The Simple Life

Our newest senior missionaries arrived today.  They are Elder and Sister Blackham and they are from Idaho.  They landed around 1:30 and got to the apartment by 3.  I sat and visited with them for  awhile before they had to lie down and sleep.  That trip over from Salt Lake is long and tiring....especially if you have had some grueling weeks of preparation.

We were very blessed that our visas didn't come right away.  Preparing our house for our absence was huge and it wore me out.  I did not know that we had accumulated so much stuff, and sorting through it to decide what to keep, what to store, what to give away, and what to throw away absolutely wore me to a frazzle.

Getting to Lia's home and settling into one bedroom with no stuff of our own was marvelous.  We loved spending the time with them, and especially with Eliza.  The ease of our lives was a thing of beauty.   We hope that we were of some help to Lia with cleaning, cooking and Eliza....overall life was just good.

So by the time we checked into and out of the MTC we were thoroughly relaxed.  The trip over the ocean was long and once we landed, everything was new, but we weren't in the same seriously sleep-deprived position that many feel upon arrival.

The Blackhams seem to be doing alright.  He was a missionary here in Denmark about 48 years ago.  He baptized a young dad who now is the patriarch of a large wonderful family, many of whom have served missions and married in the temple.  The family is an amazing group of individuals.

I went to the temple about 5 to serve there....Friday is my day.  I got there after a couple of bus transfers and was put to work right away.  I stayed until after 9, and then waited for SK.  We came home together.

It had been kind of hectic day.  I wanted to fix a nice meal for the Blackhams since I knew they would be tired.  I made a traditional Danish dish...frikadeller or mealballs.  They were way too salty and I also served potato salad which was too salty.  The meal wasn't great...but the Blackhams were good sports about it.  I should have made a simple meal of sandwiches and we could have sat down to a relaxed dinner.

After dinner I quickly changed and ran for the bus.  I left a messy kitchen, and Sister Blackham (bless her!) cleaned it up.  I didn't have to wait long, but arrived at the temple - out of breath and windblown.  I served for about 3 hours.

The temple is a small building and done in tones of quiet blue.  Despite the small size, I frequently get lost there.  The atmosphere is serene and quiet, and it seems much larger.  It truly is a peaceful place to spend time. Outside,  we found the temple gardens!  I didn't know they exist but they are small and simple and sweet.

The round platform is a fountain, and normally has water running over the edges.  This little private area is a peaceful refuge.

Even though the day's events were good, and enjoyable, it was stressful.  But being inside the temple brought perspective once again.  Sometimes I make things more complicated than I should.  Life is good, and life is best when I keep it simple.