January

Well, January is off and running.  Here are the happenings as of late:

Kenna and her fellow 6th graders have a challenge this year to read 50 books.  Thankfully not 50 novels, but that is still a great undertaking for 11 and 12 year olds!  For those who have reached 22 books so far, they had a reward at the ice skating rink.  They needed some extra parents so off I went on a bus full of 6th graders to get some grooves on at the ice arena.

Thanks for a fun little trip, Kenna!  I love that she still thought it was a-ok to have mom tag along. I couldn't pass that one up!


Later that evening we were able to go to the viewing for Dan Calderwood.  I couldn't help but notice all of the flowers around the church.  They were so beautiful.  As we were standing in line I realized I never took much thought to flowers and the interesting role they play at funerals.  What is it that causes us to turn to flowers during the time of ones passing?  It's amazing how something so simple can be so profound, really.  They are a way for us to show love and compassion.  They even bring about a beautiful peace and calm at a time of such incredible grief and sorrow.  Perhaps the most incredible aspect of flowers, however, is that they are a sign of life.  Why would we choose a symbol of life and growth at a time when we are grieving the loss of life?  Almost a contradiction, yet when we view time and life through the lens of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a flower is the perfect symbol. As heartbreaking as it is to see a family in such deep sorrow, how beautiful it is to know that in the Lord's garden, we are constantly growing, changing, and blooming on our journey in this life.  Death is merely another part of that.  Oh my heart aches for the Calderwoods and the Petersons.  I remember Dan as the class clown in my seminary class in high school!  You never really know the impact you have on people, as was evident in the many who showed up to pay love and respect.

Our stake has been planning a community service project for quite a few months now, and it finally came together on the 13th.  We put together meal packets that will stay here to help people in our community.  We managed to put together over 45,000 servings in about an hour!  It was so neat to see the gym turn into a little factory of assembly lines to put together the packages.  The packages were a lentil jambalaya.  We put in some salt, dried veggies, rice, and lentils then sealed them up.  One hours worth of work will bless the lives of so many!  If only we as communities could rally more to help those around us.  I certainly can do better myself.  I loved having a teeny tiny part of a beautiful project.  Our Stake RS Presidency put A LOT of work into organizing and implementing it.

We all had the day off for MLK day, so headed up to Hardware Ranch.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day!  The sun was shining and we didn't freeze!  The wind kicked up a bit during our ride it got a bit more chilly, but it was such a fun afternoon together.