Sharing, are we willing to be shared with?
Greetings...
It has been a good week, kind of quiet on the home front, but good. I have not been anywhere new or exciting, so it will be just one of the normal reports. I have tried to settle back into a normal routine of sorts. But, just when we think things are getting normal something happens to spark the unusual.
Here is my unusual that has made me ponder and think. I don't remember the specific day. I just know it happened. It was kind of weird. The Queen was working downstairs and I was upstairs in my little office. The dogs were both upstairs, but when the knock came on the door, neither one of them did a thing about it. That should have been my first clue. I was in the middle of a discussion with one of my agents, so I did not pay much attention to it. However, when I glances out my window there was a nicely dressed lady standing on the sidewalk, basking in the shade of our trees, just starring at our house. Kind of spooky/weird, but I have learned not to let anything surprise me on our little community. She stood there for several minutes. I wrapped up my discussion with my co-worker and went to the front door.
Note: I have fallen into a bad habit. I don't really get dolled up every day. Some times I go days without even shaving. My normal routine usually starts with a morning workout. I stay in my workout clothes most of the day so I can continue little things when I get bored at work. I lift weights, do some push-ups or sit-ups and such. So, now you have a visual image, whether you wanted it or not, of what I looked like when I went to the door.
I asked if I could help her. Her comment was simply, "I did not think anyone was at home." Weird, why did you just go and stand in front of my house then and stare at the shrubbery, was my first thought, but I remained polite.
She made her way across our lawn and up the front steps. I let her know that I was working from home and again asked if there was something she needed. At that point she pulled a little leaflet from her bag and said she was going around the neighborhood sharing a message from the leaflet about healthy living. She noted that I had probably heard of the leaflet that was published on a regular basis, but wanted to know if she could share it with me.
I gladly accepted the invitation to listen to her message as long as she would be willing to let me share as well. I just happened to have a publication that is printed on a regular basis that had an article also geared towards healthy living. As she could see, I was in my workout clothes and would be interested in learning from every avenue I could to remain healthy.
Her demeanor changed. She was almost glaring at me now. Her comment was, "If you are thinking about sharing a Book of Mormon with me, I already have one and don't need another." I told her I was glad she had one, but that was not my intent. I had a magazine, like hers, that I wanted to share, since she was sharing with me. She responded that she was not interested in anything I had to share. I did not see how this was fair. She told me that if I came to her house sharing, she would possibly be willing to listen. I asked her where she lived and she quietly put the leaflet back in her bag and wished me a good day.
I have pondered this interaction off and on all week. As I read in Alma 21:5-10, I wondered if at times we/I/this lady are not very much like the Amalekite who stood to contend with Aaron. Are we so set in out message that we are not willing to hear the good others might have in their message as well? I wondered if Aaron had spent a little more time trying to understand what the Amalekite believed, see the good in his practices/traditions, and then shared how he believed the same, that he might have had better success. Maybe he would not have. Sometimes we have to be willing to listen in order to share and then we find out that we are both on a good path, happy with where we are, and offer to help if either wants to get to a better path as we see it. There are lots of good people in the world, they are trying to share their goodness just like we are. Let's find common ground and then build upon it. I think we would all be surprised how often we are seeking the same thing, just in a different manner. Hopefully, we are attuned to the spirit enough to know which manner will get us all the way to our desired destination.
Read it, let the spirit guide you in the path you should follow.
As I said, it has been a quiet week.
SnackPack left last Saturday and took on adventures in several western states. We were happy to hear little bits and pieces of his travels along the way, but are glad he is home safe, resting and preparing for the summer of employment to begin tomorrow. After a series of broken engagements and mechanical failures, we think he is glad to be home as well.
The Queen, Professor, and I had the opportunity to help Grandma S move the contents of her pods to her garage. For a single lady with a young teenage gal living in her home, she has a boat load of stuff. Now she just has bigger place for it all to get lost in. Hopefully that does not happen. The Professor said that if we ever move again, she is selling stuff before we load and unload.
We have had a couple evening with Tall Man. We tried to continue a new tradition of game night last week with him and then he dropped in for dinner before attending activities with friends from the Deep West Side. It was nice to have him.
Now we are all sitting here, pondering the Sabbath Day, reviewing Lehi's dream or dreams of our own, and thinking about dinner. I think it is time. Someday soon, we will be able to share with you all as well.
