Monday, September 20, 2010

Small Miracles

So, this past weekend, I flew to Montana to pick up my stuff and flew back. I say 'flew' because it was a very fast trip. Wednesday night, my dad and I made it to the Tricities. The next day, at 5am, we took off to Missoula. We got in at about 10:30a.m., picked up the U-Haul at 11, and finished packing by 2:30pm. Then, by 3pm, we turned around and headed back to the Tricities, pulling in at about 9pm. Like I said, fast trip.

Now, for the miracles. There is no way we should have been able to pack in such a short amount of time. I had enough stuff to fill a 2 bedroom apartment and it was just my dad and I. But Heavenly Father gave us the strength and we did it. Second, do you know how much stuff I have? Yet it all fit in to the 14 foot truck with maybe an inch only to spare. The weather was looking pretty bad, but after our prayers, the rain held off until just after we finished. Turns out, a friend told me it snowed the next day. If we had waited, we'd have had a hard time driving safely.

I love how the Lord cares about the things we do in life. Not just massive, life changing moments, but little things that would make life a bit harder or easier for you. I remember shortly after my mission that I came home and tried a single's ward in Oregon. It was fast and testimony meeting and the Bishop got up and said that the Lord doesn't care about your wants. He only takes care of your needs. It felt really wrong to me then b/c, throughout my life and especially on my mission, I saw the Lord grant many tender little mercies that were not 'needed' but certainly made a difference. I still hold to that. The Lord has granted me a sunny day on my birthday when I prayed for it and He notices when a sparrow falls. Miracles happen in big and small ways, in the big picture and in the tiny details. Maybe you just have to know how to see His hand in everything. Like Alma, I have all things as a witness. And now, I have one more to add to the list.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Charlie Brown

So, as you may or may not recall, last year there was a shortage on waffles, which I blogged about in 'wailing for waffles'. This year, the shortage is...wait for it...

Pumpkin. As in, pumpkin pie, pumpkin. That's right. There are only a few (read, I think, 2) pumpkin factories in America. As I understand it, one was shut down and something happened to the other. Or maybe it was the crops. There is no Libby can of pumpkin at the local Fred Meyers. Or Wal Mart.

I feel like we have entered the Depression shortage years, the beginning of the Communist bread lines. First no waffles, now no pumpkin. It starts out small, what you eat in the morning. Then it moves to a national holiday. Next, it will be toothpaste and insulin.

Is there no way to fix this? Aren't there literally hundreds of thousands of people without jobs in America? Don't tell me there isn't a demand for it. This is PUMPKIN we are talking about. It's been in demand since food in America was. They ate pumpkin in Plymouth people. (Yes, I liked the alliteration too.) I have horrifying visions of mothers with 5 kids and little old ladies shoving each other for the last can so they can make cookies and breads and pie. I worry for the state of the Union.

The pumpkin we tried to grow never made it due to a late summer, an early fall, and some vampire squirrel that left incisor marks. (Think Bunnicula. Great children's series, by the way.)

Now, I'm not saying that no pumpkin will ruin the country. But I do think it's telling. And when you sit around with your family this fall and there's no pumpkin pie (presuming the issue isn't resolved), I think you'll notice. It's like that Kenny Rogers' song "we even lost Superman". Something in America has been floundering a long, long time. But it's taken some pretty hard knocks to get the majority of people ready to get out of the house and do something about it. A pumpkin shortage isn't the first indicator, nor will it be the last. But it is an indicator.

Once again, it's essential that we know our leaders, understand history and economics, and be willing to fight to keep integrity and the founding principles. It's not just big things, like freedom of religion and speech (though those are, without question, essential to liberty), it's the little things too...things that are a part of our national identity and creation. Removing that one piece of pie seems a bit more significant.

Let's hope, like Linus, that we see The Great Pumpkin this year.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Montana

Well, gang, the time has come to finally bite the bullet and move all my stuff from MT. I held it there because 1) it was cheaper than a storage unit 2 states away and 2) there was the possibility I would come back. Now the second is still true, but if that happens in the future, hopefully it won't happen within a few months so I wasted the $600 it'll cost. In the meantime, I get to head out on a roadtrip with my dad. He's awesome like that. Every time I've needed stuff moved or, say, driven to a middle-of-nowhere state to see if there's a job available, he's come with me. And that means a lot. I love getting to have some one-on-one time with him and talk about philosophy, religion, and life in general in a way that we never get to do when we're busy with school, jobs, families, jobs, church, jobs, house painting, jobs...you get the idea.

I also love that I am going to be in MT (albeit for the briefest span of two days) in the fall. Fall is already my favorite time of year in the Rockies b/c of the changing leaves and the crisp morning air and all the good social events that occur (from fall harvest, to corn mazes, to bonne bouche, to pumpkin carving). I love Oregon for the green, but I do miss those blazes of color you find up in Missoula's Rattlesnake. Maybe some day I'll take a vacation that doesn't involve moving or looking for a job and just really enjoy the town, events, and mountains like I used to.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Wedding

Apparently, I skipped the entire month of August this year. Crazy. And September will fly by as well. This weekend I have a wedding to attend. Congratulations to the couple in love! After that, I head off to MT to pick up my stuff I've had stored there for over a year and make the official close on Montana. Within two weeks I will have seen a beginning and an ending. And have lots of car time to think about a lot of things.