Smiling Through

We traveled an hour by car this morning to attend the 3-hour block in Slegelse.  It is so far from our center, that the YSAs don't often attend our center, and have their own institute class.  But we have met many of them as they occasionally come in to Copenhagen and meet with us.  We have also gotten to know them at Festinord and other international get-togethers.

Two of them recently left on missions, and one young man attends that ward who recently became reactivated.  He met a young woman from Hawaii last year at the Valentine's Day conference in Sweden.  They talk daily on Skype, and he just returned from visiting her in Minnesota, where she is currently living.  She will come here for a visit in the near future and I think we may be hearing wedding bells before too long.

The ward was lovely.  I was surprised when I first walked into the chapel.  The floors, and all woodwork, plus the chairs were made of light honey-colored wood, and the upholstery was beautiful warm bright red.  The floor to ceiling windows at the front of the chapel were covered with soft pleated shades which -with the sunlight streaming through - were pink.  The effect was one of brightness and warmth.

The ride to Slagelse was beautiful.  We left Copenhagen in the rain with darkened skies.  By the time we were half an hour away, the skies were blue and clear.  As I sat in the chapel listening intently, SK nudged me and nodded toward the windows on the side of the chapel.  Great soft feathers of snow were wafting downward.  It was almost hypnotizing.  It snowed for sometime but melted almost immediately upon touching the ground.

I enjoyed meeting so many new individuals, but like everywhere else, they were warm and welcoming and seemed like people I have known many years.  We saw the four young missionaries who serve there...they are so cute!  The two sisters sat beside me in all the meetings and took turns translating, for which I am grateful.  I would have understood the basics without....but I get so much more when someone is kind enough to do that.

We heard many inspiring testimonies today, but the most touching was from a woman who must be about 70.  She was wrapped up from head to toe in warm blankets and sitting in a motorized wheelchair.  Her daughter-in-law told me that she had polio early in her life.  It looks like she has the use of at least one hand...maybe both.  I talked to her briefly using my basic Danish 101....which was great, except when she answered me.....she talked fast!  Her face was animated and bright. She had the most beautiful smile....it made me happy just to see that smile.  People just seemed naturally attracted to her.

She bore her testimony at the end of Relief Society.  No mention of polio, no mention of the wheelchair....the entire testimony was in praise of gratitude!!  What a sweet sweet lady.

As soon as we got back into the city, we went to Mary Theresa's apartment to take a cute little Gymboree gift that my personal shopper Erin was kind enough to send.  (I love to give American gifts just because they look different and are fun.)  Mary Theresa and her husband are from India, and their sweet little daughter is 2 months old....Isabella.

What a lovely couple!  We met Mary Theresa in our Danish class and have kept in touch with her since we quit.  She is such a gentle and kind young woman with sparkling black eyes and a smile that is absolutely contagious.

Theirs was an arranged marriage and they are both very happy and very kind to each other.  They explained how the arrangement was done, and by the time they finished the explanation, I was ready to sign up for all of our grandchildren.  I can see why it has a great likelihood for success.  They are both very faithful Catholics...one of the may qualities looked for by parents seeking a suitable spouse for their child. (That they be of the same religious background)

We presented our gift and visited for awhile.  We were a little uncertain what to do at that point.  I had set up the time of 3:30 so that it would be far enough away from mealtime so that they wouldn't worry about that.  After about a half an hour, I told them how happy we were to see them and that we ought to be going.

They both expressed dismay and said that Mary Theresa had fixed something for us to eat.  So we stayed....happily.  I must admit to you that at this point in our very long lives we have never had Indian food.  They put on several dishes of food that I had never seen before, including a little dish of powdered spices.  They even dished up the plates for us and told us to just combine everything however we wished.

The spices were amazing!  Every single dish they made was heavenly.  Just a bit of a bite with spice, not too much.  Wow....it was so good.  I think there was a pancake made from lentils and rice....light and fluffy.  There was a potato and onion dish that was unlike ANY potato dish I have ever had, and some pork that was as tender as a mother's heart and spicy....it was really really good.

I held little Isabella for awhile and was in heaven.  She has beautiful thick long hair!  She looked at me while I talked to her and then she smiled!  She must have smiled for 2 minutes, sometimes a bigger smile than others.  Well.....melt my heart.  She was adorable.....and obviously so bright....she understood everything I said.

Except that it made me miss all of our grandchildren....even the ones I can't cuddle.  Maybe I will have to cuddle them anyway....do you think 15-year old Andrew would stand for that?