Thoughts on Moving

I did not move much as a child, I dreaded each move my family made from one part of Farmington to another (resulting in a mere ward change). Since being married, Kenz and I have moved, sometimes as much as gypsies do. I have since learned that moving is a time for introspection. It's a time to look at what one has learned from the past. It's an opportunity to cherish the old and begin anew. That's how I view our upcoming move.

We were just getting settled into Virginia life when we moved. There were several great couples in our ward who were also young professionals working in the D.C. area. We felt welcomed and were sad to leave.

When we moved back to Utah to finish prereqs for med school, we looked forward to making new friends in our new ward as we had in Virginia. We moved into a great area - our neighbors even helped move us in while I was in classes at the U one day. We wanted to give back and be involved.

Between school and commute for me, work and projects for Kenz, and trying to run a household together, we looked for opportunities to serve and get to know our neighbors. We often made treats for neighbors on Sundays just as  a friendly gesture or to brighten someone's day who we felt might need it. We made dinners (or bought dinners when schedules did not permit making a meal) to take to those who were sick or had newborns. And through it all, we made good memories with people we will miss.

I'll let you know something about Kenz, which you probably already know. She loves people. She genuinely loves to be around others and to make them happy. She loves meeting new people and connecting people (which is one reason why she's so fantastic at her job). There are people who have separate groups of friends and like to keep them separate, and others who like to connect friends from separate groups to form one large group. Kenz is the latter.

For Kenz, people are people, not projects. She leads our family in reaching out to others. Impromptu dinners, treats on the doorstep, Sub for Santa opportunities, Saturday brunches, girls' nights, early morning gym trips, mailed gifts, cards, job opportunities, resumes, baby showers, giving away our groceries to people with cardboard signs near the grocery store, babysitting, and thoughtful gifts are only a few on the list.

 Let me highlight a few:

• Kenz noticed that a girl moving out of the ward appeared overwhelmed about decorating her new house. So she got her a housewarming gift based on what this girl had mentioned she liked. 

• After talking to someone in the ward, she felt that that person needed special attention and so she made cookies for them. It turned out it had been an especially rough week for that individual. 

• The other day, we were in a line of cars at a four-way stop trying to get home to take care of things there before we had to run more errands. There was a lady at the stop sign who motioned for us to roll down the window and then asked us for a ride to work. Despite the fact that she didn't have to be to work in an hour, and that we were headed in the opposite direction, Kenz looked at me and said, "It's okay with me if it's okay with you." We took the lady to work. 

She gives and does not expect anything in return. In all honesty, I expect eventual reciprocity. If I am friendly, I expect the same out of pure common courtesy. Kenz does not. She exemplifies the virtue that Christ taught to love everyone (Matt. 5: 43-46).

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?”

When I felt completely burned by a few situations in our ward, Kenz continued on, open, optimistic and consistent. She didn't have to be considered a friend to be a friend. So, as I look towards our next adventure of owning our own space, I hope to continue to work towards possessing some of the same attributes. I hope to not have to be considered a friend to act like one.