Week 42

This is a week full of good things. Monday we did our usual get-ready-for-the-week activities, like laundry, cleaning, and shopping.

Tuesday was my 66^th birthday and the morning began with a knock at our door at 6:40 am with the “surprise” greeting, song, and gifts of fruit and flowers from all the missionaries—it is a part of the missionary culture here. It was fun, the fruit was wonderful and the flowers lovely. Our cute neighbor had decorated our door with a Chinese theme to make us feel at home.  Later in the day our Munich friends called to Begrüssen me with birthday greeting, along with a package that arrived. They are givers! John tells them they are like Heavenly Father--no matter what we do we can't keep up with their giving to us!

 After the temple John had a nap and then we walked down to Schwannenschlößchen for an early dinner—John’s gift to me along with a new cream-colored massage table, sent to our home in SLC to be there when we get back.  Ours here, we are going to give to a wonderful Hungarian brother who is a sealer, and a patriarch in Budapest. He and his wife share our interest in self-help treatments. We are pleased to have found a good home for it when we go. Everywhere we live across this wide world we leave a massage table behind us. They are too expensive to ship home and not very expensive to purchase for the value we get from them in being able to do therapy on our backs and legs.

We enjoyed the walk down, John making good use of his Nordic walking sticks, which really help him walk better. It was a little longer than he normally goes but he wanted to take me and I was happy to go. The weather was lovely and cool when we left but I have learned to always take our umbrella and a jacket along. On our way back up Hainichener Strasse to the temple our bishop (and temple recorder) pulled over to see if we wanted a ride. We gratefully accepted and arrived back home just as the rain came down in torrents. A serendipty for sure!

In the evening we enjoyed phone calls from Adam and Patrick and a birthday email from Chi.  Contact with our kids is always a highlight to our lives. We also got some little letters from some of our grandchildren. It was so fun! I agree with our Kimmy that getting mail is the best! Today, John has been writing to those who have written to us, as well as to others of the grandkids. Between our "Fabulous Famboly Newsletters," phone and SKYPE calls, here and there we get a little contact with those we love.  John calls Pop and Mom Laing every few days and it is always great to hear their voices. How grateful we are for family.

At the temple I worked a lot with the ones replacing me on doing the daily plan and by the week’s end they were flying solo and I found I didn’t miss doing it at all. Instead I am in full swing with designing and inputing into an electronic system for the matron a record (with photo) of all the sister ordinance workers in order to keep up to date on training and performance history. It is a big job, but I think it will be really useful, especially for the new assistants who will be coming soon. It is part of my getting materials ready to work with them to get them oriented to their new responsibilities. If I can complete this quickly enough I want to help John do something similar with his training records for the brethren. 

I have also been helping John in his new role as sealing coordinator. He is enjoying that a lot as well as continuing to train. Life is good. John continues to struggle with his mobility but rests as he can and courageously does his best.

Today we enjoyed our ward conference. I still don’t understand a lot in our meetings, though I do much better at the temple—probably because the Spirit helps me more there. I taught our English Sunday School class on Alma 13–16 and John went to Primary to observe before taking over next Sunday in his new calling as Primary pianist. He will love that! 

After our meetings we had a ward luncheon outside with a super buffet of soups, salads, and desserts. It was a lot of fun.

Life is good and we are happy and grateful for our many many blessings.