It's More of a Twig....

In my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) our congregations are divided up into wards depending on where we live. If there are not enough people in an area to form a ward....we form a branch....or as we affectionately call it....a twig. The area we pull from is approximately 120 miles by about 80 miles. On any given Sunday we have about 25 faithful members that drive as far as 70 miles away to attend church on Sunday. My family drives 40 minutes from our home every week....and an extra trip for the annual Christmas party. Last year we had to call it a night a bit early on account of snow. This year was a treat. We got to stay the entire time. These salt-of-the-earth people are as humble and fervent in their testimony as they come. We don't have a clique problem.....like you can find in bigger wards. We have a 2 hour meeting schedule instead of the usual 3 hours. And we have such a good time together. I don't think I have laughed so hard at a church party as I did last night. We have 2 young men in the ward and they are a riot! They are fun to kid around with and I like to talk with them. It makes me miss Kev just a hair less. Today we showed up to church and found the parking lot covered in a 4 inch blanket of snow. After a little teasing and cajoling the young men found it in their hearts to shovel the sidewalks and a few trails through the parking lot. What I didn't know is they were out there for most of the first block.........piling snow around every side of my car!!! I think they cleared the entire parking lot!
This is what it looked like as I came out from primary......the boys could barely contain their glee as they showed me the fruits of their labors. Oh, they were so proud. So many emotions hit me at once. A little bit of exasperation hit me as I hoped the hadn't scratched my paint....but mostly I laughed. They did promise to dig it out for me.....as they congratulated themselves on a job well done. And then it hit me. They only tease you if they like you. (How many time have I said that to Jo?) We were being initiated into the club....we are officially in....I know I can count on these boys for anything now. And I hope they know that they can count on me too.