Impetuous

Being impetuous can get you in trouble even when you don’t mean to!

When I am quiet you know that something is wrong. My words may be quiet but my mind isn’t.

By nature, impetuous is where I am at. I am reasoning within myself and talking myself out of being hasty and impulsive.

I know this story will be told at my funeral or will be brought up around the table before or after my funeral. I want the truth to be told. Because I have heard variations of it and this story about my impetuous nature!

My middle son Tex was turning 8 right around Halloween. He is different from my other children. I wanted this to be an extra special birthday for him. In our religion 8 is the age for accountability and baptism. I planned for weeks to make this an incredible experience for all, and it will be memorable for all who attended or wish they had.

I decorated the room with pictures of Tex, his violin was on display and family musical spiritual numbers were prepared by our family band, “The Elkington Fiddlers” I was at the piano. right by the door to the baptismal font.

The special surprise was hidden right where I had placed it. It would be a miraculous event for all. There would be squeals of delight from my son and other children. I had outdone myself on this one. It was just such an amazing idea. Never before thought of. I would get the “mother of the year” award for this one. This was the best thing I had ever come up with for these 5 children.

After the big surprise, we would continue with the spiritual nature of the event with Tex’s father (now my former spouse) baptizing him. I had thought it out in my mind over and over, didn’t tell a soul except for one trusted friend and the clerk at the store. They both laughed and squealed with delight at the thought.

Yes, this was it, my heart raced and I smile with delight at the full room of family and friends. My mom was in the back and was sick and feeble. This would cheer her up and she would look at me in adoration for my joy in motherhood.

The kids and I played our beautiful music and it was time for the curtains to open and Tex to enter the water for this blessed event. I was by the door on the other side and slipped through the door quickly and smoothly and was able to throw the bag of 100’s of black spiders into the font as Tex and (my former spouse) entered the font and the curtains were open.

Tex was absolutely delighted! I wasn’t surprised at the look of my formers spouses face, I had seen that before, He turned white and then red and said with hoar,”My wife! ” But Bishop and his counselor looked confused and got a book on the rules out and started thumbing through it, I guess they count find anything about plastic spiders in the font,  my dad was shaking his head, my mother-in-law was whispering all kinds of things, and my mom was confused in the back. No one laughed and smiled with adoration.  I realized this was a mistake and folded my arms and bowed my head. I didn’t dare look up. Oh shoot, This wasn’t a good idea, now what?

I was told later that it was quite symbolic and as Tex went under the water the spiders followed and as he came up they all fell off. The bishop and counselor wanted to shut the curtains quickly and deal with the spiders later. but I didn’t want to cause more grief so I went to the font and told Tex to gather the spiders and we put them back in the bag. He later put a few in his journal played with them.

No one spoke of the spiders afterward. My family still doesn’t talk about it.  But when Tex’s younger brother turned 8 he asked for fish in the font. I told him they would die so it wasn’t a good idea.

My children are grown and I have a new husband and 9 more children to love. When we moved to Sugar City I told the children we are leaving the spider story in Firth Idaho. My son, Jud, Tex’s older brother was Senior and was finishing his seminary class in Rigby. He decided to tell them the “Spider story” in seminary. It wasn’t in Sugar City. They enjoyed the story immensely and it just happened that his seminary teacher was the son of a lady I was in the young women’s presidency with.

My sexy beast husband, Jim, needed to hear the spider story from me because when he heard it the entire baptismal party was in the font! Now you know it from the mom who missed, “mom of the year” by a few marks.

Yes, Sugar City thought they knew me. I don’t try to be impetuous, I did put much thought into the spider incident. But when  I am quiet you just don’t know what is going on in this active,  impetuous mind.