Dull

Since I'm commanded to be mostly off my foot (translation:  mostly couch bound) my comings and goings are drastically reduced.  And my life much less interesting.

I don't get to get out in the morning for my walks.  Sigh....

But, I am lucky enough to have books to read, needlework to stitch, a computer (and television) to entertain me and a resident Hug Dispenser to help me feel loved.

I've enjoyed:  texting with oldest daughter, chatting with oldest son, visited with youngest daughter and received almost but not quite enough hugs (the hugs received will always be almost-but-not-quite-enough).

This orchid popped into bloom just this morning, as the last of the blooms on the other two orchids fell to the floor.  I so love blooming things in the house.

And I've been thinking about this a lot:  roughly a year ago a family moved into our ward and I was assigned (along with my partner) to visit teach the sister.  She's approximately my age, perhaps a few years older.  It was challenging in the beginning.  She came from an area where in-house visits by visiting teachers were only required every 6 months.  It was a whole different mental approach to have a visit each and every month.  But we persevered and now she mostly is available for us.

Last week she mentioned that in her whole adult life she had never had her visiting teachers leave her a message.  Whoa!  That's astonishing to me.  How can it truly be visiting teaching without a gospel discussion of some kind?  Some of my most meaningful religious conversations have taken place through visiting teaching.

And as I've sifted through this in my mind - over and over, how grateful I am that we continued to do our best to see her and leave the message. Her career demands a lot from her, exposes and involves her in much of the secular, with little spiritual.  She often has to miss church on Sunday because of her job.  If any of our discussions plants a teensy thought that springs to her mind at just the right moment, we will have accomplished a small task for the Lord.  How grateful I am for that opportunity that I didn't let slip away.  I shall continue to do my best.

And I came across this quote this morning and loved it.  A. A. Milne was very wise.

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” 
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

I'm grateful for a comfy couch and recliner (I bounce back and forth between the two).  For this darned walking boot - it isn't a cast and therefore removable for showering and sleeping. And for voices that sound like they're smiling.