Pushing the limits of the Comfort Zone

About three weeks ago the Primary at church asked our family to sing a song for the Primary Program. All of us, all four verses, in front of everyone. It was an unfamiliar song, one which was published in the Friend magazine. Wow. That is so far out of our comfort zone that it is not even in the same time zone. Our kids are shaping up to be fine singers, but Dan and I are more comfortable moving our lips and singing very, very softly. The thought of singing in front of a congregation is terrifying for most of us.

We asked the Primary if they were SURE, but they were. So, we said yes. The first thing I did is transpose the song down six steps to a much lower key (my former piano teachers would be so proud). Primary songs are just not written for our family's alto and bass voices. The upside to being terrified and out of our element is that we were motivated to practice.

Fast forward to the performance day, which was yesterday. Dan had meetings all morning and planned to meet us at the church. We were supposed to be there early to get seated. I thought I had done a good job thinking through the advance preparation checklist. The girls both wanted their hair specially curled, so we got up early so I could help them with that. The girls and I were dressed and ready quite early, when Dan called from the church to see if he needed to run home to help. "No," I chirped. "We're doing great - almost ready!" Why, oh why do I curse myself like that?

Critical error: Joseph was not yet awake. Lately, he has done an impressive job of getting up happily, getting himself dressed, using the facilities, etc. I erroneously believed that I could count on this historical precedent to hold true when it was really critical.

First, he wouldn't get out of bed. Once I bodily removed him, he refused to wear clothes. Nothing. He apparently was going to go through the day in only his Transformers underwear. Then, he refused to use the bathroom. Now, I try to be a "go with the flow" sort of mother, but I have to draw the line at having my son on the stand in the chapel in his underwear, announcing that NOW he needed to use the bathroom.

So, I panicked. I begged him to get ready, I threatened, I tried to force him, and finally I bribed him heavily. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Five minutes before Sacrament Meeting was to start and ten minutes after we were supposed to be seated we were still at home and I was shoving M&Ms into Joseph's mouth so that he would use the restroom and then pull on clothing. Oh, and with all the turmoil, he had not eaten breakfast. So, my gift to the Primary that day was a child with only M&Ms in his stomach.

We sped our way to the church house, jumped out and prepared to dart into our seats just as the meeting started. Then, crisis #2. Aubrey had a significant speaking part in the program. She had written out notes for her story, and left them sitting on the desk at home. As tears welled up, I threw Brandon the keys and told him to drive home quickly to get the program notes, while the rest of us found our seats.

Our song was basically at the beginning of the Primary program, which was right after the Sacrament. There was no guarantee that Brandon could make it back to the church in time for our song, which would mean we wouldn't have his nice bass voice to help us. Dan was especially terrified by the thought of singing a solo, as Brandon and Dan were to sing one verse as a duet.

The program started, Brandon arrived just in time with Aubrey's part, and then a few minutes later we were on. We were singing a sweet song about the family. Which was a little ironic, since it hadn't exactly been "love at home" as we struggled to make it to the church without causing bodily harm to one another.

I have to say that I am very proud of my family. Everyone really put their hearts into the singing. We sang well enough to not detract from the beautiful message of the song. Really, though, the rest of the family was just a backdrop for Joseph, who (by all accounts) stole the show. He sang many of the words (who knew that he was learning anything in our practice sessions - we had never heard him sing the song), and also beamed and waved at the audience.

Afterward, Dan whispered that it had been the closest he had ever come to having his knees buckle and passing out.

We got a good laugh as a family when we remembered that multiple people had said to us afterward, "your family started to sing and I began to cry." Supposedly they were saying that they had been touched by the Spirit, but that might also mean that the quality of our singing provoked tears!

Awhile ago I listened to a talk which focused on the concept of doing good things which are uncomfortable for us. Every day the speaker and her family say together before leaving the home, "we can do hard things!" I thought that was a wonderful message, and have bugged my kids with this ever since. It is very true that growth happens when we try things which are difficult for us.

I am grateful for our family's challenge to do something hard and uncomfortable. Those who listened to our part of the program may remember it for a day or two, but hopefully our family will always remember how we worked together to do something difficult.