There are a lot of things that I could blog about but since it’s Sunday and I’m in a reflective mood…
*On Tuesday Shellie asked if we could use help at the house. My natural inclination in these situations is to say “Oh, we’ll be ok” but this time I knew we weren’t so I admitted that yes, we could definitely use help. She took care of making calls to arrange it and the next day we had at least 9 ladies show up willing to clean bathrooms, floors, blinds, windows. One of the gals took out every single screen in the back house, washed the screens and washed the windows, inside and out. One lady came early because she couldn’t be there for the whole 4 hour shift. It was humbling to be the recipient of so much service. There was NO way that I could’ve managed without them. At one point during the afternoon, just when I was feeling overwhelmed with what we still had left to do, another group showed up and gladly took on the bathrooms. What a blessing. It helped me to realize how important it is to let others help me. It also taught me that even if I can only give a little help, many hands make light work and it’s worth it.
*I am a gal who needs her sleep. Unlike you mothers I am not accustomed to getting fewer than 7 hours a night. (Read it and weep :)). This week I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep but it wasn’t until today (when I could actually nap) that I really couldn’t keep my eyes open. Last week, before all of this hit, I had a strong desire to go to the temple and participate in initiatories. I believe in those blessings and I know that I was granted them this week.
*RJ’s mom had told my mom that their ward was doing a collection drive for the Spanish Branch so as we gathered up items we planned to donate to that effort. I tried throughout the week to get a hold of the right people. By Thursday afternoon I still hadn’t heard back from the people that I had contacted and I had a full truck so I was about to just go to the Goodwill. At that point I got a call from mom’s RS Pres asking me if there was any other service they could render. I told her I was having a hard time getting rid of the stuff because no one had called me back when she told me that she had just talked to the lady in charge (Sister Britsch) and gave me the number, suggesting that I call her right then. As I spoke with Sister Britsch and explained the situation, she asked what part of India they were moving to. When I told her she said she had a connection and she gave me the phone number of a lady named Susan in their ward who has a sister (Sharon) living in Mumbai. I called Susan and she told me that her sister was actually in the states right now and she gave me Sharon’s cell phone number. As a result, Mom was able to talk to Sharon (who happens to be the Branch RS President) on the eve of her departure. As Mom and I had talked earlier she had mentioned that one of her biggest fears was of the unknown. It was a blessing for her and a blessing for me that she was able to get some information about the area and make a connection before she left. As I thought about it, I was grateful for that ward clothing drive, I was so grateful for Sister Britsch who was willing to open her mouth and go to such great lengths to get us in touch with this sister in India. If one of the other women had called me back (which happened shortly after I spoke with the right person) I don’t know if I would’ve gotten that information. If the RS Pres hadn’t called, I probably would’ve gone to the Goodwill. If Sharon hadn’t been in the states right now Mom couldn’t have spoken with her before she left. The series of events was too specific and to be random and I found myself so grateful that the Lord was aware of a little ranch in Texas that could use His help.