I
don't know if I've ever had this problem before. I don't know what to
write about. Cha Cha and KK didn't make it to church yesterday. That
was sad for us. We've called em twice since then and no answer, so we
don't know what happened. When we saw them this week, though, they told
us how much they loved church last Sunday. They were taken aback by
the five of us (four of them being missionaries) there in the foyer to
greet them when they walked in. They're like "It's almost like ya'll
were waitin on us" and we're like "he...heheh......yeahhh" because of
COURSE we were waiting for them. I don't think anyone but other
missionaries understand how exciting it is when investigators actually
show up to church. I saw them in the foyer and almost screamed. They
also said they felt very welcome, by all the new faces that came up and
said hi after sacrament. Cha Cha said she told KK that "This is what's
it's gonna feel like walkin into heaven. It's peaceful, and you'll know
people." I think the belief that you forget everything after death and
won't know anyone in heaven is a sad belief. Don't know why anyone
would wanna believe that. We chuckled when they told us they saw the
deacons lining up and nudged each other to pull out some money, thinking
it was an offering plate. But then it was actually trays of blessed
bread and water for the sacrament, which they said left them feeling
refreshed, and was their favorite part of the meeting. Gotta love when
investigators on their first Sunday recognize what took you like 17
years to understand. So hopefully nothing's wrong and they'll be back
next Sunday! My last in the Florence ward. Crazy. I'm going to miss
so many of these people so much. They really grow on you after 7
months.
I found vanilla pudding in the cupboard the
other day, the kind you cook (I know right? I didn't know not-instant
was a thing) and I got this crazy idea that if I cooked rice too and
combined the two, it would equal rice pudding. Guess what. I was 100%
right. It was delicious.
We spent two hours with a sister in the ward,
helping her clean out her pantry. I'm going to miss the way she
exclaims "Oh mercy!" in true southern-belle style every time she found
another expired item. I geeked out over the retro items (gatorade
powder and jello boxes that look like they were made in the 80's) and we
found a bag of beans that expired the day Sister Dailey's 16 year old
brothers were born. February 1998.
 | |
| We broke the Pinata with barbells and karate chops. Chocolate went flying everywhere and we were very happy!!! |
My dog repellent (gift from the mailman) has proven
to be invaluable. I don't even spray it 9 times out of 10, but I don't
know what we'd do without it. Huge dogs will come bounding toward us
when we're not even close to their driveway, barking like beasts, and
while Sister Dailey freezes with fright and prepares to die, I pull out
my little dog-mace can, point it like a weapon, and tell them hey, we
ain't even on your turf, so back off or you get a facefull. They always
back off.
Sister Dailey gets more points every time I make a
reference she understands. This week is was Thunder, the song by Boys
Like Girls (shout out to my high school obsession). You know the one
that goes,
"Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer,
Do you know you're unlike any other
You'll always be my thunder"
Well
she and I will have been working together from beginning of June to end
of August, so this is officially our companionship song. Plus, I don't
think I've endured as many thunderstorms with anyone else as I have
with her, both of the literal and the emotional variety.
Sister C, elderly less active we've been visiting
for weeks who hasn't come to church yet, was a lot different when we
came over last. Her face didn't look so heavy, and she said she had
something to tell us about. She'd been at the pharmacy to pay for
medications, but her card was mistakenly showing an insufficient
balance. With no other way to pay, and these being very necessary
medications, she was at a complete loss, until the woman in line behind
her hands the guy her own card and pays it off, then turns to Sister C
and says "You've been blessed." She was floored. This is the same
sister who asked God one night, "Where are you? Did you forget about
me?" and the next day me and Sister Creager knocked on her door. This
time, she said "I got this feeling that Heavenly Father does love me.
Just like ya'll said. It was a really sweet feeling." It's the
simplest of doctrines, the most basic of eternal truths, that some of us
so easily forget; and when forgotten, it's so easy to stray. But the
relearning of these things, usually through small and simple means, can
change a person like nothing else can, can turn their hearts and point
them back to the path they'd forgotten. How powerful and how vital is
an understanding of this truth: I am a child of God.
