THE PARK POST

  Mike was asked by our Stake to help clean up the tornado damage in Birmingham, Alabama this last weekend.  He left Friday afternoon and got back Sunday night around 5.  He said it was pretty amazing to see the "Mormon Machine" in action.  There were over 300 volunteers there from 10 stakes in Georgia and Alabama.  They mostly cleared trees off people's property.  He said he gained a new appreciation for the power of a tornado and the damage it can do.  It was hard work, but one big bonus was he learned to use a chain saw and felt like a real manly man using the heavy equipment.  One of the highlights for him was having sacrament meeting with all of the volunteers in their work clothes on Sunday morning and then heading out to help more people remove trees from their yards.  This was Christian service at its finest!

I  love reading and talking politics, but this year is shaping up to be one for the record books of most time spent absorbed in something I have no control over.  (Reminds me of the summer I watched the OJ Simpson trial faithfully day after day and felt a little depressed when it ended) I  think the factor this year is that my other favorite topic, religion, is also front and center because of Mitt being Mormon.  I admittedly spend way too much time with the stuff, but I justify it by folding clothes, driving carpools, or cleaning the kitchen while i listen to every podcast I can get my hands on.  I have realized I have to keep a little distance and throw in a TED talk on our loss of wisdom, a  BYU devotional on pride or some Coldplay/Paul Cardall/ The Killers (depending on the mood) just to keep me grounded.  Too much of anything is never good for the soul, but it is fun to be a hoarder now and then.

Sydney is trying out soccer for the first time.  The coordination of socks, shoes, ball, and shorts were very important.  Looking good helps you play better soccer apparently. She whizzed around the field and loved every minute.  I guess the glamour prep really did  help her work that field!!

It's really hard to teach your kids to not procrastinate when they win awards for doing so.  McKell threw together a science project the day before it was due and won first place in her category of biochemistry.  She knows how to work well under pressure.  She's a little bit like her mom that way.  We were sure proud of her, but we hope next time she starts a little sooner so there is less stress around the house. 

I gave a lesson in RS on Sunday about spirituality and how sometimes we need to re-boot and re-charge our spirits so we can tap in better to ourselves and our relationship to God.   I tried an experiment mentioned in an article in the Feb. Ensign that suggested going on a digital fast.  I decided to start small and turned off everything for about 4 or 5 hours one afternoon while everyone was away.  I was amazed at how being still and listening helped me be inspired with a rush of ideas, feelings, and a sense of purpose that I had not felt in a long time. I felt "spiritually born of God" and had a "change of heart" like it talks about in Alma 5 and I even "felt to sing the song of redeeming love", but I stopped short of singing. :) I loved what Jan Pinborough said about the double edged sword of technological gadgets: *They can keep us in touch with loved ones far away—and isolate us from those in our own homes. *They can save us time in paying bills a...