Learning From Examples, both Young and Old(er)

Our YSAs went to the temple today.  SK normally works there on Saturdays, but today he was with them.  Some did baptisms and some went on a session.


I made my way to the center, walking through the rain.  Ah I love the rain!  The Mary Poppins umbrella and I were quite comfortable.  I love the sound as it plip plops on the surface of the umbrella.  I got to the center, and began preparations to make pancakes and buttermilk syrup.  We thought we might have as many as 12 to 15 show up.  We hadn't planned on serving food but we had all the stuff for the "American" pancakes from Thursday, and so I thought I would use it up...and feed a few people some lunch.

As it turned out, we only had six come.  They all seemed genuinely delighted to have the pancakes, and the syrup was wildly successful.  Well....that is really a no-brainer.  How can you lose with a syrup made with Danish butter (a lot of it), buttermilk, sugar (a lot of it) and wonderful vanilla?  I only made one batch (I put blueberries in them) and they were all eaten, so I made a second batch....of which they ate half.

I debated whether to throw away the batter, or cook up the rest and put in the refrigerator or freezer.  I went ahead and cooked up about a dozen more, and put them in a container.

We were going to watch the most recent world-wide broadcast for young adults, but the guy with the equipment and know-how didn't make it, so after everyone had eaten their fill of pancakes (normally I can't eat more than 3 or 4, but most ate at least double that), SK introduced them all to SET.

This is a game we had when our children were little.  It proved to be completely demoralizing to SK and me, because we could never find the sets, much less win.  Melissa and Lia, while still in elementary school proved to be far faster at finding the sets than we could have ever been.

Erin sent it as a Christmas gift for the center, and we have been introducing it to a few at a time.  These six LOVED it.  I was in the kitchen cleaning up, and it got deathly quiet in the other room.  I tiptoed in and found everyone deeply engrossed.  It doesn't take long to learn or to play....but it taxes your observation abilities.

After everyone left, SK vacuumed, and I cleaned the bathroom and finished up in the kitchen.  I looked around and realized that we would be there tomorrow night for a council meeting and our monthly sacrament meeting, plus Monday night for FHE.  So I decided I had better mop.  That took awhile longer.  I finished up and was just about to get my coat on, when the doorbell rang.

It was two more young men from the temple!  They came at least an hour after everyone had left, but they came when they were finished at the temple, and for them it was that late.  They had stayed and assisted in the baptistry until everyone was done.

They were wrapped up in their winter coats and scarves and underneath, both were dressed in suits and looked like young businessmen.  I had them come in the kitchen and sit down at the table while I heated up the remainder of the pancakes and syrup.  They seemed to love them.

It made both SK and me happy to have them come, even that late, and to have something to feed them, something they enjoyed.  They were hungry.  I think I could have cooked another batch if I had had enough of everything.

Afterwards one of them, Tony....a young man from Sweden sat down at the piano and serenaded us.  He has a marvelous touch and knows all kinds of music by heart.  I hummed a tune for him, and was shocked when he played it back just as I had hummed it....even to the very notes.  He must have perfect pitch, like our son-in-law Derek.  You can sing a note, and he will tell you what the note is!

We spent about an hour with them total, and loved it.  We were so glad that we had stayed that little bit of extra time.

On a side note, there is a sweet brother that is in the temple every day.  He is probably in his mid 80s to early 90s.  He is always alert, and seems very spry.  He is very dedicated about being there, and it always makes me happy to see him.

Yesterday he was on his way home from the temple and fell.  He was in the temple today, both eyes black and with a nasty gash and stitches in the middle of his forehead.  But he stayed and served, as he does every day.

Dedication from our young and from the seniors ..... truly an inspiration.