My friend B always has a little bit of crazy for me. It keeps things interesting. She is forever hawking some MLM thing or giving dire warnings about Armageddon or enthusiastically advocating various forms of alternative medicine or therapy. Yes, dear readers, the crazy we are talking about here is Mormon Crazy.
B has organized a book club. It's a Deseret Book book club. Oh, snap out of it. Stop groaning and read. I'm in the book club. Sometimes we read really interesting books like Moving in His Majesty and Power by Elder Maxwell. Mostly we read your standard DB stuff. I just finished volume two of The Brothers, a military-religious series about the premortal existence and the last days. It's painful, really. The writing is abysmal, the agenda too obvious, the gender roles nauseating, and the doctrinal premise questionable to say the least. But I plow through so I can go to B's house and sit with all my friends and talk. Because we don't really talk about the books at all. We talk about life, about being a woman and a mom and a Mormon. And that's what I find valuable.
Because in the middle of all the craziness, there is something about B. When she has a party, she doesn't invite all the doctors and dentists and their wives who live in her neighborhood and serve in leadership positions in the ward and stake. She invites us (the student family) and the HVAC workers and the IT guys and the carpet cleaners. She goes to the temple (an hour away) every week and takes a different person with her each time. And it doesn't come across as a charity project, it's just what she does.
She is open, wide open, about her kids and the struggles they have had, about her siblings and their issues. This is stuff that tells me she "gets it" about my life. She has taught me what it means never to give up on someone you love who has lost their testimony or left the church.
She hugs my little terrorizers and sends them off to jump in her beautful swimming pool. And she puts her hands on my shoulders and looks in my eyes with her own eyes full of tears and says, "You can do it." She reminds me that when my kids are driving me nuts, they need a hug and a prayer instead of a scold and a spank.
She calls at the right times. She sends e-mails full of exclamation points and capital letters detailing her spiritual insights -- insights that are real and good and helpful. She holds these book club meetings that are ... nourishing is the best word I can think of. Enriching. Maybe the way Enrichment ought to be, because we actually get to talk to each other about real, important stuff, not just listen to a speaker or chat over a craft project.
Basically, there is a lot more Mormon Good than there is Mormon Crazy there. And that makes me kind of love the Mormon Crazy.
3 comments:
I love crazy, and I love people like this dear sister.
They are few and far between.
What a tribute.
It's stuff like this that makes me wish we lived in Merced! Someday...
Can't wait to see you guys! How about the 8th?
I loved your post. Also, thank you for visiting my site and commenting. I really liked what you said.
I think your book club sounds wonderful. I love to read and have read The Brothers series. It was interresting and I liked it but there are alot out there that I liked better.
This gal sounds so neat. I like what you said about a prayer and a hug instead of a scold and a spank. Sometimes I feel like all I do is yell and spank and I get tired of it and I am sure my kids do too. It was a good reminder that there is always an alternative.
By the way, have you ever read "the Da Vinci Code"? That is another one I really enjoyed. I am aware that many LDS people don't read it. I guess I am a rebel.
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