christianity

We’re Not Trunky

| cnaglis63
The church we live behind; originally a Methodist church.

I have to laugh while typing the title of this post. I am starting to think about things at home that I have missed; king size bed, Soda Stream drink station, a sewing room and the list goes on. We have two months left of our mission. Our last shift will be on March 14. I was taking some salad over to Tonya (our next door neighbor) and Rick, Tonya and I were looking at the calendar at the dates of what we are doing in the next two months. They finish at the same time as us.

I have enjoyed having a dishwasher (our cottage does not have one). It is a Samsung brand and definitely has issues but if you hold your tongue right, the cycle might come out okay. The large capacity washer and dryer have been lovely. When the washer is on the spin cycle it sounds and feels like a Chinook helicopter is right over the house! We had an Electrolux washing machine and dryer in Calgary and it was the cat’s meow; I adored those machines. At the cottage we have a European stacking set but apartment sized, thus small loads are what we can do. Give and take…

We had a fun moment this past week when we went shopping. We first went to BJ’s for bulk items (it’s like a Costco style store) and gasoline. Then we went to Wegman’s for things we had on our shopping list that weren’t available at BJ’s. Finally, we ended up at Walmart to get windshield washer fluid and a couple of grocery items that Wegman’s didn’t have. Three stores!!!!! The fun part was seeing missionaries in Walmart. There were two sister missionaries and I went up to them to say hello. They serve in the Palmyra area. Then Erik came up and asked the sisters if we could buy their groceries for them. They were hesitant and graciously thanked us but no, they were fine. We insisted and I told them the story of when our son, Lyndon was on his mission in Arizona and was approached by a lady who wanted to buy groceries for him and his companion. Lyndon ran off to grab a jug of chocolate milk and a bag of cherries, while his companion grabbed some cereal and milk. When they met back up with her, she looked at what they had chosen and said, “Oh, no, that’s not nearly enough!” She grabbed them each a cart and then went up and down the aisles filling their carts with groceries. She explained that her husband played NFL football for the Cardinals and they could certainly afford to buy these missionaries groceries. At the check-out, she also purchased gift cards for restaurants for them. What a huge tender mercy! So, I told the sisters that we wanted to pass along this kindness to them. Thanks to the example of Deuce Lutui and his wife, other people are being blessed. It was fun, to shop with the sisters as we headed to the cosmetic area for face cream and sugar scrubs. I acted like a Mama Bear and tried to influence the girls to choose better quality products with less chemicals. They were worried about cost and I was telling them that it doesn’t matter; buy what’s best for you.

We had some beautiful weather this past week and the snow has mainly melted. A cold front is moving in and this week on my birthday it will be forecasted for -4C. I say, it’s in honor of the Canadian living in New York state, hahaha!

One day when it was 9C, I told Erik that I was going for a walk and he decided to join me. It was brisk at first because of the wind but as we moved along, it was just fine. We love looking at the historic homes in Palmyra and especially the big ones with carriage houses in the back. It’s fascinating to think about life here 150 years ago.

We stopped in at the T-shirt printing shop and I had questions for them about what they can print and how they do it. I have so many ideas spinning through my head and if I want to implement anything, I need to step on it and get cracking.

Walking past a tattoo shop, I had a good giggle at their sign. When Erik texted it to our daughter-in-law (a tattoo artist), she said, “Yup, those are the rules!”

Them’s the rules!

At the Palmyra temple we do training meetings for the workers for two weeks at a time. Everyone gets the training and it leaves out very few people. This session is about emergency procedures and practices. When it comes to dealing with a tough situation, I could imagine my husband saying, “Let my wife, the wolverine, deal with it!” I realized how well trained I am because of all my leadership training with being a Girl Guide leader. They had a comprehensive training system to help leaders be great with the girls and keep their health and safety at the forefront. I had to be trained to be able to take girls camping and so on. Many of the practices meld well with my life in working with the public. I have great understanding of how to deal with emergencies and how to stay calm.

This past week, my cousin, Crysta gave me some more information about my ancestors. This brings up a point where I have so many questions and all the people to ask are dead. Ask the questions while your relatives are alive!! There are gaps where I don’t understand or know where or why this person lives here or what they did with their lives. It’s so important to keep a journal of your life.

A really exciting and cute piece of news came out of our temple this past week. Brother and Sister Pace have been called to be mission leaders in Guatemala City Center, starting July 1. Also Brother and Sister Mayo are called as mission leaders in Sweden. In the locker room at the temple, I asked Sister Pace to later tell me the details of her call. There was a lot of excitement in the locker room. Suddenly she turned to me and said, “When you are finished with your mission, you can apply to go to Guatemala City for your next mission!” I said, “I see what you’re doing there!!” Sister Pace said, that now that the news is out, she is shamelessly going to be recruiting people to serve in Guatemala.

We are excited to serve again. Who knows where it will be but we will be happy to be out serving again. Being late to church on Sunday was so bizarre because that it not how we operate. We have the sister missionaries back in our Branch and I was super excited to see Sister Parr again. There is a sister from Washington state who is a “visa waiter” going to Peru. Her last name is Law and when we checked our Family Tree app, it seems that we are 3rd cousins! Next week is Compartir and I signed up to bring a salad.

It’s a lot of fun to be good and do good.

Have a happy week of service where you can. Today as I was cutting my husband’s hair, he had a smile on his face. I asked him why he was smiling and he said, “It makes me happy when you are doing something for me.” It doesn’t have to be a grandiose gesture of service; any small act affects in big ways that you may not see. Love to you all!

