There is a famous scripture about 'opposition in all things'. Tonight it hit me. As I was begrudgingly doing the dishes that don't fit in the dishwasher, I was staring out the window to my backyard. I have been so frustrated with the inability that we have to be able to purchase fencing for the remaining two sides of our yard to be able to have a fenced in back yard for my kids and puppy to be able to roam about. I honestly feel like I am going to have a mental breakdown somedays about it. But, I digress. So - as I am staring out back with my hands covered in bubbles and hot water, I notice something. I see Seth and Sadie - and they are kicking a soccer ball to each other. It is quite frigid out. The dog is curled up under the picnic table near them, and they both have red red cheeks from running and playing. The coolest part of the entire scene, however, is the expressions on their faces. They are totally and completely HAPPY. There is no other way to describe it. I mean - Sadie is laughing and her freckles are nearly dripping off her cute cheeks from joy. Seth is smiling so big and wears an expression of kindness in his eyes and I can tell that he is making her laugh.
The irony in this situation is that just yesterday evening, those two were going at it pretty hard. I mean - not just an increase in the decibel level in our home, but hands-flying-and-tears-rolling fights. "She hit me first, that's why I slapped her" he says as I lift her shirt up to see a perfect imprint of his hand on her back - all five fingers clearly delineated and horrifyingly bright.
I have to admit that although it was only a few hours after that fight, when Dad came home from work and invariably asked how things were at home, I told him of the sad events. All of the kids were present at the time.Then suddenly Sadie chimed in, "Well, it was actually pretty cool. I mean, not that he hit me, but that it left a hand print on my back!" Then they both snorted a little chuckle about it. And that was that. I was like, "Seriously, you guys?"
So watching them out there today, playing and running and making each other laugh, well, it made me realize with profundity that maybe we do need to have an opposite to every single thing in our lives. I don't think about it consciously all the time, but I do love the feel of a warm towel or blanket fresh from the dryer when I am cold. I think it is the immediacy of the contrast that brought that one to mind. However, there are many others that I take for granted.
I love to eat, really good food, and lots of it (as evidenced when I walk in front of the mirror *involuntary shudder*). I think that had I never tasted really nasty foods (i.e. caviar, liver, bananas) then I would not appreciate the sweetness and flavor-fulness of the foods I consume.
When it is super hot on a summer day and you are dripping sweat and it's hard to think, then you walk into a house with air-conditioning, and it's like you can't help it but say, "Aaaaah" as you sigh out a deep breath of relief at the improved ambiance.
I could go on and on about lots of different parallels and contrasts to make my point here - but I just feel grateful for 'opposition in all things' and I know that it is only for our good.
There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that explains this feeling way better than I can:
"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. "
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