Taking Back the Knack

Taking Back the Knack

©2017 Susan Noyes Anderson

I think I may have lost the knack

that surely was my stock in trade

in days gone by. The years have made

me less adept. I've gone off track.

Relationships: I had a gift

of sensing need, meeting it well.

But lately, I am empty shell,

and every comer gets short shrift.

Oh granted, things are crazy here.

A drooping sun. A spinning moon.

Wheels of (mis)fortune turn too soon.

No respite. Toxic atmosphere.

Machine gun miseries from all.

A clip of trouble raining down.

Can't keep my people off the ground.

Can't always see them when they fall.

It rankles when I fail to see.

Not used to it. Don't like it much.

I'm fading, dropping balls and such.

Not quite the force that once was me.

Used up. Burned out. Like melted wax.

Point taken. I'm no northern star.

But they're my heart. Straight up, they are.

And I'll not drop them through the cracks.

for more poems, click below

A Zeal for Giving

Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

Z = A Zeal for Giving

I'm sure most of you have read about, received, and participated in random acts of kindness. Recently, I ran across a video of someone happily picking up the tab for the person behind him at a drive-through restaurant. Especially heartwarming was the fact that his generosity sparked a chain of giving he hadn't anticipated. Those who were given a free lunch decided, quite spontaneously, to pass that blessing along. For a few minutes, all the receivers became givers, with every driver paying for the occupants of the car behind him. We often call this type of activity "paying it forward," but this was definitely "paying it backward!" ;) Either way, what made the situation stand out in my mind was this: the positive action of an individual motivated positive action by an entire group––namely, the long line of people who ended up taking part (aka the "snowball effect.")

This snowball effect really got me thinking. We've all heard stories about undesirable mob behavior, where one person begins to act out in violent or destructive fashion and pretty soon others jump on the bandwagon. Vandalism after a World Series victory might be one example of this, as would the Rodney King attack in Los Angeles a few years ago. There is plenty of evidence to show that bad behavior in one person sort of creates a "safe place" for bad behavior in another, and I have often seen that subject discussed on television and in the press.

Far less frequent is any discussion about the upside of group dynamics: "desirable" mob behavior. (Don't you love the concept of a benevolent mob?) It is heartening to note that our good actions can steer others in a positive direction too, even when it is not something they, as individuals, would normally do. For example, if I let an elderly or pregnant woman with a full shopping cart go ahead of me in line, is it not more likely that the person in front of me will do the same?...and maybe even the person in front of her? I like the idea that one person's kindness creates a breeding ground for group kindness. 

Going to the head of the line when you are tired and uncomfortable may seem like a small thing, but there are wider applications. What about the people on Flight 93 that rushed the cockpit and tried to overcome the terrorists? We don't know for sure who took the first step, perhaps Mark Bingham, but others in the group rose to the occasion. During the Holocaust, when the Krepec family in Poland risked their lives to hide 30 Jewish citizens in their home, the people of their town could have protected themselves and their loved ones by reporting them. Instead, they got on board, putting their own futures on the line by supporting the Krepecs with meals, relief, and most of all, silence. 

You've heard the saying, paraphrased from Mahatma Gandhi, to "Be the change you want to see in the world." More specifically, maybe we need to "Be the goodness we want to see in the world." One thing's for certain, our kind acts are more powerful than we know. Are we ready to lead the way?

for more Z posts, click below

Service with a Smile

Seems like these photos are perfect for Leigh's Happiness Project this week. Why? Because working together for a common goal is the very best kind of happiness!

Each year, the LDS Church in California asks all of its 156 stakes to participate in a massive service effort to accomplish something great for their individual communities. This time around, my husband's young single adult ward, in cooperation with the rest of the members in our area, dedicated their energies to helping the local community college work on several tasks that its full-time groundskeepers haven't had time to accomplish. This is a large campus with an abundance of natural vegetation, so there was plenty to do. Seeing over 250 great people coming together to serve their community made me smile...Does it have the same effect on you?

 Just step right up... And sign in, please.

You just might get to prune some trees.

 This lovely guy will lead the way,

and tell you what to do today.

Just grab those rakes and trowels, my friends;

the joy of service never ends.

(It's even better, done with friends!)

This cool guy came, chainsaw in hand,

and this one joined our merry band.

My hubby, pictured on the right,

was bolstered by the happy sight

of willing helpers, tall and small,

who volunteered to give their all.