Service

| cnaglis63
Snow day at the Palmyra temple

We went through a snow day and then a no-snow day, then rain, then more snow and then more rain. It melts away as the temperatures are still above freezing during the day. The groundskeepers put these fiberglass stakes on the edges of the lawns and islands in the parking lot. I think it’s a smart idea to not run a snowblower over the lawns or run a snow plow into an island. This week, our groundskeeper at our house also pounded stakes into the edges of the lawn. It also frightens me that we could possibly receive enough snow to warrant these stakes. The ones around the island are great because they also have reflective tape on them to warn people coming into the parking lot.

I bought Erik some merino wool leggings to wear under his pants for his winter excursions. They are midweight and for now the temperatures are still warm enough that light weight would be better. We are enjoying the cooler nights and are able to leave a bedroom window open instead of running the air conditioner at night while sleeping. The European way (and Scandanavian) is to bundle your baby in lambs wool fleece and put them in their prams for an afternoon nap outside your house or a cafe where you may meet up with friends. The fresh air is excellent for them and helps to boost their immune systems and promotes healthy sleep habits.

I can attest that being cocooned and then having fresh air blowing over me makes for a great night’s sleep. Personally, I love the connection to nature and it’s healing power.

Being on a mission is all about service. Years ago, our daughter, Leah said to someone that her parents were very hardworking people who love to help others. It’s true, we do try to jump in and give a hand where we can. Being on a temple mission is definitely about service because we help people everyday as they come to worship in the house of the Lord. We are fortunate to have the skills to help out in whatever area we are needed. It was a lovely surprise and joy to see members from our Spanish Branch come to the temple. They are our family here and what joy fills my heart to see them.

I met a gentleman this past week who knows a friend from Alberta. He asked me where I was from and I usually tell people, “Western Canada.” “Yes, but where?” he asked. I told him that our home Stake was Red Deer now. He told me that he knew someone from Olds. Imagine my surprise when he mentioned a dear sister’s name? He has known her for decades. I didn’t know that she was from New York! Our connections are incredible and I feel blessed to know so many people from all the places that we have lived.

This past week, I spent time in the celestial room again and I had specific requests and questions for the Lord. I feel extremely blessed to have those requests answered and dealt with as well as knowing what we are to do when we get home. One of my friends told me, “Cheryl, people aren’t like you and how you receive such specific direction from the Lord. They don’t receive answers like you do.” I was surprised when she told me that because I have been blessed my entire life to have my questions and pleas answered and I thought that it was the same way for everyone.

Erik and I had the priviledge of performing a sealing ordinance for his great grandparents on the Latvian side of his family. His great grandparents are Anton and Marija. As I knelt, I felt Marija put her arm around my shoulders as she knelt next to me. Immediately, the tears started flowing and I felt her love for the service that I was providing. It was a great experience!

We received our assignments for the missionary Thanksgiving dinner. Each couple is to bring a couple of dishes. I agreed to bring a vegetable dish and a dessert. Thus far, I have come up with a spiral veggie tart and pecan pie bars. The next week will determine if any changes need to happen to my plan. I might need to practice beforehand. My children will say, “That’s never stopped you before! You always practiced on our guests!”

I am going to try the recipe from: http://www.bunsenburnerbakery.com

This recipe that I am trying is from: http://www.wellnessbykay.com

My eating style now is grain free so I look for recipes to fit the bill or that I can adapt.

This is what I baked today, Keto Cranberry Orange bread. It turned out well and is a go-to for fresh cranberries.

I’ve decided to sew Christmas pillowcases for the youth and children in our branch (there’s only 7 of them).

There are a variety of poems that you can print and attach when giving them as gifts. I looked on Pinterest and found a few that were appropriate. Here is one:

December brings a magical time, with all sorts of colors, smells and rhyme. Sugar Plum fairies will dance over your bed if you put this special pillowcase under your head. The reason it’s special as you will soon see, is because it’s made with LOVE for you from me. Dreaming of candy canes, Santa and family. Magical times to celebrate daily.

But my favorite is:

This is the poem that I attached to the pillowcases that I gave. So many to choose from!!

I have a quilt with the long armer now. I am excited to get it back and put the binding on. Oh, oh, Erik pressed two bindings for me today. I told him that I’ll make a quilter out of him yet, hahaha! He did say that the binding seemed to go on and on, hahaha!

Don’t you love this? Sometimes it’s hard to get out and give service physically but this quote by Cheryl Esplin shows us that service goes beyond that. Simply doing these things is service. I remember that shortly after getting married, I wanted to set a personal goal and it was to become more patient. I know that you’re all laughing now because you know how that goes. The Lord puts patience testing times in front of you to teach you patience. It didn’t take me long to recognize what was going on and that I was learning. “Oh, I see what you did there, Lord!” seemed to be a familiar thought that was going through my mind. Well, patience was learned.

Maybe pick one thing that you know you could work on to improve. It’s fun to see how the Lord helps you to learn a skill to be of service. Remember that old dogs can learn new tricks; they just have to have the desire to do so and receive the reward of a job well done. To be told by the Savior that I have done a good job is the reward that I look forward to.

Enjoy your week! Stay safe in wintry conditions and put a smile on your face. With a smile on your face, people will wonder what you’ve been up to. I know that my friends choose well, and I love you for that!