's no wonder I want to capture it, preserve it- even if it's for a small moment-in a family picture.  I'm in good company.