These lovely ladies donned their gloves

and this guy pushed his broom, because

they want our close community

to be the best that it can be.

So grab your spade, your axe, your hoe...

or maybe just your wheelbarrow...

and find a "service op" near you.

 

(Hey, you might score a hot dog, too!)

click below for more happiness

Labor of Love and Unity

Boy, have I got a post to write, and I hope I can do it justice. Yesterday we had a job to do that I wasn't excited about at all (in fact, I feared and dreaded it). As is often true when the Lord is involved, it turned out to be a spiritual experience the likes of which I haven't had in a long while. You see, feeding 2,000 young adults was my idea of a logistical nightmare. My husband and I did not begin to know how to do it, and neither did most of the people (experts all) we consulted. The number seemed to boggle everyone's mind, ours included, and we approached yesterday's assignment with considerable trepidation.

What I observed is that personal growth and the joy of service are directly proportional to time and effort expended (sweat equity, I guess you could say). And what I learned is that the Lord rewards sacrifice in coin far more valuable than our meager offerings. My almost tangible takeaway was a feeling of love, belonging, and unity so intense it will warm me for days to come (months and years, maybe). You see, 40 of our good friends got up at 6:00 am on a Sunday to come and spend all morning and a fair portion of the afternoon helping us make a delicious meal happen for a couple of thousand young people who had dedicated their weekend to learning more about the Lord, each other, and themselves. And what a wonderful spirit we encountered when we opened the doors of the tri-stake center (next to the Oakland temple) to begin our preparation for the conference. But that was only the beginning.

What touched me most (besides our wonderful speakers, of course) was the camaraderie of the amazing helpers at my side, along with the sincere gratitude of the young adults we served. (During sacrament meeting, which we took a small break to attend, one of the young men became very emotional as he expressed his appreciation to us.) As for our food-prep posse, we did our work in three small rooms with the dividers opened to create one very long one. Initially, we wondered if we shouldn't set ourselves up in the gym, but it was finally decided that these rooms would be our best bet, and boy, did that bet pay off. The intimacy of working together in close quarters allowed us to enjoy one another, hear most of what was said, and keep each other happy while we worked. We toiled together in perfect unity, our assembly line a well-oiled machine and our hearts filled with purpose and good feeling. At one point, an old and dear friend of mine broke into the song "Celebration," and it was. This was a celebration of the very best part of each person there, and I was proud that I belong to and with them.

I can't even begin to list all of the friends that, while not involved in the food preparation on Sunday, helped Dave and me in other ways by such things as renting a refrigerated truck, accompanying us to Restaurant Depot to purchase the supplies on their membership card, coming along to pick up the grocery order, washing (and packaging and crisping) lettuce for the hoagies, baking 2,000 cookies, brainstorming, listening, empathizing, and generally supporting us in every way imaginable. I'm quite sure they saved Dave's and my sanity (such as it is).

The entire event ran smoothly as clockwork, and when we walked out the door at 4:00 pm, I felt a feeling of joy and satisfaction that is impossible to describe. What a blessing it is to work for and with the young people of this marvelous church. And how grateful my husband and I are to belong a tightly-knit community like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with all the gifts and opportunities for service and friendship that provides.

Our hearts are knit together in love.

And now...for the picture show:

The gang...

a greater work crew you will never see.

It was incredible,

like an old-fashioned barn raising...

except we were raising gourmet deli sandwiches...

and sandwiches...

and MORE sandwiches.

And then we were feeding...

and feeding...

ham sandwiches,

cheese sandwiches,

turkey and roast beef sandwiches.

The line of hungry people kept coming...

and coming.

They began to fill up the gymnasium.

And once the gymnasium was full...

they spilled outside onto the temple grounds.

(Sorry, should have gotten a picture of that but never made it outside with the camera.)

Looks like this young lady lost track of her friends.

But that's okay, because she had plenty more surrounding her.

=)

What a wonderful, wonderful day!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped us.

We love you all.

Disappearing Act

I have to apologize for my disappearing act, not just in posting but in visiting your blogs. I am missing you all, but between vacation, my husband's retirement, and church work, we are constantly on the run.

In fact, we've returned home from a great week with the family at Newport Beach just in time to begin preparing for what is literally the biggest assignment of our lives: feeding 2,500 young adults Sunday dinner for our segment of a youth conference that will be held statewide in California on the weekend of August 10th. Figuring out the logistics of that task is simply mind-boggling, and we are fully immersed in pricing, ordering, finding volunteers for the kitchen, and just plain preparing ourselves psychologically to get the job done. To be honest, both of us are nervous wrecks. (Can you say deer in the headlights?...to say nothing of the blind leading the blind?) Seriously, we don't have a clue! Loaves and fishes, anyone??

