Women's Retreat

This past weekend, I went on a Women's Retreat for church.  It was a great time.

I was lucky enough to drive to and from the Retreat with none other than Miss Deb and Miss Ziggy!  These are two of the most famous members of our church congregation.  Any reader of my blog is probably familiar with Deb (she should have her own topics label), and Ziggy is equally hilarious and unpredictable.  (Some of you may have heard the story about her shoe in testimony meeting.)  I honestly love these two ladies!  It was a tight fit with all of our stuff, but Deb and Zig were troopers:

And what's that at Ziggy's feet?

Yes, it's a dog.  (We watched a seeing-eye dog for the afternoon while her owner went to the temple.)

Laney rode with us on the way up to the Retreat.  Here she is enjoying a marshmallow with Deb:

Natalie rode with us on the way home from the Retreat.  Here she is going into the temple with Deb:

The Retreat itself was a wonderful experience.  We had a talent show, a speaker, workshops (I taught one on journaling), and plenty of time to chat.

We stayed up too late and had too much fun:

I love girl time!

Not Quite NPR

Whenever I think of NPR, I think of my dad's blue Acura. Growing up, I never got in that vehicle without being forced to listen to the "boring" radio show about politics, economics, and the world. Seriously, it was so boring. Such an old person radio station.

Well, call me old because at the ripe age of 25, I have become an NPR fiend. I never thought I would see the day that I'd be deeply engrossed in radio stories about folk music in Cuba, or current developments in Autism research, or the conflict in the Middle East. But now, on my way to and from work, I bask in the glory of NPR for at least an hour every day.

The guests are so incredibly smart, and I feel a little bit smarter after listening to them.

With that in mind, you will understand why I was quite delighted to be invited as a guest on "Crossroads," a weekly radio show on 96.1 sponsored by the Buffalo Network of Religious Communities. Each Sunday morning, representatives from different faiths explain an aspect of their religious beliefs, and this week, my friend Melissa and I will be explaining the LDS women's organization called Relief Society.

I know, I know...they must have been truly desperate to ask me. (Actually, they were. Their other scheduled guest cancelled or something at the last minute.) But I was pretty stoked to be able to talk into one of those cool radio microphones and say things like, "Thanks for having me on the show." So NPR!

The best part: The show airs at 6 a.m. So, yeah, no one in Buffalo will even hear it. Well, two people will--you better believe that Ryan and I will be up bright and early tomorrow, listening to my radio debut!

NPR, here I come.

This sight makes me truly happy on a Sunday morning...

Deborah at church.

Wearing a velvet skirt, Super Bowl sweatshirt, cocked beanie, and a smile...always a smile.

I truly, truly love this woman.

Grumping

I came home from church today feeling a little overwhelmed.

During the meeting, Ryan had his arm around me--trying to peacefully meditate, I'm sure--and I just kept sighing, adjusting, crossing and uncrossing my legs, sniffling.  Basically, I was grumping.

"What's going on??" he finally asked.

"I'm mad," I stated, matter of factly.

"At me?" he asked.  (Poor Ryan, he puts up with a lot.)

"No, at everything else," I responded--and left it at that.

Do your family history.
Serve your neighbors.
Keep your house clean.
Cook healthy meals.
Exercise daily.
Read your scriptures.
Pray fervently.
Be a missionary.
Engage in your community.
Keep a journal.
Stay informed on current events.
Be a good wife, teacher, daughter, sister, friend, Relief Society member...someday, mother...

It's all a little much for me sometimes.

And that list of basics doesn't even include some of the "non-essential" goals that I have for myself, such as writing a book, learning Spanish, helping at the orphanage...SIGH SIGH SIGH.

This week, Ryan asked me what the meaning of life is.  (I think he is discouraged by school and trying to figure out how to find more joy on a daily basis.)  I thought about it, and I told him that I think it's "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." Luke 10:27.  I think that's the reason why God sent us to this crazy world...to see if we would love Him and love our fellowmen.

Two simple commandments.  Yet, life's not so simple, is it?

Another Deborah-ism...

I think it may be becoming apparent that I am obsessed with this woman. I can't help it; she's just too great.

This Sunday, a special guest church leader was teaching our Sunday School (counselor in the Stake Presidency), and he was teaching us about loving God with all our heart, mind, might, and strength. He asked, "What does it mean to love God with all your strength?"

From the back of the chapel, Deborah hollered...

"CAN DO!"

Loved it. Loved, loved, loved it. If we all had more of a "can do" attitude about life and the trials and tribulations we face, we'd all be happy like Deb.

On a related but more serious note, I recently came across a passage of scripture that I absolutely love:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 35-39

I know I've heard these verses many times in my life, but for some reason, they hit me with particular force as I read them this weekend. There is nothing that can defeat us if we rely on the love and comfort of Christ.

I'm sorry to get all "church-y" (some of you may be thinking, based on my blog posts the last few weeks, that I've suddenly become a religious fanatic), but I seem to be discouraged and overwhelmed too often lately; and I need to remember, that with faith, I "CAN DO!" anything.

Love that woman.

I LOVE THIS WOMAN!

It is high time I wrote a blog tribute to one of my favorite people in the entire world: Sister Deborah Tilley.

