September 15, 2014
It was Thursday. (actually I'm only about 80% on that, but
it doesn't bother me enough to get out my planner to make sure. At what point
can I hire a fact checker for these things?)
Anyway...
It was Thursday. We went over to this lovely member lady's
house because the Elders had told us that she had had a tragedy in the family.
Well, upon entering, we noticed that the room was a little what my grandmas
would call "skiwampus." couch reverse, side into the wall, piles and
piles of piles on the table. cosas asi. (stuff like that) so- being
missionaries, we said "hermana, what can we do to help?" tuuuuuuuurns
out that they had to fumigate for cockroaches (i feel ya, sister.) and she
hadn't had the opportunity to put everything back in it's place.
"Hermana, can I wash the dishes?"
"ok hermana esta bien." (yes.)
And hour and forty-five minutes later I was still standing at
the sink, rinsing off the latest batch from the counter. I pulled my pruney
hands out of the water and thought: Wow! the mission really IS aging me!
(sometimes I tell myself lame jokes. no judgment.)
But then I thought "you know, I don't really mind aging if
I get to do it through a life of love and service." I know that I'm only
20, but I've had a companion who was really self- conscious about getting
smile-lines on her mission. It was good for me to decide: I don't mind if I get
smile lines, because it means that I'm smiling. I hope that when I'm older the
bags under my eyes are from staying up late consoling someone. The crow’s eyes
from many moments of hearty laughter, the chipped nails from weeding a garden,
the calloused soles of my feet from running with my mom, my sisters, my
friends. The burn scars from trying to cook for people I love, the wrinkly
hands from washing their dishes.
Let us fill our time with worthwhile things that bless and
enrich our lives and others. Then, at the end, it will be easy to see that we
have bartered our youth for wisdom and warm memories far more valuable than
fine skin.
-Hermana Thomas
p.s. I was reading this talk the other day, and whada ya know it
goes PERFECTLY with this blog!
here's a helpful link!
A dear friend of ours, one of the SWEETEST girls ever!!!!! She has a goal to get baptized and I can't wait!
Helping someone we met prepare for her baby shower.
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