Receiving

This morning, someone who just moved into our old ward came over and watched Emi while I packed a few boxes. It was so thoughtful of her to ask for ways she could help and I was able to get a lot done because of her help! A talk I heard in Jerusalem totally changed my perspective on receiving service and so now I try to be better at not only being a good giver but also a good receiver. 

In the afternoon Emi and I went over to our place to meet with the RS President in our new ward. I was so impressed that she reached out and offered to come say "hi." She was so nice and very patient as Emi was crawling and climbing all over the house. At one point Emi made this huge gasp and seemed like she wasn't breathing. I was so grateful the RS President was there! Luckily, Emi was fine in the end, but it gave me a scare.

Between when the RS President came and when I needed to pick up my race packet (I'm going to do the 4th of July 5k) at the rec center (a 3 min walk from our new place!) there was a little space of time, so Emi and I went to the nearby park and hung out for a little bit. I am feeling so excited about our move! I love having so many places nearby!

The view just down the street from us. You can see the rec center poking out in front of the stroller.

Emi loves the swings so much.

Loving this area we get to live in!

Look at this cutie:)

In just an hour or so we're headed out to Utah for Monet's wedding and Stadium of Fire. So many things to look forward to!

*I found the talk given by Brooke R. from Jerusalem. I liked the talk so much I asked her for a copy! The whole talk is so good--but this is just a snippet from it.*

One way to describe the opposite of graciousness in giving and receiving is what I call “score

keeping”. I once had a next door neighbor who was just great. She was nice, thoughtful,

competent, someone I instantly wanted to get to know better. Months passed and I found that

while my friendships with other women in the neighborhood were deepening, I still didn’t feel

any closer to the woman next door, despite regularly interacting with her. She was always quick

to serve my family if I needed her, and yet still this distance. I finally put my finger on the

disconnect when I realized that she never asked me for help, and if I did something nice she was

always quick to acknowledge and repay me with thank you notes, baked goods, or exact change

to repay any favors. She was meticulous about never being indebted to me even when no

reciprocation was expected. This made it hard to feel connected as friends and I found that when

I needed something I rarely turned to her. Instead I called others who had been vulnerable with

me in the past and allowed themselves to be indebted to me. These other friends had no tab that

added up the favors. There was an open “what goes around comes around” karma to our

friendships. We all knew that today we may be the giver, but tomorrow we’d probably be the

receiver. Friendships like this are the stuff heaven is made of. That experience was 6 years and

two houses ago, but I continue to be blessed by it as it taught me so much about how to have

meaningful friendships. I move to a new place and feel the tug to be sure to present myself as

strong and put together, but then I remember that neighborhood and I push against that tendency.

I remember that if I want a friend, I have to be a friend, and a true friend both gives and receives

without keeping score.