More Sweet Smile

My last post "By Degrees" felt good to write up.  Yes, having the missionaries here, "it's a blessing . . . . and a curse."  Most of the times it is wonderful.  It is not so wonderful when you loan your whole house vacuum to them to use ONE TIME and it comes back broken!  Not this set of missionaries - but our own Elder "Fix-it" did that one.  He was sure it wasn't broken - but it was.  Yes it still sucks and the brush works but the head of the vacuum just hangs down when you pick it up.  The latch/release thingy got broken.  He knows they didn't do it - but I know he did.  I spent most of that afternoon fuming, grumbling under my breath, near tears, etc.  Those things did nothing to help so I don't know why I wasted my energy being upset.  It is still usable and for that I am grateful - weak sweet smile needed here.

Other little bothersome items are when they assemble a huge ward map and then need something huge to mount it on the wall. WHY?  Then they need bandaids, burn ointment or aloe vera (I have none), upset stomach medicine, glue sticks, etc.  Other bothersome moments are when you realize they snoop in your game closets without permission, every empty space becomes "theirs" - not happening, they think the basement is their man-cave and it is so dirty and messy as to be hazardous to their health and ours to go down there, they keep the thermostat at a pleasant 65 during the summer - when they aren't even there, everytime there is a transfer more junk seems to accumulate and nobody knows what to do with it so it just piles up, and when they bring a huge jug of syrup and catsup home from the church fridge cleaning project and give it to us to use - sweet smiles all around.

This week was another "it's a curse" moment.  Elder Halligan came into the house and walked up to me and said sweetly, "Sister Selin? I was wondering if you could help us out. I would really appreciate if you could. (sweet smile included here)."  Looked over and saw a huge white garbage bag in his hands.  He said, "Our Mission President is friends with some guy who does a Farmers' Market.  When he doesn't sell all his bread products he gives it to the Mission President and he gives it to us missionaries when we have meetings.  We try to use it but sometimes it goes to waste.  The Mission President's wife said that has to stop - so give it to your ward Relief Society Presidents.  They can make sure it gets used."  We thought, "Hey we live with the Relief Society President - isn't that convenient?  So we brought this bread and hope you can help us out."  First of all - THANKS to the Mission President's Wife!  Now I have a table full of artisan-style breads (day or two old) to try to dole out to people who probably don't really want it.  But I smiled sweetly and said I'd try.  Elder Halligan said, "Thank you so much, Sister Selin! (sweet smile included here.)"

Aren't we blessed? 

And all this for $75 a month in compensation. 

Sweet Smile