LSD or LDS?

Walk through the halls of any American high school, and you will notice a handful of zombie-like students with glazed-over eyes. You can be pretty sure these particular kids come from one of two groups: the druggies or the Mormons. Now it's obvious why the druggie kids would have those tired, glazed eyes, buy why the LDS kids, you might wonder? The answer: Early-morning seminary class.

Okay, so I'm mostly kidding. Don't be offended, anyone. But seriously, early-morning seminary is tough. No matter how you look at it, it's tough to attend a class at 6:00 or 6:30 a.m., five days a week for four years. Who does that? Let me tell you who: LDS high school students. These kids get up in the wee hours of the morning, shower and prepare for the day, and arrive at church buildings all over the country by 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. for a 45-minute church education class before they go to school. If you are now saying, "Really? They actually do that?" indeed they do.

Last night we had the honor of attending Eli's seminary graduation ceremony, where we watched Eli and 16 other kids from our stake receive their diplomas, indicating four full years of early-morning seminary study. Next weekend is Eli's high school graduation. We will be proud of him that day for sure. But not as proud as we were last evening. Practically every kid graduates from high school, but only a very few make it through the four years of seminary with the 80% attendance required for graduation. And Eli is one of those kids.

Beyond that, I should point out that he did it all on his own. You see, I am what they call a deadbeat seminary mom. It's true. I love my kids dearly, and I'd do practically anything for them, except get up at 5:30 a.m. to prepare a hot, healthy breakfast before they go to seminary. Yes, there are moms who do this. These moms set their own alarms, wake their seminary kids, and then spend the next half hour cooking pancakes or eggs or oatmeal. I wish I could say I was one of those moms, but alas, I am not. My kids had to get up themselves and grab a pop tart on their way out the door. The most I did was drag myself out of bed and drive them to the church the first two years before they had drivers' licenses. Once they could drive, they were entirely on their own. I guess I have one last chance to be a "good seminary mom" for Seth. Oh wait! I won't have to be. By the time he's in high school, we'll be living in Utah where they have release-time seminary class during the school day. Darn!

Last night's ceremony was lovely in every way. The kids who spoke reminisced about the fun they had during their four years: the game days, the Scripture memory challenges, the inside jokes that none of the rest of us understood. They expressed appreciation to their teachers (who, as volunteers, also get up at that same ghastly hour and come to church with lessons prepared, to face a group of often very sleepy teenagers). My hat is off to you dedicated seminary teachers. My heart is grateful for the time, effort, and sleep you sacrificed for my son's welfare. Thank you Sister Walker, Brother Jones, Sister Tall, and Brother Wellard. Each kid who spoke last night expressed his or her gratitude for the opportunity to begin the day studying the Scriptures and feeling the Spirit before heading out to face the many challenges of high school. Eli has told us attending high school sometimes feels like living in an R-rated movie. He loves school, yes, but he was always thankful for his seminary class, which provided a strong foundation for the journey.

In one talk last night, a student told us what their freshman year teacher, Sister Walker, used to say when they asked, "Why should we attend seminary?" She would tell them, "For the love!" For the love of the Scriptures, for the love of the Gospel, and for the love of the Savior.

LSD or LDS? In Eli's case, thank goodness it was the latter.