Spark

There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. -Washington Irving

Several hundred Spartans were holding the pass at Thermopylae, that narrow pass, and the Persians came in overwhelming numbers and urged the Spartans to surrender. Hoping to intimidate them further, the Persians sent emissaries to the Spartans, saying they had so many archers in their army they could darken the sky with their arrows. The Spartans said, “So much the better. We shall fight in the shade." -Neal A. Maxwell

I've always liked the word grit. I first heard it in the south, when my Aunt Bobbie made them for breakfast. I noticed it again in the movie Anne of Green Gables when Anne, sitting by the fire just before she saves Diana's baby sister with ipecac, tells Matthew that Gil is a grit. My childhood had a shocking lack of Google so it took me years to figure out grit meant liberal. Then Crystal Lund and Tiffany Poole both made me deliciously fragrant homemade sugar scrubs that were gritty. My niece Heidi told me to scrub my legs with sugar scrub after I shaved to stunt the new hair. I did what she said. My legs did seem smoother for longer. Heidi doesn't mess around with false beauty tips. Recently, I read a study about what Harvard is looking for in college applicants. Apparently the 4.0/AP classes/near-perfect ACT bundle is not it...and I quote, “It just shows the kid had grit.” Harvard Schmarvard. Greg listened to a podcast saying the number one problem with kids these days is they have no grit. We've had several parenting discussions about grit and equally love an article titled “Raising Resilient Children”. The book Grit, by Angela Duckworth, is sitting on Greg's nightstand.

Before Everett’s name was picked, Greg fought hard for a name that meant warrior. In case you are wondering, those names are Maverick, Mordecai, and Luigi. He fought hard but not hard enough. I convinced him to go with Everett despite Everett meaning wild boar. No kid wants to say his name means undomesticated pig, but I glossed over it and focused on his magnificent, mountain-moving middle name.

After diving head-first down the internet's rabbit hole, Greg discovered the wild boar was pretty popular in the Middle Ages. Warriors carried images of a wild boar, the symbol of courage and ferocity, as a talisman for protection in battle. Archeological digs produced helmets shaped like wild boars. Boars are mentioned in Beowulf. Viking war ships painted wild boars on their flags—and who fought harder than the Vikings? Greg discovered the English wild boar became extinct in the 1700s yet is somehow making a comeback. I didn’t know extinct animals could stage a comeback, but it works in my favor so I'm running with it. We have clearly amassed enough historical evidence to prove Everett is no mere pig, he's a warrior. Case closed.

Warriors know one secret to strength is armor; they know where to get it and how to wear it. Warriors press forward; they don’t wait for orders. Warriors are unequivocal about their cause; they don’t straddle fences. Warriors aren’t afraid of fog, shipwrecks, or being alone because they know they are never really alone and that takes care of the fog and the shipwrecks. The caveat is this: you have to be a warrior to discover you are a warrior.

I want all of my children, not just the one named after a pig, to be warriors of truth and righteousness. Parents cannot ask their kids to be something they themselves are not, so I'm trying to up my own warrior game. I hope my kids will do their due diligence in differentiating true from false and then use that precious knowledge to fight for what's right. I hope they will speak truth into megaphones despite feeling timid. I hope they will stand beside knock-kneed foals who can't stand on their own just yet. I hope they will conquer loneliness enough to not fear it.

To protect their power, they will need to recognize the fine line that separates warriors from bullies. Protecting one while hurting another isn’t heroic, and loving one while hating another is hypocrisy. I hope they will be forces for good without using force (no Viking weapons necessary). Say what you mean but don’t say it mean. Speak up without speaking down.*

My piglets will face a common, daily battle against opposition as they mature. It's hard to pack your kids' lunches and backpacks and send them off to attend Grit 101, Grit 202 and then Advanced Grit 305, but it's the only way. That's why they need those love notes scribbled on their lunch napkins! They also need to know they come from a long line of gritty, knock-kneed-but-still-standing warriors and that courage is in their DNA. 

I am such a warrior. I have kept battle records from my front lines not for bravado, but in hopes my kids might snatch a story or two to tuck in their own chainmail pockets. In my life, I have discovered that Satan is very real. He circles and hovers until he spies a crack of weakness to wedge some pain into. Pain causes doubt, and unless you possess an inner spark that ignites when the sky is dark with arrows, you'll surrender. I survived years of permanent shade because my spark was the Son. I have always had that spark, and I believe I can survive any dark spell or dark day with it. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is for saints who struggle. It is for warriors who need help fighting demons and voices. It is the power that keeps heads above water, especially heads that are crying. I want my kids to search for the Son, find his light, and never lose it. The right spark is all the grit they'll need to be warriors.

Greg’s mom’s name is Susan Louise. Louise also means warrior. So not only is Everett named after a warrior, he’s a descendent of one, too. I did read a funny quote that said, "There is a fine line between make-up and war paint." I will think about that every morning as I cake on concealer.

*paraphasing Elder Neal A. Maxwell's line, "Meekness permits us to be prompted as to whether to speak out or, as Jesus once did, be silent. But even when the meek speak up, they do so without speaking down." He also said, "Meekness does not oppose boldness. It means to speak up without speaking down. It means to depend on the Lord. It means to become like the Savior."

Soul-stirring, graphically-perfect, look-at-those-textured-clouds illustration by Alex Nabaum. Used with permission.

Full excerpt from Elder Neal A. Maxwell here. Start with the 5th trap.