Primary No More! (At Least, Not For Now)

This will be a pretty short post, but it's a necessary one, since it's about a pretty big change in my life. On Sunday, July 21st, I was released from my calling as Primary president in the Sahuarita First Ward. I had been Primary president for almost exactly two years; before that, I'd served in Primary as piano player and as classroom teacher. All told, I'd served in Primary for more than five years, up until my recent release. Now, I am no longer serving in Primary at all, and I have to actually (gasp!) attend Sunday meetings with adults.

I have known my release was coming since the end of June, when our bishop called me on the phone and told me my replacement was imminent. Technically, I've known this release was coming since Nathan was called to be the ward mission leader in May. In general, the LDS Church tries to avoid calling husbands and wives to serve in leadership callings at the same time. The way the bishop saw it, I'd had my "turn," and now it was Nathan's turn to take the lead.

Luckily, Primary is in excellent hands (probably better hands than mine!!). My dear sweet friend Elizabeth was called to be the new Primary president, and she is more than capable of handling whatever craziness serving in Primary will bring. Her counselors are awesome ladies, and I know they will all do a great job. Even so, however, I can't help but be a little jealous of them all...because I am going to miss being in Primary!

My feelings on getting released are very mixed. On one hand, it will be a relief to not have to attend so many meetings. My new callings (yes, I have two) are ward missionary and ward choir director (ugh). I am actually looking forward to not being in charge all the time, and just doing what people tell me to do. I guess I will be a "leader" in ward choir, but in general, adults don't need the "herding" and constant attention that children need. I also won't miss the administrative duties; there were a lot of extra calls, e-mails, and messages that constantly needed sending. It could be very overwhelming at times to juggle as many tasks as were sometimes required of a Primary president.

On the other hand, though, I will miss some of this work as well. Even though it kept me busy, I always felt good doing it, because I knew I was working in the service of others...both children and their parents and teachers. It was always so satisfying to see a project, lesson, or activity come together, and to know it was benefiting others. Being Primary president was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life, and I will always be grateful for that. It taught me a lot about leading, delegating; accepting responsibility; sticking to my guns; standing up for myself and for others; being kinder and more diplomatic; being patient and empathetic; and a whole bunch of other things.

On that note, I am also so grateful for the chance I had to serve with so many amazing women as my counselors. Some of them had previously been Primary presidents themselves, and they were excellent at giving me good advice and counsel, while simultaneously letting me have the final say and deferring to my decisions.  They were such hard workers and great helpers; and above and beyond all that, they were sweet wonderful friends too! It has been great getting to know them and serve with them.

Most of all, I will miss being with the Primary children. When I moved to Arizona almost ten(!) years ago, I was called as a Primary teacher for the first time in my life. I went home and cried for days. I was convinced I didn't like working with kids, and would lose my patience and my mind. I was sure I'd never feel the Spirit in church again! Well, I was wrong on all counts. I grew to love the kids in my class...and then all the kids in Primary. After we moved from Tucson to Sahuarita, I felt the same thing all over again.

Primary children can be restless, noisy, and at times impolite (Primary is many things, but it is never boring!). But Primary children are also innocent, pure, and sweet. They want to understand the gospel, and they want to know the truth. When they bear their testimonies, it's so powerful...even more so than the testimonies of adults, in a way. Their enthusiasm and vitality always helped me feel young and full of energy. And when I looked into their eyes and felt their love, I wanted nothing more than to be a righteous leader, and to be a good enough person that I could keep them on the path back to our Father in Heaven.

Despite all the craziness and stress, I will really miss the Primary children. Serving in Primary has made me a much better person, and I hope I can carry that over into my new callings. This last Sunday, I went into Relief Society for the first time in a loooong time. It was a little weird, but it was nice to sit with my friend (and former counselor) Rita and listen to a lesson presented for adults. It was nice to feel fellowship with the sisters in the ward. But it will take a while to get used to the quiet and the peacefulness! Oh, well...I can always substitute teach a Primary class to break the monotony :) In the meantime, I am hopeful and optimistic to see what the Lord has in store for me next.