We started homeschool today. Ben is in fifth grade and Andy drove over to the local high school to register for his senior year.

At this time next year Andy will be making final preparations to leave on his mission. My intention is to spend as much time as is humanely possible with him over the next twelve months.

Andrew has been the easiest child in the world to mother.  He is so lovable and dependable.  From the moment I first held him in my arms I had the sense that I was being given a most sacred trust in being his mother.

As these past seventeen years have clicked by I just feel grateful to my Heavenly Father for putting him in our circle of family love.

Each of our children has been a leap of faith for Paul and I, especially since I have struggled so much with post partum emotional illness.

After we had our third child we felt overwhelmed and not sure if we could have another child.  About seven months before Andy was conceived I was in the Denver Temple and I had a most sacred experience as his spirit connected with mine and he told me that he would like me to be his Mother, but he needed to be born soon as the timing of his life on the earth was important.

I have never experienced so much spiritual warfare as the seven months before his conception, it felt like all of the gates of hell had opened and were waiting to engulf me in a blaze of destruction.  I also had the odd experience of many different people coming to me privately and telling me that they did not think I should have any more children.

During his pregnancy I again felt this incredible spiritual warfare, my dreams were all around end times events, and although I experienced many miracles and blessings during his pregnancy, it again felt as though dark forces wanted nothing more than for my child to be damaged in the womb.

On the morning of his birth I went into labor and the heavens opened and I danced for three and a half hours in my bedroom.  I felt all of my ancestral mothers dancing with me and time stopped and eternity was staring me in the face.

As I pushed my eleven pound son into the world and his Daddies hands, I felt a creeping darkness around our home, the sky was overcast and it felt as though the sun had hidden away for a time.  As soon as Andy was completely born the sun came streaming into our bedroom and all hell broke loose as he was floppy and unresponsive and I started to bleed my life away.  Paul called for an ambulance, but you are going to have to purchase my book A Mothers Journey to read the rest of that birth story.

As I have observed Andrew mature spiritually and overcome various trials and temptations in his life, I have been so pleased with his willingness to embrace the truth of the gospel.  I know he will be a mighty missionary and look forward to the year that he and Jeff will both be serving in the field and I get to revel in the joy of the letters and emails home.

I pray that he has a wonderful year in school and that many joyful memories are created.

Jenny Hatch