A Bumpy Road to Sunday Serenity

I take my family to church every week. As a matter of fact, in over a year and a half, I’ve missed 3 Sundays; one stake conference and two days when my grandma passed away, and I went to the mainland for a week. So, for me, Sundays are a day to get away from everyday life. To focus on my faith, my family, and build my spiritual reservoirs for the week ahead. I can’t remember a time when I just wanted to get up and leave church. I’m usually running toward church, not away. I feel good being there and am always glad that I’ve gone.

So, yesterday, when we were rushing to church, I was ok. When I “unknowingly” pulled into a handicap spot, then caught my scarf in the mechanism of the van door and it wouldn’t budge, I was dipping, but still ok. Tugging and tugging, a little help from a passerby, and I was able to get it closed. Then, when I finally got inside, Sabrina said there were no seats.

Row after row were “saved” by scriptures and bags, and a few people here and there. So, we ended up sitting in one that just had some sheet music sitting on the bench. Turns out, I think it was being saved by a member of the bishopric for his family. (Doesn’t everyone know that scriptures are the agreed upon “savers” for a bench in church?) I felt a little bad over that…

Anyway, I was walking down the aisle and one of my leaders told me that an activity we’d been working on for over 6 months (and had already been thwarted twice) was going to be cancelled by a newly scheduled stake emergency fair on the same date, I was definitely NOT ok.

I went out to move my car…(in my feeble defense, the handicap symbol was faded and not readily seen). I actually thought about driving away, to just keep going, and crawl back in bed. But my 3 kids sat on a bench awaiting my return. So, I sucked it up, and went back inside.

I sat through the meeting, really trying to not let this news get the best of me. Following which, I ran into one of my daughter’s leaders and was informed that the girls camp that had been cancelled was now being done on a ward level, and the cost per girl is going to be $200.PER.GIRL. AAAACK!

A friend caught up to me and asked “how’s it going…?” Wrong timing…A series of unfortunate events were scheming to steal my Sunday serenity. Instead of my spiritual tank being filled, it had been drained. I wish I could not be frustrated. I wish I could be more flexible. I wish that I harbored no ill will toward those putting me in the position of regretting going to church today. But, I’m not that person, not yet…

I actually made it through the three hours of meetings. Without too many silent tears, I’m proud to add. When we pulled into our shared driveway, and our new neighbor was getting her girls out of the car, I was really just focused on just getting in the house and letting it all out. When Sabrina commented that “we need to meet our new neighbor.” I replied with a snarky, “so you can play with her little kids?” Even as I said it, I felt a little bad.

The kids went into the house, and I stuck around to make sure all of our church gear made it out of the car. The neighbor came back out to clean out her car, and asked me where I went to church. I told her it was an LDS church in the Halawa area. She asked if it was far, and what ward we were in. **LIGHTBULB** (Not many non-LDS people even know the word “ward”.) So, I asked if she was LDS. She said she’d grown up in an LDS family, and her daughter that will come for the summer goes to church.

I told her that I could give her information or let her follow me to church some week. She then asked me, “How about next week?” I may have actually dropped my jaw to the ground. What an amazing interaction! Prompted by my 14 year old daughter’s sweet spirit. Thank goodness she was in-tune, when I was not. A day that had been one disappointment after another had turned out to be a glorious opportunity to help someone that may have been looking for something.

I believe the Lord puts people in our path that need us, and that sometimes we need to be needed. After this experience, I was able to spend my Sunday evening trying to fill my reserves back up.  Instead of letting the day get the best of me, I got the best I could out of the day. What a blessing!