I went to work and spent most of my time LISTENING. Not all of that I heard was exactly what I wanted to hear. We have been transitioning now for 18 months or so. It hasn't been going so well. And that's all I'll say.
I left work early to visit a friend and her husband in the hospital. Rita has not been well for quite some time. A true DANE (as in Danish)....she is a real fighter and has been ferociously battling cancer the last little while. She and her husband LeVon have worked with the Choir as hosts ever since I can remember. Good people. Salt of the earth. I wish I had a picture of Rita...she is beautiful...inside and out. And tough. We have made it our little joke that Danes are the strongest people around (my Grandma Salmon was a Dane you see...). LeVon has been at her side in the hospital 18-20 hours a day. With the prayers of so many of her friends...in and out of the choir...and family, I am sure she will receive an added measure of strength to make it through this latest setback.
When I left the hospital I met up with my friend CarolJ. Another of our choir friends, Yvonne, was having to say goodbye to her just-younger sister, Lynette. The viewing was in Logan that evening. Carol and I had talked a little about this and just decided we needed to take a road trip to support Yvonne. Sometimes clearing the schedule and just going is the right thing to do. And this trip was the right thing to do. I was so glad we went. I am so blessed to have a group of friends whom I wouldn't have known or grown to love if I wasn't in that loft every Sunday morning. 
We stopped at Diane's to drop off a couple of things for Laurel to take back with her to Canada. They were down dropping off my niece Carly. She amazes me! Carly's been saving her money for a couple of years now in order to spend three months in Ecuador working in an orphanage. Seeing and visiting with her before she left did my heart good. ANYWAY...Diane and her family (plus extra family) were just about ready to sit down to dinner...smelled wonderful and although we were invited to stay, we had other commitments...and they were crowded around the table. Chandra and Roland were there also. It's always fun to see them and get caught up with their lives. My nieces and nephews are doing good things in their lives and I'm proud of all of them!!
We ended the evening with a project we were going to START with. CarolJ had brought most of what she needed to decorate the Choir office, but had forgotten a major piece....so we had decided we'd do it after Choir on Sunday. HOWEVER...it seemed so early when we got back to Salt Lake we decided to whip out to Stansbury, pick up the missing piece and get it done. After bringing things in, I watched CarolJ work her magic. She is so talented...I'm just grateful to have a friend with this kind of talent, who willingly shares it with so many others.Sometimes I think my life is filled with insurmountable problems and issues...even to the point I believe MY trials are bigger and heavier than those of my friends. And then I have experiences like I had on Friday and see that no matter how heavy the burden, my friends and family can still do wonderful things, and while I think I'm helping and supporting them, they help me to forget about ME.
Yes, I still have trials...but they seem so small when I count my blessings in the currency of friends and family.
2 comments:
What an 'orecaj' of uplifting and inspiring thought! Did you know my ancestors came from Denmark so, in a sense, I like to think that we have some specks of Dane in us. Not surprising at all when you look at my mom, I'm sure. Last week was a rough week for me...self pity, feeling that my small burdens merited more weight than others. It's not a great place to be. It's so important to reach outside of ourselves to get true, realistic perspective. I, too, am really grateful for family and true friends (who, incidentally, happen to be my very BEST friends) that show me how richly blessed I am.
Can I just get back some dignity and edit my 'masperso' of a comment, since blogger won't let me? :) I'm grateful for friends and family (who, incidentally, happen to be my very best friends...yada, yada. :) Makes more sense now, doesn't it?
Post a Comment