Okay, so it has been WAY too long since I've written on this thing... I keep telling myself I'll do better, but for some reason I never really get around to "doing better". I am a world class procrastinator, what can I say? Anyway, I don't really want to dwell on the negative, so I'll get on with it. However, this post is long overdue, and I don't really know where to start...
The concept of "Wow Moments" was introduced to me by a wonderful lady named Joanne Twitchell, whom I met on my mission while serving in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Every time I saw her she would relate to me some experience she had had that day that could only be described with the word "wow". It could be anything-- a beautiful sunrise, a bike ride down by the river, something funny or profound that one of her children had said or done, or something extremely peculiar and out of the ordinary. Her life was full of these moments, and her example caused me to see that special things happen every day and that, if we're paying attention, those experiences will help us realize how blessed we are to be alive.
I have had some "Wow Moments" within the last couple months that I've been wanting to record... hopefully I can remember them all! I hope to make a sort of tradition out of this, so don't be surprised if I post under this topic more than once. Anyway, enough rambling...
Old people moments:
I've had a few of those. One happened as I was getting on the plane to head home for Christmas. Near the front was a very distinguished looking gentleman who also looked shockingly like a corpse... he sat there with a big glued-on grin that I at first thought was very nice and friendly, but subsequently creeped me out. His dark suit, hollow cheeks, and perfectly combed hair made him look as though he might have just rolled out of the mortuary. It was kind of disturbing.
*While I was home for Christmas my mom and I attended the temple. A temple worker stood at the front of the room and asked for anyone who might need special help or assistance to please raise their hand. The elderly woman in the row in front of me leaned over to the woman next to her and practically shouted, "I knew I shoulda worn my hearin' aide today! I didn't hear a word he just said!" My mom and I had to avoid looking at eachother so we wouldn't laugh. It didn't work very well.
*I overheard a woman the other day mentioning how she likes Mitt Romney so much that she thinks he has a good chance of being the next new apostle. Don't get me wrong, Romney is a good guy but... wow.
Trinity Moments:
*My two-year-old niece, Trinity, is one of my best friends. With her, almost every experience is a "Wow Moment" because she is so intelligent and cute! Whether she's singing, having a tea party, making you hold every single stuffed animal she owns at the same time, reading/listening to a book, or having a conversation with you, she has a tendancy to remind a person of how beautiful and simple life truly is. The other day I was talking to her on the phone and mentioned I had just painted my toenails. She replied in a very interested tone, "Ooh! What color??" after which she promply changed the subject to, "I'm standing on a rock right now!" I have to say, I'm astounded that I can even have a conversation with a two-year-old on the phone, even if it can be a little disjointed.
Speaking of little kids... tonight while I was at school three little boys (about 11-years old) wandered into the kitchen and immediately made friends with the Chef. There is a state wrestling tournament going on this week, and I guess they were tired of watching and decided to find something more interesting to do. They ended up staying the whole time and Chef Troy let them help make sausage and taste-test the ice cream and learn how to grill a steak. On Thursdays we do a test run of everything we will be serving the next day in the restaurant, so we invited them to stay for dinner and sample all the goods. After the meal was over and we were clearing the table, I noticed a little stack of quarters. One of the boys noticed it too, and asked his friend "Hey, whose quarters are those?" The other boy turned a little red and whispered, "I left them there, y'know..." and he shrugged. "Oh, you left 'em a tip. Good idea." his friend replied. I'm pretty sure there wasn't more than 75 cents there... but someone is raising their kids right.
Okay, this is getting really long, and I know there were more things I wanted to write, but perhaps they will have to wait until another time. Just one more thing... this is far overdue, but I
have to say that this past Christmas I realized more than ever before the significance of celebrating the birth of Christ. I mean, I've always known that we celebrate Christmas in honor of him, and we focus on the unique circumstances surrounding his birth and the angels that sang and the humble dwelling in which he was born, and the gifts that were given. But this year it really hit me that its not so much about his birth, or even the exemplary life that he led, but I celebrate the birth of Christ because of his death. Because with His death He fulfilled
all that He came here to do; with His death He overcame death for all of the rest of us and made possible for us that which we could never achieve by ourselves. With His selfless sacrifice he
became the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Lately I have really felt the significance of that, for it shows that God truly keeps His promises. I am thankful for Jesus Christ and the gift that He so willingly gave. I think that is something worth celebrating all year long.