Deborah is wacky, hilarious, optimistic, strong...all around, she's one of my heroes. She had a stroke about seven years ago, and in spite of all of her physical challenges, she is always laughing and making others laugh. She joined our church almost two years ago, and she has completely changed her life and her perspectives. She is awesome. We drive her to church almost every Sunday, and we've gotten extremely close to her over the last year and a half.

We've had some classic moments with Deb. Here are some of my favorites:

-One day after church, Deb said, "Rachel, I'm real hungry. Can we swing through Wendy's on the way home and pick me up a bacon double cheeseburger?" Chuckling, I reminded her that we try not to spend money on Sundays, so we can keep the Sabbath Day holy. Instead, I invited her over to our apartment for lunch. Ry and I aren't gourmet chefs, and we didn't have much to offer, but Ry whipped up some French toast. Of course, Deb loved that Ry was the one doing the cooking and serving us. Ry also said the prayer to bless lunch, and he specifically said, "Thank you for our friend, Deb." After downing about five pieces of French toast, Deborah announced, "Ryan, that was way better than Wendy's. And I even got a prayer out of it too!!"

-When we took Deb to the Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove (a historical sight for our church), we brought her fold-up wheelchair because we knew it would be difficult for her to walk because she uses a cane and one entire side of her body doesn't work. The fold-up wheelchair is cumbersome and hard to push, but we figured it was better than making her trudge around the Farm. Well, when we wheeled her into the Visitor's Center, our missionary tour guide immediately said, "Ma'am, would you like to ride in one of our electric powered wheelchairs?" Deborah took one look at their high-tech contraption and told the missionary, "Girl, get me out of this Pinto; I want that Cadillac!"

-When I gave Deb her Christmas present this year, she held the package for a moment, shook it, and then said, "Girl, I hope this is a new leg--because mine sure don't act like it belong to me!"

-This is my all-time favorite. When my dad was in town, he took us and Deb to the Anchor Bar for some original Buffalo chicken wings. After a few minutes of chatting, my dad excused himself to go use the restroom, and Deb looked at me and said, "Girl, you got a good lookin' dad. You better watch out or he gonna be snatched up in Buffalo!" As if this comment isn't hilarious enough, she then went on: "He look real fit. Mmmm, hmmm...I bet he look good in some shorts!" OH MY! I was dying! Was Deborah lusting after my father?!? After regaining composure, I assured her that I had seen my dad in running shorts many times, and it was not a sight worth writing home about. :) When I told my dad the story later that evening...well, I don't know if I've ever seen him laugh so hard.

-Deborah is also inclined to make random, loud coments in lessons at church. She'll just shout something out, and I don't think the teachers know quite what to do with her. There are too many hilarious comments to remember, but this past Sunday when the teacher was talking about the Resurrection, Deb proclaimed, "So I'm gonna get my hair back?!" WHAT THE?? I loved it!

Overall, I absolutely love this woman.

Here is another photo of us from this past Sunday, all bundled up to go out Visiting Teaching for church. Deb had been wearing that puffed-up stocking cap all day--even through all of our church meetings. Classic.

Toto, I don't think we're in Utah anymore...

A few months ago, Deborah's mom invited us to her annual church choir concert. Last night was the big night--and MAN were we blown away. As the program began, and we were surrounded by black singers in flowing choir robes walking up the aisles and singing, "Amen! Amen! Glory glory hallelujiah!" in perfect harmony, I turned to Ryan and said, "This. Is. Awesome." I felt like I had stepped into the movie The Preacher's Wife (minus Whitney Houston of course).

The concert featured a jazz pianist, a lady rocking out on the drums, a spirited narrator preaching the Good Word, and of course a choir swaying, clapping, and praising God through music. People in the audience would randomly jump up and reach their hands into the air, calling "Hallelujiah!" One lady busted out a tamborine she had brought, while the lady next to us joined in the music by shaking her keys and stomping to the beat. The highlight of the evening was when random people in the audience started reaching for the microphone and wailing out their own improvised Gospel solos with the choir. WHAT?? Can all black people sing like American Idols?? That's what it seemed like last night as audience members just kept busting out the high notes. (And just because I know many of you are wondering, NO I did not take my turn on the mic! I would have made a fool of myself with my classical training trying to keep up with those Soul Sisters!)

It really was an inspiring evening. I love seeing how others worship God. The theme of the concert was "I Don't Feel In No Ways Tired," which is the title of an old spiritual the slaves used to sing, encouraging them to endure their hardships and trust the Lord without complaint. The narrator talked about how life can be stressful and tiring, but we can't give up or complain, and if we rely on Jesus, He can invigorate us and give us strength. She said that God will always say to His children, "I love you, and I'm not tired yet!" (The best part was, she didn't say "I'm not tired yet!" The choir behind her sang that phrase in harmony every time she pointed at them. She had them do it about fifteen times during the course of her sermon.) I thought it was a good point: God will never get tired of taking care of us, and we should never get tired of taking care of others.

I tend to get exhausted, whiny, and stressed out too easily. The message of the concert was perfect for me, and I left feeling uplifted and grateful for all the new experiences life in Buffalo has afforded me.

This is Deb's mom, Patricia, with Deborah, Ry, me, and Deb's daughter, Shavonne.

Here is some video footage from the concert. Unfortunately, our camera is a piece of garbage, so there's no sound, but you can at least see the choir. The man in the gray suit was their soloist, and he was awesome. I wish you could hear them!