Cause Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright.....

I am kind of a worry wort.

I try hard not to be, because I know it doesn't help at all.

But, I am a mom, and so I worry.

I have a particularly hard time when it comes to letting my kids go through new stages in their lives. Whenever they are starting to exert their independence, or push the boundaries, I sometimes freak out. 

Just a little bit. 

When Thomas was about 4 years old, we had him tested for Priority Preschool. He wasn't speaking very well and he had a hard time socially, relating to other kids his age. He qualified to attend Priority Preschool and started receiving speech and occupational therapy. I was happy that he was going to be getting the help that he needed in order to be successful in school.

However, the school district said they would bus him there. That made me nervous. But, it was only preschool kids and the bus would pick him up in front of our house. I stressed and stressed about it and seriously considered just driving him to school myself. But, he was super excited to be such a big kid and ride the bus, and so I decided to let him try it. I knew I could change the situation if I continued to feel bad about it.

Well, his first day of school came and the bus pulled up to the house. I walked Thomas out to the bus and the doors opened.

And there stood Chelisa.

Chelisa is my neighbor, the aunt of one of my childhood friends, and a member of my ward.

I cannot tell you the relief I felt when I saw her huge smile and watched as she said hello to Thomas and gave him a great big hug. I knew he was going to be okay and that he was in good hands.

So Thomas gained his little bit of independence and had a new experience to add to his life skills.

Fast forward 10 years later.

Thomas was now going to EFY. Especially For Youth is pretty much church camp. He chose to attend the session in Provo, Utah with his friend Ethan. Ethan's family asked him to come early to spend a few days with them and then they would drop him off at EFY. Thomas was super excited to go. We had to register him back in January, so I had months and months to try and arrange his travel to Utah.

Eventually, because of our super busy schedule, it became clear that I was not going to be able to drive him to Provo, he was going to have to fly up on his own. Of course, I stressed and worried about all that could go wrong with this plan. I tried so hard to make it work so I could drive him, but it just wasn't happening.

So, I took him to the airport and used it as a learning experience for him. I made him do everything on his own. You know, early check-in on the computer, printing out his boarding pass, etc. At the airport I made him read the signs and figure out where he needed to go. I was just there to guide him.

We walked up to his gate and sat and visited for a bit. They called his flight and they started lining up to board the plane. I started to panic a little bit. I was really going to let my baby fly all by himself! I felt a little nauseous even. 

And then, I saw Brian Brimley.

Brian was Jared's mission companion in Indiana. His family and ours are good friends and I knew once again that someone would be there to watch over my son.

Brian grabbed Thomas and had him board with him and they sat together on the flight to Salt Lake. My heart was so light and my worry was gone.

Brian texted me when they landed and sent me a picture of Thomas on the plane.

And something bigger became clear to me.

I realized, not for the first time, that my Heavenly Father loves me and is aware of me and my worries. They may not be huge. They may even be silly. But He comforts me and reminds me to:

 "Don't worry, about a thing. 'Cause every little thing, gonna be alright."