Phone calls with our Elders!

Daniel and Paul have flown the MTC coop! They called us from the LA airport and it was SO good to hear their voices. Paul sounded upbeat and sure of himself. Daniel sounded tired. (But it was midnight by the time he got to call.)

A couple of things Paul said:

"I feel like my life began the day I entered the MTC."

"When I think about coming home and not being here on a mission, I can't think what purpose my life would have. It's like, if this isn't the purpose of life, then what is?"

Daniel and Paul's Setting Apart

Quin, Elder Daniel, me










Chris and Elder Paul









Little brothers looking up to big brothers

New Shoes for Eric

On a crazy afternoon of picking up Eric at the Junior High so we could go to an appointment half an hour away to get his cello fixed,then hearing from Amy that we needed to go back to the Junior High and pick her up, I found fifteen minutes to stop at Shopko and buy Eric some new, much-needed shoes.

Size 13 Quadruple E!!!!!

When we got to the Junior High and found Amy, Eric began resituating the cello so he and it could fit in the back seat of the little car. Amy got in the car and buckled, so I thought we were ready to go and I started to drive away. Heard a lot of squawking from behind me. Turned to see Eric outside the car trying to keep a hold of the cello as it tried to fall out of the moving car. Whoops!

And I had run over his foot.

I would like to forget it.

But he keeps reminding me.

(But no harm done, I guess. It's a lightweight car. And Eric's foot is not...)

Almost is All Right

Went to this play at the High School with Amy, Rachel, and Quin. It was very well-done. But what gave me a lot to think about during the play and since is the director's note in the program.

"You can never go wrong with a love story, and we have tried to really examine the "love story" with this show. In this exploration, we have discovered that sometimes love hurts, even if you can't see the bruises. Sometimes love seems as tangible as a ring. Sometimes, love surprises you because you never saw it coming. And despite the uncertainty and even lost opportunities, love will always be worth it in the end.
We've also discovered the dichotomy of almost. Almost can mean "not quite", but it also can mean "nearly". As described by Martin Andrucki "not quite" conjures feelings of inadequacy and regret because we almost got there, but not quite. And yet the "nearly" aspect of almost is full of promise. As Andrucki points out, "another nail, and the job is done. And the nail is in my hand. Another mile, and we're there. And the tank is full of gas." This almost is full of hope. So...we would like to share with you a story about almost losing it all, but almost gaining everything. We didn't quite make it, but we're almost there."

This idea of "almost" has been so freeing for me. I see the flaw in something and instead of being totally bugged and bothered, I remember the play and think, "Almost is all right," and I feel at peace and move on.

***Disclaimer***
The play may have been cleaned up for this high school production. I can't vouch for it if you see it anywhere else. :)