Today in church our high-councilmen spoke during Sacrament Meeting. It was really good. They spoke about serving others and also the Savior experiencing everything that we have or are experiencing. One of the men spoke about a friend who was in over their head with an enormous mortgage that is way more than they can afford and also more than the home is worth now.
It made me think about how lucky we are to be living where we are right now. When we were first looking at buying homes in Nevada, I was a little "snobbish" and didn't want a manufactured home. I thought people took no pride in their yards, and swore that our yard would be green and beautiful and "weed-free".
Wow! What a difference 2 1/2 years of living in Nevada makes! I have come to realize that it doesn't matter that we live in a "manufactured" home. I now realize that we live in the "desert" and everything can't be green because we don't have enough water. There literally aren't enough hours in the day to keep your yard "weed-free". My attitude has been changed, but for the better. I have learned that things aren't always what they seem. At first sight, our little town is quite blah. There isn't a lot of green. There aren't a lot of "stick-built" homes. We have a LOT of weeds and sage-brush, and snakes, and dust. My attitude changed when I met the people out here. My neighbors, our ward family, my daughter's teacher's, the clerks at the grocery store, etc. We have some of the most beautiful people I have ever met living here. It has made this desert "blossom as a rose". People are simple. They are kind. They help their neighbors. They appreciate the little things such as enough water in your well, neighbors sharing from their gardens, and serving each other as the Savior would have us do. Nothing is taken for granted. The nearest Temple is three hours away. The nearest distribution center is five. More often than not, family doesn't live nearby, so we become each other's family.
This spring, I found myself in the hospital for four days. While there, we had more visitors and friends than I can ever mention. People came and brought Boyd food and sat with him during my surgery. They brought my babies to see me. They came at the drop of a hat to give me blessings. They brought changes of clothes for my husband. When I came home, my refridgerator was literally overflowing with food. We had to tell people to please stop, we ran out of room! My children were very well taken care of. Our animals and chores were done without asking. The next week my parents and sister came to "take care of me". Of course, being the worrier that I am, I tried to clean my house (even though my mom said she'd be real mad if I did!). Before I knew it, without asking, my home had a little angel in it (who brought her angel son) and they swept and mopped and vacumed and cleaned and cleaned. They knew me well enough to know that I would be worried about this.
It's taken me literally months to be able to write about this. It is so dear to my heart. I cannot express in words the love and kindness that was showered upon my family. Before a need was expressed, someone had allready taken care of it.
My little family is living in a wonderful place. We are living in a place with many wonderful people who serve each other and the Savior. We are living among people who have found that true beauty lies within yourself, not the home you live in. We are living among people who have learned to look for the little things in life, such as leaning across the fence to visit with your neighbor. If you take the time to get to know your neighbor, you will know when there is an opportunity to serve him.
Things aren't always what they seem. I didn't want to move here. But I am so grateful that the Lord knew what my family and I needed. Will my yard ever be green and weed-free? Probably not. Am I a better person for living here among the weeds and sage brush and snakes and dust? Absolutely. Life in Winnemucca is more beautiful than one can ever imagine!
7 years ago
