This is probably a gift from Gollum to Gollum. Also, the "Kiss me!" made me think of Rhett Butler, in the scene where he abandons Scarlett on the road to Tara after the defeat of Atlanta. Claaaaaaassic romance combo.
This family makes my heart smile, too. Especially when they eat. Babies and food: the two things I love all the time.
Two more things that made my heart smile recently:
On Saturday, I went to the temple and went shopping and worked on campus and then ran errands, and smack dab in the middle I made a stop at my home away from home, Cafe Rio. I was a little miffed because the line was almost out the door; turns out the entire UCLA travelling track and field team was in front of me. But it went by faster than some days. And when I was in the second part of the snake-framed line to the counter, I realized that a familiar face was just a row back from me. She didn't recognize me, but I new her immediately.
I remember my mom, then a Relief Society president, and roommates, and missionaries, and the girls in Spain, and again and again and again sharing this Mormon Message with me. We all know people with handicaps or other physical setbacks in life that somehow seem to be doing things better than us; it amazes me that God is willing to test us that way. At any rate, Stephanie Nielson is easily one of my heroes.
It was almost my turn to order when she and her husband got close to the turn in the line, and if I didn't say anything now I wouldn't have a chance to naturally. So I turned, and looked at her, and said "You did the Mormon Message?" And she took my hand, not like to shake but to hold, and said "Oh, yes." And I said "You probably get this a lot in Cafe Rio, but you are one of my heroes." And she said "Thank you, it means a lot." And you know, maybe it's just because time has passed, but she looked much more like someone who hadn't had full-fledged face replacement. Her husband, in fact, to me, looked completely healed. It was amazing to see them out, getting lunch... They are normal human heroes.
I texted my mom while I was walking out with my food and we both had to pinch ourselves because I had just met a Morm Celeb. But better than that. An angel. Really, though!
The second thing is shorter. On Sunday I went to a regional conference for church, and one of the speakers (I can't remember who and I can't remember the quote exactly--I wrote it down but the notebook is on my desk and who has time for that) said something along the lines of: It is perfectly acceptable to have questions within the church, because it leads to spiritual revelation and growth. I am so grateful he said that. It's like during the conference when Elder Holland, who scared me in high school, said that even the brethren leading the church are imperfect. Those kinds of thoughts give me peace. As a struggling perfectionist, it is always a blessing to be reminded that every aspect of my earthly experience will be smudged with imperfection. The gospel is perfect, and Christ is perfect, but I am not. I am grateful to be a member of a church that isn't perfect, but is built upon things that are.
In closing, a few more things I am grateful for, since I'm on a roll today:
-Yoga at the rec center.
-Nights for recreational reading in bed (last night, Tova Mirvis' latest novel Visible City).
-Fall breezes. Fall in general!
-Kickball. Even when I slip and fall and break my phone case while I'm playing.
-Little brothers with dry senses of humor.
-Professor-friends.
-Being one day closer to the weekend. I can feel it.
No comments:
Post a Comment