A Week of Firsts and Lasts

With only three weeks left on our mission, it seems more likely that the title of this post should be "A Week of Lasts". But the title of "A Week of Firsts and Lasts" is really more fitting.

Anyway, the first of the "firsts":  Each Thursday evening I am excused early from my temple shift to give organ lessons to Jocelyn, a cute eleven-year-old who attends the Spanish Ward.  Last Thursday was no different, except that Your Dad decided he would stay after his shift and attend an endowment session while I gave my organ lesson.  The plan was that I would pick him up in front of the Temple around 8:20 pm.  No problem.  Yes problem! Upon returning to the apartment after Jocelyn's lesson,  I made the bad decision to change into my nightgown and fuzzy robe before cuddling under my comforter in front of the tv.  I should have known better, since that always sets the stage for the inevitable.  And last Thursday night was no exception. The inevitable happened.  I woke up with a start at 8:45 pm!  Yikes!  At least I had the sleepy presence of mind to throw on my coat over my jammies before heading out the door.   I raced to the temple while wiping sleepy dust from my eyes. Not wanting to "face the music",  I was tempted to not even show up.  But even in my groggy state of mind, I knew that would only make matters worse.  Upon arriving at the temple, Your Dad was nowhere to be seen.  "Of course he's not standing outside anymore.  I'm very late picking him up, and it's cold and dark out here.  Obviously he's sitting inside."  So now my problem got worse.  How was I to let Your Dad know I had arrived? And how was I to know if he was still here?  I had no choice but to GO INTO THE TEMPLE WEARING MY JAMMIES.  AND MY ROBE.  AND MY FLIP FLOPS!  On the bright side, at least I wasn't wearing my pink, fuzzy slippers.  And my coat almost covered my unauthorized temple attire.  After one of the workers at the recommend desk assured me no angry man was sitting in the waiting area past the recommend desk, I fled the scene.  But my problem still existed:  "Where was Your Dad?"  I drove slowly back to the apartment, looking for an angry man walking on the side of the street.  But still no "Your Dad". Not finding him in the apartment, I headed back to the temple. By now it was well past 9 pm.  This time he was standing outside the temple in his designated spot.   I had mixed feelings.  Relief that I had caught up with him, but dread having to finally face the music. Bracing myself for the ensuing lecture,  I reluctantly unlocked the passenger door of the car to let him in.  But instead of a lecture, I heard apologies.   Wait a minute. I'm confused!  I'M the only one who was supposed to be giving apologies!  Apparently Your Dad had just barely walked outside before I pulled up.  He had missed the endowment session he had planned on attending, which meant he was later coming out to meet me. He thought I had been sitting in the car for half an hour waiting for him. Rats!  I had entered the temple in my unmentionables for nothing!

So that's the first entry on my Firsts List: "Going into the temple in my jimmy-jim jams."  And it had had BETTER be a last!

Now to the second entry on my "Firsts List".  And, sad to say,  I'm sure this is a last.

It was my week to play the organ for the Spanish Ward.  They have no organists in their ward, so I play in their sacrament meeting twice a month.  The chorister, Sister Martinez,  had sent me her usual Thursday email informing me of the upcoming Sunday hymns.  But this email was different.  She casually informed me, and I quote: "Hi Sister Eddington this Sunday we will sing 3 hymns only, because our choir will be sing and we will have an apostle visiting us and our brothers and sisters from Mount Pleasant will come to our ward too.

1- Hijos del Señor venid #26
     Come, ye children of the Lord # 58

2- Asombro me da# 118
     I Stand All Amazed  193

3- Haz el bien # 155
     Choose the Right # 239

Thank you Sister Eddington for your help in our ward playing the organ. We will miss you."  

What!?! You've GOT to be kidding!  Me? Playing the organ in the presence of an apostle?  Can't do it! Not an option!

Elder D. Todd Christopherson was in town for the inauguration.  He was the bishop of one of the wards that met in our meetinghouse when he and his family lived here years ago. It was very touching that he chose to speak to the Spanish Ward and Branch and in Spanish. For two days I kept giving myself little pep talks to keep me from totally freaking out. "Don't worry about playing the prelude.  In the first place, Elder Christopherson won't be arriving until close to the beginning of the meeting.  Besides, the members of the Spanish Ward are a social bunch.  They will do their usual talking during the prelude. And don't worry about playing the hymns.  They are easy, and you have two days to practice them to be sure you know them well."  So much for that pep talk!  Sister Martinez sent this email on Saturday, but I didn't read it until Sunday morning:

"Hi Sister Eddington.  We have to chance the hymns for Sunday, the bishop send to me the hymns this morning by text.  I saw brother Dundas yesterday and he don't said anything to me. I don't know if he send to you the new ones.

1-. 182 Bienvenido día santo
      280 Welcome, welcome , Sabbath morning.
2- 106 Cuan grato es cantar loor
      177 'Tis sweet to sing the matchless
3-    02 El Espiritu De Dios
         02 The Spirit of God
 Three hymns only.

See you tomorrow Sister Eddighton."

Great! No stress!  I just said a more fervent prayer before we left for Church.  

The prelude experience happened exactly as I had predicted.  I was even calm when the congregation suddenly became quiet and stood up right before the beginning of the meeting.  "Ok, I know Elder Christopherson is now entering the chapel. It's fine. Just keep playing and pretend he's not here."  But it wasn't "fine"!  How could I pretend he wasn't there when he was walking in my direction?  He greeted the young men sitting at the sacrament table next to the organ, and then turned to me and greeted me.  "Great!  You had to start making mistakes on the organ just because an Apostle of the Lord is speaking to you?  YES!  Again, not an option!"  

The rest of the meeting was so wonderful.  I can't describe the Spirit that we all felt. To be sitting that close to an Apostle of the Lord and listening to his inspiring words.  And my organ prayers were answered.  My organ playing went well.  

At the end of the meeting, after I had finished my postlude, I was surprised to notice the Christophersons were still talking with the members. He and his wife were so gracious.  They were  allowing pictures to be taken, even though one of the members was clucking to me how we weren't supposed to treat general authorities like celebrities and have pictures taken with them.  Want to bet? About that time Sister Martinez showed up and showed me a picture on her cell phone of herself, her daughter Joselyn, and Elder Christopherson. I asked her if she would take Your Dad's and my picture with Elder Christopherson.  I grabbed Your Dad's reluctant arm, dragged him through the crowd, grabbed Elder Christopherson's arm, and asked him to pose with us.  So here's proof that the second "first" on my First List isn't a fabrication:

(PS: Laurel is my favorite daughter born in 1970)

And I'm 99.99% sure this second "First" is definitely a last, unless Scott can hook us up with another apostle. We will never forget how twelve-year-old Scott pushed through the crowds after a Regional Conference in the Ogden Dee Event Center to get Neal Maxwell's autograph.  Scott, whatever happened to that autograph?