Silver Linings

We've had some fun weekends with friends lately. A Jazz game last weekend with a couple we haven't been out with before but she's in my friends' breakfast group and he invests in Dan's company. They are funny and interesting and sentimental about things that are spiritual. We had a great time.

The next night we had dinner with a larger group from our ward with friends we haven't been out with socially but see a lot of at church. We saw a performance by the Tenors at Eccles. Lots of laughs again and talk about the new ward that is going to be formed in our stake and that ward boundaries will be adjusted. We could very likely be going to a different ward in a year. To me that shows how inspired the Ministering set-up is for our ward -- our ministering group are our neighbors.

Last night we went to The Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale Theater with some new friends as well -- we all had different connections to each other. It's been fun meeting new people. Dan has especially loved the new friends he's met in our new area. A lot of them are in business, like him, and he's enjoyed meeting people with so much in common.

Tonight we had dinner with the Wickham's. We are at a new stage in life where our kids do their thing and we do ours. We love it! (And so fun to see friends visiting from California!)

Nick went on a campout with friends and a few dads for an airsoft battle. They slept in tents in a remote area, ate well and played hard. He is good at thinking through what he needs, preparing and packing well. I just sit back and let him do his thing and he asks me for rides to where he needs to go to get more airsoft stuff or to check over his gear and double-check to see if he's packed everything. I love the way he does things! It's right up my alley so its easy for me to understand and relate to!

Chris had a fender bender driving the bus on his way to the football game on Friday. :-(
Actually the bus was so big, he rear ended her and took off the whole back corner of the lady's car in front of him. She was kind. He was mature. The firefighters helped bend back a corner of the bus to free his wheel so he could still drive to the game. The police officer was understanding. I thought about how car wrecks can be so much worse than they often are. I am so grateful for police and firemen who think primarily about how they can assist.

I wondered if he'd be sad, frustrated or mad. They lost the game and when we checked in with him he replied it was a bad day. Later that night when we checked in he was feeling much better. He'd talked to the insurance agent who was helpful and he was having fun at a stomp.

When he came home that night he said, "I could be mad. But instead I feel grateful that it wasn't so much worse. I could have killed her if I'd plowed straight into her." That was exactly what I'd been thinking about earlier. He had enough time to turn to not hit her directly in the back. He had the reflexes and knowledge to react. The lady he hit wasn't hurt. He wasn't hurt, nor his friend in the bus with him. He has a dad who made sure he got insurance on the bus. He has a job and savings to be able to pay for damages.

We aren't always protected from from life. But we can find so many blessings even in our challenges.