One half cup friendship and add a cup of thoughtfulness. Cream together with a pinch of powdered tenderness, very lightly beaten, in a bowl of loyalty, with a cup of faith, one of hope and one of charity. Be sure to add a spoonful each of gaiety that sings and also ability to laugh at all the little things. Moisten with the sudden tears of heartfelt sympathy. Bake in a good-natured pan, and serve repeatedly.
It has been a roller coaster ride of a week...so hold on to your seats for it may be a bumpy ride.
First stop, the Enchanted Oaks Resort
where they are always willing to donate surplus furniture to benefit the missionaries.
Almost all our unhappiness is the result of comparing ourselves to others.
On the move again!
We have three senior missionary couples to prepare for and two apartments to furnish before the end of the month.
So, with the help of many, we are racing around picking up furniture here and there hoping to make their new apartments homes.
The surest way to make yourself happy is to make someone else happy.
Sister Well's parents, from Canada, stopped by the Mission Office while on a golfing vacation Monday afternoon, to drop off a "little something" for their daughter. It just so happened that our Senior Missionary District Meeting was scheduled to meet that evening fairly close by so we made arrangements to meet her and her companion on the side of the road between two highways to make a special delivery.
One of our various stops this week was to DeLand to pick up, what else, more furniture, and to talk to the Elders and get some of their suggestions regarding where they would like to relocate since their apartment lease was up soon and they needed to be closer to their assigned area.
Do you always want to be right or do you want to be happy?
The DeLand Zone Leaders, Elder Vance and Elder Hirschi chatting it up with Elder Gordon in between moving furniture in to the Daytona Beach apartment in preparation of Elder and Sister Boynton, from Utah, due to arrive at the end of the month.
Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.
It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.
Sisters Ward and Petersen lending a helping hand in setting up the senior missionary apartment in Daytona Beach.
A "replacement" kitchen table for the DeLand Elders.
A new dresser to replace the "pretty" old one.
New study chairs as a peace offering :)
Elder Busath and Elder and Sister Gordon taking a well deserved break after first setting up the senior apartment in Daytona Beach and then returning to the DeLand Elder's apartment and rearranging it after we had to do a bit of "rob Peter to pay Paul". We switched out the Elder's large kitchen table, chairs and large dresser and now it was time to replace them and tidy up the place a bit.
On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 10:37 a.m. California time,
weighing in at 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long,
Wade Arthur Peterson, was born to Jake and Samantha Peterson, our youngest daughter and wonderful son in law!
Long story short, Sam had to have a C Section in San Francisco and Wade had a problem with "wet lungs" landing him in the NICU for a few days, but as of today, Saturday, both Mom and baby are doing great and hope to be able to go home tomorrow.
(Prayers are answered)
No one is guaranteed happiness.
Life just gives each person time and space.
it is up to us to fill it with joy!
It was time to take inventory at the Laver Lane duplex garage and load up the trailer once again, this time for our trip to the Lake Mary area where we would be setting up an apartment for another senior couple, the Johnson's, also from Utah.
Happiness is nothing more than health and a poor memory-Albert Schweitzer
The three Musketeers!
These wonderful missionaries will do just about anything for the price of a Polar Pop.
People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.
Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.
Wallace and Raelynn Western, our new Senior Missionary couple from Alpine, Utah arrived on Thursday and have been assigned to serve for the next 18 months in the Leesburg area. They decided to bring their home with them, all 30 feet of it!
The table and chairs we switched out with the DeLand Elders.
It actually has a hidden leaf inside, perfect for a senior couple hosting missionary meetings or family dinners.
Unfortunately the above pictures are great examples of how looks can be deceiving. We were all prepared to set up the new apartment in the Lake Mary area for the senior couple on Friday only to discover that the apartment was not ready.
Usually the move in check in list is a formality and we complete it in minutes. This time the list of "unacceptable" items was long and filled the front and back of the form. The oven was filthy, the carpet stained, the sliding glass door didn't slide...
It was very disappointing and if we weren't pressed for time we would have loaded the trailer back up right then and there and requested another apartment immediately. As it turned out we did suggest that they locate another apartment, but gave them until Wednesday so we shall see. I wish I could say that "customer service" is exceptional in Florida, but let's just say that they have room for improvement and leave it at that.
It's Saturday and yes we are still looking for places to house our missionaries,
even on our "P" Day.
This place in Poinciana was originally a three bedroom home, but it appeared that a wall had been removed to make a bigger master bedroom. It looked like a good possibility for our missionaries and after driving for 45 minutes to meet with an actual agent it would have been nice to have been able to actually see the inside of the house, but the agent stood us up! When we called to find out if he was on his way, his response was that he got tied up at the office.
No apology, no, I will be right there, just it is what it is.
So Florida!
Needless to say we don't plan to reschedule,
at least with that particular agent.
We actually spent the remainder of the afternoon looking at a few more possibilities and then headed over to the Kissimmee area to try and find an apartment for the Elders there. Sadly it wasn't a very successful day as far as locating new residences, but the weather was amazing and there is always next week.
As I mentioned before the week has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs,
highs and lows, happiness and discouragement.
The highs of course beginning with the birth of our new little grandson, Wade; celebrating the birthday of grandson Dax, born on the very same day 8 years before; celebrating daughter Katie's birthday and hearing the plans of her upcoming wedding; and then welcoming Elder and Sister Western. To the lows of being a little homesick, moving more furniture, trying to find apartments with little success and trying to be patient with poor customer service.
Charles Dickens once said, "Reflect on your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."
Do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive?
Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings,
but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love.
We are all familiar with the lyrics, "If you're happy and you know it then your face will surely show it. Well in closing I just have one little piece of advice that I recently learned that proved to be very helpful when faced with an emotional packed week such as mine, smile!
When it seemed like I couldn't handle one more thing someone would come out of nowhere with a smile and a hug and it made everything seem less overwhelming.
"If you don't have a smile I will give you one of mine"
Make it a great week!
See you later.....
No comments:
Post a Comment