It Could Be Worse

Sunday, January 19, 2014

As I think back on this past week, I am grateful I live in this time in the history of the world.  We enjoy so many blessings as a result of technological advancements in our day.  There are a few inconveniences and discomforts, but we have it pretty good, especially in this part of the world.  The weather can be extremely cold or hot, but I have a comfortable apartment to live in.  We experience wind and rain a lot, but we have a comfortable car to drive in as we drive to our appointments.  Granted, it was frustrating when the windshield wipers weren't working properly or when the tail light connection came loose and my turn signal didn't work properly, but it could be a lot worse.  I could be without a GPS!  That would be a worst case scenario.  It is bad enough sometimes even with the GPS when we get in areas that the GPS doesn't recognize.

At 8:00 a.m. this morning when we were getting ready to leave for church, Sister Boone said, "Aren't you going to wear a coat?"  I said, I have this blazer on.  I think I will be okay."

She said, "Okay.  Well if you are going to be tough, so will I."  It was actually only about 29 degrees outside, but I was counting on the car being warm enough to make up the difference.  It was a bit more uncomfortable than I thought it would be at first, but I didn't want to admit it.  I asked Sister Boone if she was sure she didn't want to go back in and get a coat as I was getting the car started. 

Again she said, "Do you want one?"

I said, "No.  I am okay."  So she said she would be alright too.  She is always the one that takes off her coat as soon as we get going because it is too hot for her.  The worst part was the cold steering wheel and gearshift, but we were only uncomfortable for a few miles before the car warmed up.

I felt to give thanks for our comfortable transportation later in the day when we saw an Amish buggy on the highway.  We don't often see them on the main highway.  I am sure he was not quite as comfortable as we were, but I discovered that they do have buggies that are enclosed and thus a little more comfortable in adverse weather conditions.

(Not the buggy we saw, but similar)

We saw a farmhouse today that had an outdoor clothesline, and what is more, there were actually clothes hung out to dry.  You don't see that very often anymore.  We talked about the fun part of having outdoor clothes lines when we were young, that being climbing on said clothes lines.  We used to hang from the T-posts as though they were put their expressly for our gymnastic entertainment.

Then we talked about the not so fun part of having to hang the clothes on the line.  I loved the smell of air-dried linens but didn't exactly love the process of achieving it.  Denise and I had to hang out laundry from a very young age.  We had to stand on a chair to even reach the lines, so it took twice as long to do the job.  We were constantly climbing on and off of the chair to drag it across the yard as we went along.  Mom's clothespin apron was too long for us to reach the pockets if we tied it around our waists, so we tied the apron strings in a bow and hung it around our necks.  It wasn't extremely fun, but it was satisfying to see the lines finally filled with clean clothes.  It was equally disappointing when an unexpected rainstorm caught us unawares and we would have to run out and grab the clothes off the line in an attempt to gather them in before they got too wet.

Sister Boone and I then had a conversation about our experiences with washing machines and clothes dryers, cook stoves and ovens, and refrigerators and freezers over the years.  How blessed we are to have these conveniences.  Just the other day, we had an opportunity to help one of the ward sisters because of the very fact that we have a washer and dryer in our apartment.  One of the sisters recently had shoulder surgery and is not able to use her right arm.  At the end of our visit we asked if there was anything that we could do to help her.  She said it has been hard for her to keep up with the laundry.  Sister Boone offered to help start a batch of laundry.  Then it dawned on her that we could be a lot more helpful if we just took her clothes home with us and washed them at home and returned them the next day.  That way we could do a lot more than just start a batch and leave.  This we were able to do and she was grateful for the help.  This week we are going to stop by and leave a meal for her and her husband so that he doesn't have to eat oatmeal and peanut butter for every meal.  I guess that has been his meal of choice lately.

Another marvel that I thought about with gratitude today is improved communication.  The internet is a wonderful source of learning that I am grateful to have access to while I am on my mission.  Since Sister Boone will be leaving soon, I have been researching to see what I want to do about my internet service when she is gone; whether to keep Verizon or get another service and whether to get a TV plan or not for my next companion.

I love talking with my children on the phone.  It helps me feel a little closer to them and get a glimpse at their daily activities.  I even got to view over the internet as my granddaughter, Shelem, participated in a drill team competition yesterday at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.  Alvin was filming it and it was broadcast over a local television channel that is available via internet.  At one point, he sent a text that said the music was so loud it was vibrating the platform that he was on and making the picture blurry.  I could only smile as I turned down the volume on my computer.  How convenient!

It was fun to see a few close ups of Shelem and see the excitement of their team when they were announced as 5th place, 5th place, and 1st place winners in the three categories.  I also got to see a picture of Kasidy via cellphone as she attended her first cheerleading competition in Salt Lake City.  I also had the opportunity to talk on the phone with little Emma Rose who turned four years old yesterday.

I like to listen to the background noise when I talk on the phone with the kids.  I picture in my mind what else might be going on beyond what is being said.  For instance, today it was Alex that I was talking to.  It was something like this:

Me:  "Blah, blah, blah, blah."

Alex:  "Blah, blah, blah…Graham, please get down from there."

Me:  "Blah, blah, blah, blah."

Alex:  Blah, blah, blah…Reed, be careful."

I wondered what they were doing, but though I was enjoying our conversation, I thought at that point it might be a good idea to let Alex turn his full attention to his family.  For sure we will talk later.  Great for technology!

I would like to close this epistle on technology to express my gratitude for my Savior.  I am grateful to be his personal representative in Maryland for the time being.  All that we are and all that we have are a gift from God.  I bear witness that Jesus Christ lives and loves us enough to die for us.  May we love him enough to live for him.