Sunday Best and Service Saturday

Every Sunday morning is a mad dash to get ready for church. For some reason it takes me twice as long to get ready on Sundays as it does any other day of the week. Not sure why that is. We have church at 9, so basically once Brynlee is up we need to feed her and start the Sunday morning scramble. This Sunday, we were actually semi on time (meaning by like 5-10 min, a record!).

I have a neighbor named Bob. Bob is one of the nicest people. He is a widower, and has a little dog named Samantha. The dog is... not so nice. Ok she isn't that bad, but she is a loud yippy dog with a serious little dog syndrome. And even more little dog attitude to match.

Bob was outside when we left to venture to the car. He came over to say hi to us, and told us how nice it was to see young people dressed up and going to church.

When we got home Bob was outside again. He asked us what church we go to and Jimmy chatted with him a bit. I was counting spots on the lady bug that landed on my arm. I think I've developed some serious ADD issues. I'm not sure what my deal is but I cannot pay attention for extended periods of time! Anyhow Bob again praised us for looking so dapper in our Sunday best. He said that he goes to church too, but you don't dress up for his church. He said he misses getting dressed up sometimes.

I realized a few things from this experience.

1. I really do enjoy dressing up for church. It's nice to have 1 day a week where the whole family really does it up right. I love putting Brynlee in cute little church dresses and shoes. I love putting that extra umph into my appearance. I love seeing my husband dolled up in a suit and tie. Sometimes it would be nice to just throw on some jeans, but when all is said in done I'm happy to dress up.

2. You never know who is watching and what kind of impression you will make. I often forget that. I represent the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I need to act as such. I'm human and make mistakes like everyone else, but you never know when your actions will bring on (or snuffle out) a missionary experience. Because we were dressed up, Jimmy was able to share a bit with Bob about our church (as I was counting lady bug spots...). It doesn’t mean Bob will be coming to church with us next week, but we were able to get to know our neighbor a little better, and he was able to get to know us.

Saturday morning Jimmy participated in a service project. I was on baby duty (can't really pull weeds very well with a 1 year old), so Jimmy represented us on his own. Pull weeds. That is what he did for several hours. With hundreds of other people. That is one of the things I really love about my church. People will not hesitate to get their hands dirty (literally) and help others. At 8am on Saturday.

Later that day, Jimmy told me about another experience he had. He was trying to get to the freeway, the light was green and traffic was not moving. Turns out there was a stalled car blocking the path. The stalled car put on his emergency flashers and the other cars started to swerve around him. My husband pulls his car up and stops to see if he can help. Turns out it was a man who couldn't get his stick shift up the hill. He kept stalling and rolling backwards. The man did not speak English very well, but Jimmy was not deterred. He offered to drive the man’s car up the hill and pull it off to flat ground so the man could then resume his driving. The car owner obliged, and Jimmy left his car sitting in the middle of the street while he helped this man out. I'm not sure what this man will do when he gets to another hill and Super Jimmy is not around to save the day...

It left me wondering yet again what I would have done in that situation. Actually, I don't have to wonder. I would have driven past the man, just like everyone else and not have thought twice about it. I can't drive a stick shift, so it’s not like I could have helped anyway. But that is beside the point. I definitely would not have gotten into some strange man's car with him either. That sounds like the plot for a bad Lifetime movie. But I can guarantee that the thought to inconvenience myself and stop to help someone else would probably not have crossed my mind. I really want to work on that.

My husband can be a bear sometimes. Really, he drives me nuts. A lot. I find myself wondering how we have made it 5+ years without killing each other. But he is also a great example to me. And a genuinely great person, who is constantly striving to be better. He inspires me. When all is said and done I guess that is enough to override is annoying man habits! :)