At Zone Conference, our focus was the Book of
Mormon. I made Sister Dailey and the elders read out loud from Ether on
the drive up, because I love the story of the Brother of Jared, and was
reminded how incredible the Book of Mormon is. In such a limited space
of pages, there is SO MUCH packed in. So many stories, so much
doctrine, so much truth, so much consolation and comfort and
chastisement and encouragement, and it's different every time you read
it. During the conference, we practiced ways we can better use it in
our teaching. We all believe this book is true, is the word of God, and
yet we're hesitant sometimes to open it with other people and share
straight out of it. Maybe it's because we're afraid they won't
understand. But if their hearts are open, they'll get something out of
it somehow. That, I have seen happen. I regret not sharing the Book of
Mormon with more of my friends and associates back home, especially
those who were open with me about their personal struggles. I guess I
didn't realize what I had. But now I do, and I'm going to be proactive
about it after my mission. I mean, if I could easily and
enthusiastically talk to a girlfriend about He's Just Not That Into You,
the dating advice book that changed my life, why can't I just as
zealously talk about the Book that changed my life and continues to
change it daily? Something to think about. Also during the conference,
a couple of our leaders finished their instruction by bearing
testimony, and I don't even know what they said, but I closed my eyes
and asked Heavenly Father to reaffirm my testimony of the Book of
Mormon. And He did. It was a sweet feeling. Calm, but powerful. Kind
of like thunder in the distance. Gentle, but immense. I know that the
Book of Mormon is the word of God.
10 And
now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth,
hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in
these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye
will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he
hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do
good.
Now, "power and great glory" may not be a
grand heavenly manifestation, but they are found in the every day things
if you only notice them. The answers to questions, the sweet feelings
of assurance. The Lord is quick to show His hand, is the point I guess I
relearned this week. With Sister C, I was fresh out of ideas of what
we could do for her, how we could help her understand that God knows her
and loves her. And I didn't have to do anything. He took care of it.
I do what I can do, and He does what He can do, always. But you still
have to do what you can do. That's the catch.
Sincerely,
Sister Valdez
So who or what really is a yogi?
Well, it is someone who has dedicated their entire life to yoga; they stand in tree pose for days on rocks and meditate. They probably don’t pay $20 to go to a yoga class. They are sages, and frankly their numbers are few.If you want to discuss what a real yogi is, it is definitely not the Lulelemon-wearing sorority girl who can afford the expensive class fees on a frequent basis. Sure, if you want to call yourself a yogi to identify yourself as someone who practices asana, that is fine by me. You may be in it just for the workout, or maybe you really do appreciate the other aspects to yoga; what it brings to your life besides a healthier body.
In this day and age, yoga is here to help center and ground us in an unstable, frightening society. It can teach us to be nicer to strangers, to smile more often, to calm our minds with our breath, and to embrace our potential and not be discouraged by things we cannot control. That is what is beautiful about yoga in this day and age.
It is not the perfect body, the clothing lines, being vegetarian, or how often you actually get on your mat. It’s about embracing our humanity and making us better people. Definitely not about changing us. We should still be the same person before incorporating yoga into our lives, just in an enhanced form.
Oh, and by the way, yoga is not a “life within a life.” It is a method of living life. And it is nowhere near perfection.
So who or what really is a yogi?
Well, it is someone who has dedicated their entire life to yoga; they stand in tree pose for days on rocks and meditate. They probably don’t pay $20 to go to a yoga class. They are sages, and frankly their numbers are few.If you want to discuss what a real yogi is, it is definitely not the Lulelemon-wearing sorority girl who can afford the expensive class fees on a frequent basis. Sure, if you want to call yourself a yogi to identify yourself as someone who practices asana, that is fine by me. You may be in it just for the workout, or maybe you really do appreciate the other aspects to yoga; what it brings to your life besides a healthier body.
In this day and age, yoga is here to help center and ground us in an unstable, frightening society. It can teach us to be nicer to strangers, to smile more often, to calm our minds with our breath, and to embrace our potential and not be discouraged by things we cannot control. That is what is beautiful about yoga in this day and age.
It is not the perfect body, the clothing lines, being vegetarian, or how often you actually get on your mat. It’s about embracing our humanity and making us better people. Definitely not about changing us. We should still be the same person before incorporating yoga into our lives, just in an enhanced form.
Oh, and by the way, yoga is not a “life within a life.” It is a method of living life. And it is nowhere near perfection.
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