On Sunday, May 25, was our big day for giving talks in Rochester 5th Branch. We were both speaking about the temple. Erik was worried that our talks would be much the same but they were not. He spoke in English with Sister Hall being his translator. I spoke in Spanish. The slight glitch was that 2nd Ward took too much time in the chapel and we got a late start. Erik’s talk took 20 minutes and I knew that my talk was at least 15 minutes. We had an intermediate hymn and President Hall spoke for a couple of minutes, so my time was pretty tight. I received the tap on the elbow that my time was up and I wrapped it up quickly. As we were leaving the building, Brother Perez came up to us and thanked us for our talks and said, “You were speaking to a General Authority!” I was still shaking from giving my first talk in Spanish, getting cut off, and now to hear that a General Authority was in the congregation, was too much!

Erik was speaking with a gentleman before sacrament meeting and I sidled up to my husband and joined the end of their conversation. The man was impressed that I taught myself Spanish with an app. I replied that I simply make time for it and do it diligently, but he didn’t want me to brush it off and told me again that what I have accomplished was very impressive. We didn’t know his name and Erik had asked him if he was visiting and he replied, “Yes, with my family to see the historic sites.” It turns out that he is Elder Uceda! He sat in the congregation with his family. Brother Perez asked him if he could introduce him and he didn’t want to do that. A very humble man in our midst.

When Monday rolled around, I asked Erik what he wanted to do. He mentioned that he would like to do a challenging hike. I was quite fine with staying home and creating some art. Plans changed and we ended up on another fantastic hike in a top rated American State Park. We travelled with the Stevens’ again. Letchworth State Park is ranked as number one by popular vote in all of America. It’s like the Grand Canyon of the east.

Our morning prayer included having the opportunity to talk about our mission and the gospel today and I knew that wouldn’t be an issue for me. It takes nearly two hours to drive to Letchworth State Park. A we drove through the towns on the way, we noticed parade line ups and in one town we were held up by parade participants finishing their route. It was Memorial Day in the USA.

It was a glorious sunny day and we were very happy for that. This hike is a completely different experience from Watkin’s Glen. This park does not allow park goers to get close to the water in the areas where we were. You can hike along a trail between the Lower, Middle and Upper Falls. As well, you can choose to drive between the falls, park and go to a viewing area. This park allows dogs and I was in dog heaven.

We started out from near the middle falls and decided that we needed a group photo. I asked a Spanish lady if she would do that and then when I was speaking Spanish, she realized that she attends the same church as us when she saw our nametags. She noted a special rock with a plaque that we needed to make sure that we saw. She was the only one in her family who spoke Spanish and was grateful that I spoke to her.

The scenery was spectacular and impressive. It’s hard to catch the majesty of the surroundings on an iPhone. As we started descending, I said to myself, “What goes down, must come up!” There were tricky tree roots and worn stone slab steps. My short legs have a challenge to deal with trails like that. I did remember to bring my walking poles and they help for stability.

I love to help people take group photos so that they are all included, so I spent time meeting people and helping them with their shots, making sure to include the beautiful scenery with them. One fellow that I met, gave me a guitar pick with his band name on it. He saw my nametag and said, “Oh, if you watch some of our videos, there’s some bad words, be careful!” How sweet and considerate of him! Thank you Richie, for telling me about your life and how you handle the challenges and the good times.

The sweetest puppy came by me and of course, I turned into a puddle of mush, baby talking to him and loving on him (with permission). He was 11 weeks old and his name was Titan. He was a Saint Bernard mix with all of his puppy fluff intact, no adult fur yet. He pressed himself into me as I told him that he was such a good kid and deserved all the love. Titan’s mother rejected the litter when they were only 3 days old and the owners took him when he was only 5 weeks old. Such an incredible little fellow, who won’t be little for long.

The next dog was a miniature Schnauzer. She was a little old lady of 13 years. She too, relished the break time and pressed into me for some love. I was enjoying every second of loving on her too.

I saw a large doodle type dog doing multiple rounds of the hike; his owner said that the dog loves to hike and just keeps going. Once was enough for me!

A funny incident but not really was an Asian couple who were carrying a little Yorkie. The woman was very upset with her husband and would give him a piece of her mind and then stride away, carrying the dog. The poor husband would catch up and then she would haul him behind a tree and give him what for all over again. I sure hope that was a momentary incident that they corrected. Talk about airing your laundry in public!

Since it was Memorial Day, there were a number of people at Letchworth but nothing that made it unbearable. We met an artist set up, painting one of the scenes in front of him. Another couple came to pick up an original painting that a fellow had commissioned for his bride to be. It was the scene where he had proposed to his bride. What a great gift!