We do look forward to the conference, though, and since one of our own sons will be among the beneficiaries, we do have a dog in the race. Lots of them, actually, if you count everyone in my husband's congregation. This is a wonderful chance for all these young people to get together, meet new people, and have the kind of spiritual experiences they need. I know we will love being a part of it, especially once all of this preliminary food planning has been done.

Saturday we will be in Tahoe, where the hubby will perform a marriage ceremony for two of our son's best friends. We will also visit my brother and his wife, who were married last year. They are a rather well-merged "Brady Bunch" family, and I am looking forward to seeing their newly remodeled house. (They were bursting at the seams and had to do some serious expanding!)

On the home front, I am enjoying Dave's retirement so far, and so is he. What a pleasure it is to be able to wake up with the luxury of planning our day together. We haven't quite gotten the rhythm down yet (hence my recent tendency to lag in blogging and commenting), but we will sure have fun figuring it all out as we go along!

Life is good, albeit a little hectic. At least we're in demand, right? (Not bad for a couple of old geezers like us...)

;)

A Day of Service

I thought you guys might be interested in seeing this video made by one of the young men in my husband's congregation. It chronicles our activities last Saturday and the Mormon Helping Hands service project that church members young and old across California participated in to help their communities. One of our assignments was to clear brush from the area surrounding our local college. I hope you take a look at it. The guy with the funny look on his face is my hubby!

=)

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

Lots of things going on, and I know that I haven't been posting much of "real life" lately (my apologies to the non-poetry-lovers among us), so I'll just catch you up a bit, in case you're wondering if I still have friends, family, and the young single adult ward in my life! (Answer: yes, I do.)

My daughter Karin and I spent the morning at Kaiser yesterday, where she underwent an exploration of her reproductive system to see why she and her husband are having trouble conceiving a child. She said she is quite comfortable having me share the rather interesting results with you, so I will take a moment to explain that she has two cervixes and two uteri. Other than that fairly remarkable departure from the norm, everything is fine and dandy, so the docs will probably be helping things along a little with IUI (intra-uterine insemination) in the left uterus, which seems to have a better cervix. The issue, for a person with two smaller uteri rather than one large one, is going to be trying to avoid twins (no room at the womb!) and then keep even the one baby from coming too early. Her situation will be sort of like a person with a regular uterus having twins; she will be prone to deliver ahead of time due to limitations on growing space for the fetus. All in all; the doctors are hopeful...and so are we.

On Friday, our cute grandson (Jeremiah) will be flying to San Francisco on his own for a "baseball trip" given to him by his Uncle Ryan for Christmas. Pretty cool gift, right? Apparently, the J-man is really looking forward to spending some quality time with his uncle, and we intend to horn in on it a bit towards the end. (They will come our way to attend church with us and have Sunday dinner before leaving for the airport near our home.) We were supposed to attend a baseball game with them on Friday, but we aren't sure if we will make that because we are trying to attend a funeral out of town if Dave can arrange his work schedule to be out of the office for that day. Sometimes we wish we could clone ourselves and be in three places at the same time, but so far, we haven't figured that out. My sister and her husband will be staying with us Saturday night on their way home from Sacramento, and we can't wait to spend a little time with them, too.

In other news, we'll be attending the temple tonight with the singles ward, then hitting In-N-Out with the whole gang on the way home, as is our custom. Last weekend, our service-oriented crew participated in Mormon Helping Hands, an annual event where approximately 75,000 church members across California and Hawaii volunteered en masse to benefit their communities. Our young people were assigned to clear brush and trim trees in the area surrounding the local community college, and we had a great turn-out of enthusiastic helpers. By all accounts, local leaders in both states are bowled over by the numbers of people who show up, and they thoroughly enjoy finding ways to put the eager beavers to work. It's a wonderful experience for everyone concerned.

Other than that, we are looking forward to visiting my mom this month and attending a nephew's wedding while we're there. Happily, all of our kids will be with us. Nothing better than getting the whole group together, and we will also be celebrating my birthday. I will be turning 60 on the 31st...a whole new decade for me!

Looks like May is shaping up to be another busy one...

=)