Kia ora everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with
some additional thoughts on the perfection of timing and the advantage of
listening. It is also the story of a long-overdue birthday cake and a bag of
apples. Last week. you may recall that I
shared a “moving” story with you. That story concerned the domino effect
brought about when Ward and I acted collectively on a prompting that we had
received individually. Last week, I apologized for the length of that particular
blog, so rather than rehearsing it all over again, please feel free to refer to
blog number 25 for further details. I will add, however that our roommates,
Francis and Peter Burt, have now relocated to the MTC in Manila
and are ready to begin their great adventure in the Philippines
One of my life long philosophies concerns that fact that
everyone should have a birthday cake on their special day every year. Presents
are optional in my mind, but a birthday cake is essential. I have fond memories
of growing up in a house where once a year on June 30, I would wake up extra
early and bake my mother a cake. I would always try to be extra quiet so that
my mother would be surprised and it was always such a relief when the cake was
finished before my mother woke. Mom would emerge from her bedroom, yawning and
stretching and she would always look totally surprised by the sight of my
freshly-baked creation. It never occurred to me until years later, that when my
mother finally presented herself in the kitchen, it was well past the time she
would normally have awakened. I am grateful that my mother was thoughtful and
patient enough to stay “asleep” until I had time to finish her cake. What
timing!! Now to my utter embarrassment,
I am also grateful that she never mentioned the pile of dirty dishes, pans and
counter tops that were lurking in the background. After presenting her with her
cake, I usually realized that there was somewhere else I needed to be and
dashing out of the house, I left the birthday girl to enjoy her cake while
cleaning up the mess created by its invention.
My mother has been gone for fourteen years and still one of my biggest
regrets is that I never told her how utterly sorry I was for leaving her in
such a state year after year. Sorry Mom!
But I digress as this is actually the story of a much more
recent cake. We went to visit a little family that we have grown to love. In
the process of that visit, one of the little girls quietly showed me a package
that she had obviously wrapped by herself. With her hand to my ear, she
whispered that tomorrow was her mother’s birthday and she had wrapped up one of
her favorite toys to present to her mommy when she woke up. Listening to that
little voice, I was suddenly transported back to my own childhood and all of
those surprise birthday cakes that I had presented my own mother. I asked
Ashlyn if they were going to have a cake and she said no. That simple one-word
answer came with a prompting that a birthday cake was, in this case, a
necessity.
So, as I had done so many other mornings light years ago, I
rose early and baked a chocolate cake. Ward went off in search of birthday
candles and by midmorning, we had a chocolate cake with chocolate icing
(another personal philosophy is that one can never have too much chocolate!)
complete with sprinkles and thirty-two candles.
I found a lovely serving tray in my new kitchen and we excitedly hopped
into the car, eager to make our delivery. While my mother’s reaction was always
predicted in my imagination, Antazias reaction was totally unexpected. I did
expect that she would be surprised, but I hadn’t factored in the tears that
were shed. Antazia expressed her surprise and her gratitude then said something
that I asked her to repeat because I thought that I hadn’t heard correctly. I
thought that she was telling me that this was the only birthday cake that she
was to receive this year and I was so glad that I had again listened. But that
is not what she said. Her actual words were, “This is the only birthday cake
that I have ever received.” Antazia had grown up as an abused child and as part
of that abuse, she was not allowed to celebrate her birthday. And as a young
mother with limited means, a cake was considered a frivolity. Again, as I stood
in her kitchen, holding her youngest little girl, I was struck by the fact that
Antazia needed that birthday cake. And again, just like our experiences of the
preceding week, that need was being relayed to us and all we had to do was act.
We are being tutored and we are learning to listen and to
follow through. It should then have come as no surprise to us when the very
next day, after having harvested some Granny Smith apples off of our tree and
delivering them to our blind friend, Samantha, her husband expressed his gratitude
by simply telling us that his wife had been craving apples all day!
As always, we are happy and working hard. We are grateful
for the lessons that we are learning and for the touching and tender moments that
we are experiencing. Although we don’t always know why we are prompted to do
something, it is always a tender mercy when we are given the gift of knowing
. We also don’t understand how the stars aligned so perfectly that we find
all of you in our lives, but we are glad that they did! Please think of us
whenever you enjoy a piece of chocolate cake or bite into a crisp Granny Smith!
Love, Ward and Susan
Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in Gisborne , New Zealand
Antazia and her first ever birthday cake
That cake looks delicious and YOU are an angel. The people of NZ are so lucky to have you and Ward there bringing moments of joy in their lives. You are missed in SLC!
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