Compassionate Service

We had a luncheon at the church today for the family of a man that raised his family in our ward boundaries.  His granddaughter is in our ward.  He passed away in Washington and they had a funeral there, but he was buried in Boise today and Susie and I organized the luncheon.  It was last minute, and conflicted with a high priest social that afternoon, so we were a little short on help.  It was a lovely lunch, and the family was very appreciative.  I left at 11:00 to pick things up, then made a salad and the centerpieces, then helped set-up, serve, and clean-up.  Terry came to help clean-up and we were the last ones out the door after he mopped the floor.  I got home at 6:00.  It feels good to serve.  

I'm being released from this compassionate service calling this Sunday.  I've been in for three years or so.  It's been an amazing experience to see the willingness of service, the love, and the amazing abilities that are shared.  It has always been a happy and fulfilling, and inspiring calling.  I know better now how to help.  It won't be the end to my compassionate service; I just won't be sending out the e-mails and sign-ups any more.

RS Service

I haven't been to a Relief Society mid-week activity for quite a while.  This month we combined with another ward and focused on several different ways that we can serve various organizations in our community.  I took my sewing machine and worked on an assembly line that made drawstring backpacks for the kids at City of Lights.  They'll use them for a summer program and have them filled with snacks and books.  It was fun.  We made about 50!  I want to make some for all the grandkids.  I could fill them with snacks and books and they could have their own summer program.

Quilting Bee

I got together with some other ladies from church today to work on quilts.  We have an ongoing project of making twin size quilts to give to foster children, and now we're trying to get some ready for a tri-stake humanitarian project that will be giving quilts and blankets to refugee families in the area.

I love getting all our fabric scraps together and trying to patch together quilt tops.  We tied one BSU quilt, and started cutting squares.  We've decided on 6 1/2 inch squares, but really anything goes.  We're working on a vibrant animal print, a blue quilt top that is full of stars, and I'm most excited about fabric with pink and powder blue Thunderbirds on it.  Right now I'm just a little part of a group effort and it's fun.  My excitement will probably fade as I cut out 140 squares and sew them together. 

Canning Peaches

I took my turn at the church cannery.  I have to leave work right away to make it to the 4 o'clock shift.  Terry came with me.  It was our first time going together.  He was on the line, weeding out the bad peaches, and I was running the chute where they come down and fill the cans.  Every job there is wet, sticky, and monotonous.  After about 20 minutes your back and feet hurt.  It's loud and you usually end up with a headache.  You're looking at the clock constantly. 

It is rewarding though.  You're there with a 50-100 people who volunteer their time.  The cans of peaches go to those in need all over the western United States.  It makes you appreciate your education, training, and jobs.  I know we're blessed for doing this.  Best of all, last night, we ran out of peaches right before 6:00.  We cleaned up and were out of there 2 hours early.....  I think we still get the blessing.

Summer Plans - Part 2

At church yesterday I was thinking about my post on summer plans.  I definitely have too many, but still, I neglected to list any spiritual goals or church plans.  I do have some.  Part of me doesn't want to list things because it's too personal.  I also think it will be pretty lame to list just 10 things I want to do this summer that are "good".  In truth I want to do something to grow spiritually and serve everyday, but mostly I think I'm just doing the normal things that everyone else is doing, and any effort or growth seems so miniscule.  It's pretty humbling to look at a short list for the summer and think how ridiculous it is that it's all I can fit into a summer.  It's sad that it's a stretch.  That being said, here's some of the things (not the real personal ones)  I'm thinking about : 

1. Catch-up (get ahead) on the Sunday School reading assignments.
2. Read the Daughters of My Kingdom book for Relief Society.
3. Renew my temple recommend and go. (Spend a day in Twin Falls.)
4. Go to Education Days at BYU Idaho.
5. Feed the missionaries.
6. Feed others that are in need.
7. Index.
8. Print my fan chart, check names in New Family Search, and maybe learn how to start researching.
9.  In person visits for to everyone I visit teach all three months.
10. Sew Conker pillowcases for the humanitarian center.

Hard Labor

Every year I sign-up to work in the cannery one day in the summer.  Actually it's only a four hour shift.  The cannery's open and running (on mostly volunteer labor) six days a week, but there is usually only one day in the summer when our stake has an assignment.  I like it because I don't have to take time off work, and because it's usually apricots or peaches.  (Once, back in '91, I did meat chunks.  I was pregnant at the time.  Never again.)  You work on the line with people of all ages and professions.  It makes you feel good to volunteer and do a service that is so necessary and appreciated.

You always make friends, but this time I went with a friend and we worked side-by-side.  No matter what job you're doing, the first hour always reminds you of the episode of I Love Lucy when she's working in a chocolate factory and can't keep up.  It always makes me laugh when we're so inept.  We were assigned part of the line where the cans are filled with apricots.  There were three of us (all elementary school teachers) who had to either knock a few apricots off, if the cans were overflowing, or put a few in, if the cans weren't full.  We either didn't have enough apricots, or our trough was overflowing.  It's really funny in a panicy sort of way.

After the first hour you get into a kind of groove, even if it's not very efficient.  You figure out a few tricks or some sort of system that half-way works.  By the third hour it's not near as funny.  You keep checking the clock.  You feel it in your feet, legs, back, neck, and head.  It's really noisy in there.  You're wet and sticky and sweaty.  When you leave, you're beat.  You have a whole new appreciation for people who do all kinds of manual or menial labor.  It's hard!

Just a side note - My favorite assignment is to be put on the machine where the apricots are sliced in half.  I always line up the crease in the fruit so it gets sliced there.  It really bugs me when I'm working some place else, and I see apricots that are cut every which way.  Next time I'm going to request that spot, and I'm going to train the others up to do it right.  Who wants to open a can of apricots that have been sliced willy-nilly?