We started for home and wanted some lunch but surprisingly, not a thing was open. This is the difference between rural and city. The city always seems to be open and going, whereas rural areas take time to rest and play. We drove all the way to Macedon which is the closest town to Palmyra and stopped at a diner that was just opening. I wasn’t sure if I would get a safe meal there but we decided to try it. Lyndon told us that the thing in Rochester, NY was the Garbage Plate, known for it’s unique blend of ingredients. It’s essentially a plate piled high with various sides like home fries, french fries, macaroni salad, or baked beans, topped with a meat choice (burgers, hot dogs, sausages, etc.) and Rochester-style meat sauce. 

Erik chose the hamburger version and Wanda chose the hot dog version. They each chose home fries (which in Canada, we call hash browns, large cut), and the macaroni salad. Erik’s take was that it was diner food and since we were in a diner, that’s what you are going to get. To me it looked like a dog’s breakfast. If you were in an upscale restaurant, you would have a nicer version and could make some healthier choices. One Garbage Plate under our belts (hahaha).

We were back to rain, rain and more rain during the week. I don’t mind because we are in the temple during the week and it’s the best place to be. Our normal Friday off was not to be this week because we had a large tour of 3 tour buses and we were required to work from 1 pm to 6 pm. We arrived at the temple at noon and ended up staying until 7 pm. The tour group was fantastic. 150 youth who had just graduated from high school arrived with very organized tour leaders. If all the young people of the world were like these kids, I know the world would be in good hands. They were very courteous and polite and were very thankful for our service for them in the temple. One young man made sure to read my nametag, looked me in the eye and thanked me by name for helping them. I always read people’s nametags and thank them personally for helping me in stores, so I really appreciated that he did that.

When I went out to the waiting room to check on the next group to come in, I asked some of the young men about their mission calls. The first young man was called to serve in the Mexico City South East mission. I said something to him in Spanish and he just looked like a deer caught in the headlights and I said, “Oh, you’re waiting for the MTC (Missionary Training Center)!” If you need a foreign language to be taught to you, you’ll spend a little more time in the MTC, being taught the language. Another young man asked me how I learned to speak Spanish and I told him that I use Duolingo. He was incredulous that I could speak so well with just the app. Then our conversation became really funny because on Duolingo there is a feature called a Streak, which is how many days in a row you do lessons. He asked me if I had a 100 day streak and I said, “Much higher!” He guessed 200 days and I again replied, “Much higher.” “400 days?” “Higher!” “1000 days?” “Higher still.” Finally I told him that on that day I had a 2685 day streak. The first young man quickly did the math on his phone and said, “Sister Naglis, that’s 9 years!!!!” “Yes, of not missing a day.” They were so impressed and I hope that I inspired them to enjoy and continue their language journey. So many young men had already received their mission calls and it was fun to hear about where everyone was going. What a fantastic group of young people!

On Friday morning before heading to the temple, I had to go and get some bloodwork done. It was incredibly easy. I had asked the clinic if I needed a paper requisition to get it done but they had already put it in their system and said that when I arrived, they would know who I was and what was needed. We drove to Newark to the lab and bingo, bango, bongo, in and out in no time at all. No waiting; simply check in and into the lab for the blood draw.

By Friday night, my body was very tired and sore from being on my feet for 7 hours. There’s a saying, “I feel like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet!” If you’re a horse person, you know this saying. I need a massage!!! I need my Karen Taylor!!! Karen has been my massage therapist for over 15 years and she is the best! Erik rubbed my feet for a couple of minutes and that helped a little.

Saturday morning, I was again assigned to the Baptistry and spent the shift helping patrons until 1 pm. I had some patrons personally thank me for being so courteous and helpful and so organized. It means a lot to me to hear that. It really is joyful to help people and help them feel the love of God in His house.

The new blooms of the week are still a mystery to me. There are enormous green leafed trees now sporting white blooms. The ground is starting to look like snow has fallen. Every week there is something new to marvel at.

Birds that I have heard lately: Gray Catbird, Yellow Warbler, Northern Flicker, Chimney Swift, Mourning Dove, Common Yellowthroat, Red-winged Blackbird, Song Sparrow, Blackpoll Warbler, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and of course the American Robin. Isn’t that amazing? Beautiful songbirds and I am fascinated by the variety.

Sometimes, I receive this reminder from the Lord. Last fall He told me to get out of the way and let Him do his job. I need to let go of the doorknob and allow God to do His will and let myself follow His path. It’s a fine line for me because I know that He loves effort and so I try hard to do good and do well in all things. When He reminds me that I need to let go and let Him intercede, the peace is so calming and lets me feel like I can breath again.

Okay, friends, Let Go of the Doorknob and have a fantastic week!