Saying goodbye is a long drawn out process. The beginnings of separation are evident in the shopping list. The question of how long will this item last before we have to buy a new one and if we have too much left over it will have to be thrown out or taken with us. What can be taken with us that will not spoil on the journey and do we really want to take that particular item anyway? So the end product is a smattering of canned goods (that can be transported), sparse freezer items (except for Pizza) and pretty much all else is in its final stages and when they are done, we buy no more until we know if we are to stay longer or go to Keene, New Hampshire.
Clothing is the next item that requires consideration. I cleaned out all the clothes I had for Winter and took them to the missionary conference for recycling with the missionaries. Now my wardrobe is down to bare bones with only two skirts and two tops for Sunday, and 5 shirts and one pair of pants for work. I cleaned out my closet in Arizona before I left so there are not too many clothes there when I get home. I guess getting along with only a few items has been quite an exercise in how to make do with what you have. The only big purchase was the Bubblegum Pink Michelin Man winter coat and I will be taking that home with me because the coat I did have there was 30 years old and frayed and has been on its last legs for quite a while. My kids were so embarrassed for me that they gave me money towards a new coat but I never bought it.
I sort of expected that I would not have to go through this leaving/coming/leaving cycle but I guess it is part of life as a missionary. When was in Japan, it was no big deal to pack what you had into the one suitcase and a carry bag and off you went in the taxi to the next area of labor. If you left anything behind it became the property of the management and used by the new sister who took your place or given to the members or even saved and transported to you via the next missionary conference. But I did not own much on that mission and own even less on this mission. I guess the only big addition to my belongings this mission is the laptop. They were not invented when I was in Japan.
At Dance class, the teacher came up to us and was so grateful to see us. She said that she had a nightmare in that she thought we had left already and she had not been able to say goodbye to us. I guess we will have to announce it when we leave so that those who have befriended us will have a chance to give us hugs and goodbyes. I will be sad to leave this group because they are a lot of fun to be around. On Monday they held class and we danced and danced and it really was an aerobic workout for all of us. The last 10 minutes we did not dance because they put on two records that we have not learned yet and the dances they were doing were very involved. Perhaps in time we will be able to do these intricate dances. The next class will be on Memorial Day holiday and we plan to be in attendance. They are having a big DANCE on the first Saturday in June. The last one was a lot of fun. One man talks to us about his genealogy – next week when I see him I will spend time talking to him about it and see if there is anything I can do to help him.
We had a devotional this past week from Salt Lake City and Elder Bednar was the keynote speaker. He said that this was the Mormon moment but that the real MORMON MOMENT is about to come upon us. I have not the foggiest what he is referring to, but I do sense that we are on a fast track to the closing scenes of the last dispensation. With Mitt Romney running for President of the USA it is exhilarating as well as scary to see the swirling rhetoric of the campaign. Whether Mitt Romney wins or not, is irrelevant. What is exhilarating is that his candidacy has put the church and our beliefs front and center and literally brought the church out into the open. Are we ready for such an event? I hope so. I say that it is scary because we are rather sheltered here on a mission – no TV and no idea what is happening in the world other than what we read in the daily paper and the news headlines on the computer each morning. Most happenings have long since happened by the time we hear about them while we spend our time digitizing.
And we leave this mission in September – right when the campaign could get downright dirty and sly tactics etc.etc. I think I will build safe house for us to live in till it is over.
Perhaps I am really an ostrich and I have this desire to bury my head in the sand. Well, in my backyard in Arizona, there is no sand to bury my head in, so I guess the raised bed vegetable garden will be the venue.
Should I sell tickets to the event?
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