Juxtaposition

I frequently talk with my students about juxtapositions—acts of placing two ideas side by side in thinking, writing or creating in order to show comparisons and contrasts. And these last couple of days have brought some natural juxtapositions for me—some heartening and some not so much.

So to start with the uplifting, the heartening. Today was a missionary day of sorts. Hap Birts, Elder Morin who is currently serving as an Assistant to the President in the mission office in Tempe! I walked across the street to take him a little birthday surprise. He wasn't there of course, because he is busy being a missionary, but I loved the idea of surprising him out of the blue; he hasn't heard or seen anything of me in months. He has several months left on his mission, but he is doing a grand job of working hard and loving mission life.

Juxtapose this with Enoch's youngest brother Trevor who returned from his mission in Mexico TODAY! He stopped by our house with the parents and sister Sheryl after flying into Phoenix, and it was fun to meet him for the first time. He did a remarkable job of seeming normal—which has to be so weird those first days off the mission—and of speaking in English. I was impressed. It will be fun to get to know him better.

And now for the not so heartening juxtaposition. Yesterday in Young Women's we had a couple of guest speakers come and talk about dating and marriage. It was a young couple who had met and dated a few years ago in the ward I am in, and who did things the way they were supposed to be done, so they could get married in the temple by remaining chaste and virtuous. They were a great example, and I hope the kids got some good information from it. I worry about some of my girls who are so boy crazy and who want to be so many years older than they are. But it was a fun lesson with great importance.

Made even more important and real to me today via this juxtaposition: I had my first male student ever come to me with the revelation that his girlfriend is pregnant and that they have decided to keep the baby. I'm sure that I have had students before who have gotten girls pregnant, but none of them have ever shared in this way. And really, my heart kind of aches for him. I am glad that he is making the responsible and mature decision to keep the baby and care for it, but he shouldn't have to be making these kinds of decisions. He is only a junior. And he really is a great and nice kid. Not the kid I thought would come to me with this kind of info. In the end, I be supportive and kind—even while my heart is a bit sad. He has no idea what's ahead of him, but he'll have to figure it out.

So there you have it; yesterday and today: a perfect lesson in juxtaposition.