Little Things

Our ward hosts a neighborhood block party every summer on the 24th of July. Last year I was serving in the relief society presidency which meant I was on the set up and serving crew. Rather than let everyone grab their own food, we acknowledged the changes Covid has brought into the world and gloved up to serve the food. We wrangled our families into service so we would have enough hands and Nathan was happy to help. I ended up serving hamburgers and hot dogs and Nathan was right beside me adding condiments as requested. 

One of the little girls who lives next door to us came through the line with a spectacular scowl on her face. I joked with her in an attempt to get her to smile, however, my efforts were in vain. I don’t remember if it was my idea or Nathan’s, but when her plate came his way, he used ketchup to draw a smiley face on her hamburger. That didn’t help either, but it began a long series of food that was happy to see everyone. It made me laugh and made many others smile. 

Last night was this year’s block party and since I have been released from my RS calling, I was back to being a guest at the BBQ. Our bishop was on condiment duty this time around and while everyone else got a normal swirl or splash of ketchup on their hamburgers, I got a smiley face. I was surprised that he had remembered last year’s escapades and it made me smile. 

Not only did my food art remind me of Nathan and his constant desire to make those around him happy, but it also reminded me that sometimes the little things are the big things. A text, a phone call, an honest compliment, a sincere inquiry about someone’s wellbeing. Sometimes these tiny gestures make all the difference. Ministering to others doesn’t have to be complicated. Often, we over think things, making things harder than they need to be, at least I know I do. That is why a part of my personal equation for happiness is to simplify. 

For years the sister who was assigned to minister to me never called, never came by, never checked in with me other than our interactions that came because we are next door neighbors and Malia and her kids are friends. But every week when she did her yard work, she would slip over with her edger and trim back the edges on our lawn. It was not life changing, but I knew she was thinking about me and taking the time to serve in her own quiet way. She knew I was ok and that I didn’t need her to come over and share a message with me, but she found a meaningful way to serve. It was a little thing. But like I said, sometimes the little things are the big things. And sometimes all it takes is a simple smile in ketchup to make someone’s day.

Bring It On

COVID-19. Social distancing. School at home. Store closures. Shortages of goods. Why don’t we just go ahead and add earthquakes to the mix? Life if definitely interesting right now.

To add some additional crazy to an already intense situation, just after 7:00 this morning there was a 5.7 magnitude earthquake not too far to the north of us. Matthew and Malia freaked out, Nathan just laughed and honestly, I just stood there and thought, “Really? Is this really happening?” Yes, I know that is not supposed to be my first reaction to an earthquake. I’m supposed to duck and cover and all that to preserve my own safety and then ensure the safety of my family. But In all reality, everything has begun to feel a bit surreal. Stress and lack of sleep have led to me walking around the house all day in a stress induced haze. Concentration was not happening, and I could not settle to a task. This afternoon brought several aftershocks strong enough for us to feel (4.6 and 4.4) and it did not help matters. We were far enough away that there was no damage in our immediate area, but still, it was a highly stressful day. Enough stress, in fact, that I had to resort to some stress baking, and thus, some stress eating. The cookies were delicious and while they in no way made a world a better place, they did actually help my brain become a calmer place. Yes, I’m an emotional eater. Most of the time I avoid it because I’m aware of the tendency, but with a pandemic and an earthquake upending my life in the space of less than a week, I really felt like some sugar was in order. And I couched it in a selfless act by simply doubling a recipe I had been intending to bake to send to Daniel. 😉

On the bright side, the ladies in my ward have really stepped up their ministering. It has made me emotional on more than one occasion today as I got responses from so many sisters in my ward about how people are doing. They are reaching out to each other and creating a web of caring and concern that is precisely what I believe the Lord had in mind with the ministering program.

I’m sure there will be more stress baking in the near future. With the changes we are seeing each and every day, I fully expect things to get worse before they get better. But I know that I am not alone and that I will be able to stand strong with those I love at my side. Oh, and if you find yourself in need of a good stress baking option, I have a delightful orange creamsicle cookie recipe.