Enjoy your week. Make it the best it can be!
It has been a good week, kind of quiet on the home front, but good. I have not been anywhere new or exciting, so it will be just one of the normal reports. I have tried to settle back into a normal routine of sorts. But, just when we think things are getting normal something happens to spark the unusual.
Here is my unusual that has made me ponder and think. I don't remember the specific day. I just know it happened. It was kind of weird. The Queen was working downstairs and I was upstairs in my little office. The dogs were both upstairs, but when the knock came on the door, neither one of them did a thing about it. That should have been my first clue. I was in the middle of a discussion with one of my agents, so I did not pay much attention to it. However, when I glances out my window there was a nicely dressed lady standing on the sidewalk, basking in the shade of our trees, just starring at our house. Kind of spooky/weird, but I have learned not to let anything surprise me on our little community. She stood there for several minutes. I wrapped up my discussion with my co-worker and went to the front door.
Note: I have fallen into a bad habit. I don't really get dolled up every day. Some times I go days without even shaving. My normal routine usually starts with a morning workout. I stay in my workout clothes most of the day so I can continue little things when I get bored at work. I lift weights, do some push-ups or sit-ups and such. So, now you have a visual image, whether you wanted it or not, of what I looked like when I went to the door.
I asked if I could help her. Her comment was simply, "I did not think anyone was at home." Weird, why did you just go and stand in front of my house then and stare at the shrubbery, was my first thought, but I remained polite.
She made her way across our lawn and up the front steps. I let her know that I was working from home and again asked if there was something she needed. At that point she pulled a little leaflet from her bag and said she was going around the neighborhood sharing a message from the leaflet about healthy living. She noted that I had probably heard of the leaflet that was published on a regular basis, but wanted to know if she could share it with me.
I gladly accepted the invitation to listen to her message as long as she would be willing to let me share as well. I just happened to have a publication that is printed on a regular basis that had an article also geared towards healthy living. As she could see, I was in my workout clothes and would be interested in learning from every avenue I could to remain healthy.
Her demeanor changed. She was almost glaring at me now. Her comment was, "If you are thinking about sharing a Book of Mormon with me, I already have one and don't need another." I told her I was glad she had one, but that was not my intent. I had a magazine, like hers, that I wanted to share, since she was sharing with me. She responded that she was not interested in anything I had to share. I did not see how this was fair. She told me that if I came to her house sharing, she would possibly be willing to listen. I asked her where she lived and she quietly put the leaflet back in her bag and wished me a good day.
I have pondered this interaction off and on all week. As I read in Alma 21:5-10, I wondered if at times we/I/this lady are not very much like the Amalekite who stood to contend with Aaron. Are we so set in out message that we are not willing to hear the good others might have in their message as well? I wondered if Aaron had spent a little more time trying to understand what the Amalekite believed, see the good in his practices/traditions, and then shared how he believed the same, that he might have had better success. Maybe he would not have. Sometimes we have to be willing to listen in order to share and then we find out that we are both on a good path, happy with where we are, and offer to help if either wants to get to a better path as we see it. There are lots of good people in the world, they are trying to share their goodness just like we are. Let's find common ground and then build upon it. I think we would all be surprised how often we are seeking the same thing, just in a different manner. Hopefully, we are attuned to the spirit enough to know which manner will get us all the way to our desired destination.
Read it, let the spirit guide you in the path you should follow.
As I said, it has been a quiet week.
SnackPack left last Saturday and took on adventures in several western states. We were happy to hear little bits and pieces of his travels along the way, but are glad he is home safe, resting and preparing for the summer of employment to begin tomorrow. After a series of broken engagements and mechanical failures, we think he is glad to be home as well.
The Queen, Professor, and I had the opportunity to help Grandma S move the contents of her pods to her garage. For a single lady with a young teenage gal living in her home, she has a boat load of stuff. Now she just has bigger place for it all to get lost in. Hopefully that does not happen. The Professor said that if we ever move again, she is selling stuff before we load and unload.
We have had a couple evening with Tall Man. We tried to continue a new tradition of game night last week with him and then he dropped in for dinner before attending activities with friends from the Deep West Side. It was nice to have him.
Now we are all sitting here, pondering the Sabbath Day, reviewing Lehi's dream or dreams of our own, and thinking about dinner. I think it is time. Someday soon, we will be able to share with you all as well.
Enjoy your week. Make it the best it can be!
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