Luke

So, the roller coaster that I had written about for J and M, Luke also rode it. We had the opportunity to ride it twice back to back without waiting. Before we loaded the second time, he stopped me and said that before he got on, he needed to say a prayer of thanks to Heavenly Father for keeping them safe the first time. You see, Joshua and Mercedes had kind of scared Luke about the coaster, but I didn't even know he was scared. He told me that they had scared him about the loopdeloop and he wasn't sure if he was going to survive it or not (I knew at this point that he had faith in me, and he got on because of that faith even though he was scared. But, more importantly, he had faith in Heavenly Father and prayed hard that we would all be kept safe and alive.) I was thankful that he thought to say a prayer of thanks. So, right there on that busy platform, my almost 8 year old folded his arms and closed his eyes and I watched as he mouthed words to a prayer that thanked his Heavenly Father. Luke turned out to really like roller coasters.

Before leaving for Disneyland, I had the kids earn money for souvenirs. They did many chores, and the three older kids had acquired more than the younger ones (but of course Jm and I were planning on taking care of them). Luke was troubled that Hannah hadn't been able to earn as much as he. On the last day as we talked about souvenirs, Luke looked very concerned. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he really wanted to combine his money with Hannah's so that he could buy her something nice. I assured him that I would take care of Hannah, but he needed confirmation from Jon Mark as well. He sure thinks of her and takes care of her. I have no doubt that he would have bought her something and walked away with nothing if need be.

Luke's magic moment of Disney came when he was stopped by Darth Vader. Darth said to him, "The force is strong with you. Tell me, who taught you the ways of the force?" Without dropping his gaze, Luke looked Darth Vader in the eyes and said, "Yoda!" It was hilarious!

I am so proud of Luke.