Warm (literally!) greetings to everyone! For the last 4 days it hasn't rained once. The sun has been out all day with little to no cloud-cover. Temperatures peak in the low 60s. I make this point from the very beginning because it's HUGE. Mood improvement, less fatigue, friendlier people in general. Good times!! And significant gratitude for the fact that my hometown looks like this 300 days out of the year.
This week I sent my camera's SD card home to the parentals, so y'all should see some pictures on this blog soon. Laughter will, no doubt, ensue. I wish I could tell you a five-minute story about every single person I've photographed, but alas, time is not on my side. Stories when I get home? Very yes.
In "Good Always Triumphs Over Evil" news, the Giants won the Super Bowl!! I bet that grimace of defeat fits nicely on Tom Brady's bum-chin face. But I digress...
This week on "As the Granite Falls Churn," domestic violence occurred outside our apartment. I know what you're thinking. "Sister G, this is not appropriate blog fodder. Domestic disputes aren't funny." In this context, oh heck yes, they are.
Picture it: It's approximately 9 pm and we're inside studying. When all of the sudden we hear these blood-curdling cries from across the street. "Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth" is a spot-on description. When Detective Hone cracks the door to see what sadness is unfolding, she spies a woman on the street corner, hysterically in tears. Being the good soul that she is, she says, "Goodpaster, we've got to go help this woman. We've got to do something." So we put on shoes and coats and head out the door. From out of nowhere, this man crawls out of our neighbor's bush and walks hurriedly down the street, in the opposite direction of said woman. When she spies him, she takes off after him like a bat out of hello dolly. Upon catching him, she jumps on his back and starts WAILING on him with fists of fury and spitting all manner of profanity. Honedog and I look at each other like "What the...?!" I immediately think, "Should I call the cops? Do we snag our pepper spray and break this up? Do we laugh because this completely bizzaro situation is happening 10 feet from us? Does this woman have a weapon and we're about to witness a murder?" The man then sits on the ground, head in his hands, bawling. It becomes clear that both individuals are super drunk. They appear to settle the situation and said man walks off. Worry subsides and we head in. Twenty minutes later, we hear the same woman (I've named her "Theresa" for narrative purposes) wailing in the streets, "QUINNNNNN!!! (or maybe) CLLLINNNTTTTTTT!!!!" We rush to our upstairs window to see her stumbling up and down the streets before she walks into our post office. At this point it's approaching our bedtime and we figure Theresa is done for the night. Also, our guts hurt from all the laughter.
Picture it: It's approximately 9 pm and we're inside studying. When all of the sudden we hear these blood-curdling cries from across the street. "Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth" is a spot-on description. When Detective Hone cracks the door to see what sadness is unfolding, she spies a woman on the street corner, hysterically in tears. Being the good soul that she is, she says, "Goodpaster, we've got to go help this woman. We've got to do something." So we put on shoes and coats and head out the door. From out of nowhere, this man crawls out of our neighbor's bush and walks hurriedly down the street, in the opposite direction of said woman. When she spies him, she takes off after him like a bat out of hello dolly. Upon catching him, she jumps on his back and starts WAILING on him with fists of fury and spitting all manner of profanity. Honedog and I look at each other like "What the...?!" I immediately think, "Should I call the cops? Do we snag our pepper spray and break this up? Do we laugh because this completely bizzaro situation is happening 10 feet from us? Does this woman have a weapon and we're about to witness a murder?" The man then sits on the ground, head in his hands, bawling. It becomes clear that both individuals are super drunk. They appear to settle the situation and said man walks off. Worry subsides and we head in. Twenty minutes later, we hear the same woman (I've named her "Theresa" for narrative purposes) wailing in the streets, "QUINNNNNN!!! (or maybe) CLLLINNNTTTTTTT!!!!" We rush to our upstairs window to see her stumbling up and down the streets before she walks into our post office. At this point it's approaching our bedtime and we figure Theresa is done for the night. Also, our guts hurt from all the laughter.
Moral of the Story: alcohol has the potential to make you look like the fool in the town square. Also, when drama that belongs on an episode of Cops happens outside your door, the best vantage point is from above. To redeem myself and let you know that watching Granite Falls drunkards wasn't the only important thing to happen this week, I'll share something uplifting. It is simple, but it confirmed to me that one good choice influences many.
This week we had another lesson with a woman we've been teaching for the last 2 months. She has a daughter who's 7 and can be a handful (probably like most 7 year olds). I don't even remember what we're teaching when she makes this connection: "Sisters, since we've been meeting together, I have more patience. I am a better mother now than I was before." That's when it hit me: the people we teach, and even those we don't, aren't islands. They are connected to hundreds, even thousands of people on a weekly basis. When we influence them for good, it spreads. That love, that charitable/kind/patient attitude seeps into their parenting, friendshipping, everything. The idea isn't to convince people that they, alone, need to be better. Convincing isn't even part of the equation. What means most is helping them see that they have the potential to make EVERYTHING better. But it starts with them. God will help. He always does. But we have to move our feet if we want to be better for everyone else.
The Gospel is amazing. On a daily basis I feel I have a Thanksgiving feast and it's my job to share it with those who think the only food in existence is crackers.
Let's be good, no, BETTER to each other. Your influence reaches farther than you know.
Love,
Sister G.
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