this was one of those weekends that as you sit and *ruminate on sunday night makes you say, "wow, what a great weekend!". like a slice of really good cheesecake, it leaves you satisified yet wanting for more all at the same time. it started friday night with good friends and lots of laughter as we halloweened together, continued saturday evening as we enjoyed a late dinner with the same friends following the adult session of stake conference, and then wound down quietly sunday evening after taking part in a broadcast session from salt lake sunday morning where we received wise and timely council from members of the seventy, the primary general board and pres. boyd k. packer. the word "bliss" comes to mind as i think of the feelings and spirit i have felt these past couple of days.
the highlight however, strange as it might sound, was rising at 5:30 saturday morning in order to fulfill an assignment at the church farm out in queen creek. less blissful was certainly the mood as i rousted 5 sleepy (adam stayed the night), sugar crashed individuals from their beds as the splendor of their "one day to sleep in" became but memory. steven had accepted the assignment on our family's behalf earlier in the week, but on friday found out he needed to work instead. he asked if i was still going to take the kids and go? in the past i might have been tempted to skip such an "opportunity", anticipating my own mood and the kids resistence to reveille coming in the middle of the night. but even before the question was asked i knew i needed to gather my little family together and follow through with this commitment.
the young man to the left of connor is ben, one of the friends the kids made while working.
by 6 o'clock the six of us were squeezed into our five person car and, quite literally, heading down the country road. after a couple of wrong turns, despite a map, we arrived along with about 50 or 60 other do gooders ready, if not quite eager, to find out what was on tap for today. everyone from a baby in a stroller to a couple a old codgers was there, which humbled me immediately and made me even more pleased that i hadn't whimped out. our chore for the morning was to walk a 3/4 mile length of canal and pick up chunks of concrete, ranging in size from a fist to a dinner plate, that had recently been unearthed when they graded the road. three or four trucks followed along beside us so we could toss the pieces into their beds, ready to be deposited somewhere else later. and while it may sound boring and mundane, i found myself finding parrallels and forming analogies between this seemingly temporal thing we were doing and how it related to life and the blessings of the gospel. when your 10 year old asks, "why exactly are we picking up concrete?", you've got to be able to offer him something more than "just because!". so as i tossed i analyzed. these rocks & trucks came to represent sin and repentence and the constant companionship of the lord ready to receive our burdens. they came represent our conversion to the gospel and the need to leave a clearer path for those who come behind us. they became the challenges we face and a reminder that in life we are sometimes required to be the giver and at other times the receiver. they were proof that many hands make light work. it was an interesting sight, this motley crew of mormons, slowly migrating along a very dusty and rocky road working hard as they bent and stretched and tossied. but it was a more beautiful sight to see them all smiling as they went; laughing and joking with each other, chatting with people they didn't know, encouraging strength in there children and praising them for their efforts. it felt good to be working along side my own children, laughing and joking with them. it felt good to watch them joking with each other...patting each other on the back for a job well done and being delighted at the plume of dust that rose in each others faces. it felt good for all of us to look back down the road and see what had been accomplished. and it was especially pleasing to hear them say they had a good time and were glad they went.
one of the little guys - he was so cute doing his part...
when we got home we found we were locked out of the house. i had been the last to use the spare key the night before and had forgotten to put it back in it place. after berating myself for just a minute, and just before i desparately called steven, i remembered the windows i had washed last week. now, i'm going to go with blessings here, instead of dumb luck or coincidence; i remembered that i had put the screens back on the windows in such a way that they could be popped off from the outside and that i had left the kitchen window unlocked. within just a few minutes we had liam up and through the window and feeling like the saver of the day. (why is it so exciting to be the kid that gets to go throught the window?). the sense of accomplishment continued to effect the rest of our day - the kids seemed quicker to respond and were more helpful to me, they were even kinder and more patient with each other. and even though i didn't get everything done that i was hoping to, i still felt like i was at least getting some things done and it was ok if the rest had to wait for another day.
sometimes i find myself being a little too relieved when someone else gets the call to help, to speak in church or teach a lesson, or in some other way put themselves out. i kid myself into believing that i dodged a bullet. but i am coming to understand that i am the one missing out and i should be crossing my fingers everyday, hoping to be lucky enough to get the call to serve.
and if crossing your fingers doesn't seem to be working, praying always does.
*since seeing the disney movie aladdin i have wanted to be able slip the word ruminate into casual conversation.
after i looked up what it meant of course...
