Seminary graduation

On Sunday, Jesse graduated from seminary- that's four years of early morning religious instruction (to learn more about it click here).  Every weekday morning (during the school year) she would rise at 5 am, and be out the door by six.  For about an hour each morning she and her classmates would study the scriptures, then she would come home, and do her chores and school.  It hasn't been easy, and I know there were days when she would have loved to have slept in, but she always did it freely, of her own choice.  I'm really proud of her, of the discipline she has shown, and of her knowledge of the scriptures.

 After the commencement exercises, the graduates and family and friends met in the cultural hall, and the  congratulations began to flow.  There was a whole lot of hugging and kissing and lei giving.  We had made five haku leis for Jesse and her close friends, and a bunch of leis.  We were all over the place looking for them in the crowd, and taking pictures.  It made me really happy to stand back and look at Jesse and her girls, with their arms over each others' shoulders, smiling and laughing.  It made me happy to think about how they've grown up together, and how much they love each other- all of them good and virtuous young women.  I also felt an overwhelming gratitude to Jesse's seminary teacher, for years of preparing lessons, and rising so early in the morning, for putting her heart and soul into her teaching, and all without pay.

That's pure love.

Seminary has required hours and hours of scripture study and scripture memorizing of Jesse.  

It's the kind of effort that writes the gospel upon one's heart,
and in her life and countenance, it shows.