Five Things for Friday

 I haven't done a "Five Things" post in a long time, but I had some good "things" for it this week and I'm caught up with blogging, so here we go!

1. This is an e-mail that John's wrestling coach received this past week. It makes me even more proud of him and the team than their successes on the mat. And it was so kind of this woman to write this e-mail to the coach. A mom from the team shared it to one of my town's Facebook pages and it got hundreds of likes. This really has made my week!

Coach Nelson asked that I share a message he received yesterday, which is a testament to the character of the young men you are raising and this team. As many of you probably know, we had no event this past weekend, and instead many members of the team went to APEX. Below is part of a message that Coach Nelson received:  

Good Morning Coach Nelson:

I just wanted to make you aware of an incident involving your wrestling team that occurred this Saturday at the APEX center in Marlborough.

My husband and I brought our three grandchildren (18 mos., 6 and 12 yo) bowling on Saturday afternoon and were placed next to members of the wrestling team. Though there were a number of them, each young man personified respect, courteousness, tolerance and most importantly, kindness. I cannot say enough about how impressed we were with their behavior towards each other and those around them. One young man in particular stopped in the middle of his turn so he could show us how to set up the game (we’re definitely of a different generation), explain the differences in ball weights and made sure we were all set before he returned to his game. No one complained, no one made fun of our ignorance and not a single eye roll was seen.

I understand how quickly we are to complain or draw attention to negative behaviors in our youth but I think it is equally important to praise and celebrate when we see them act and behave in ways that showcase their inherent goodness. I’m sure you already know what a great group of young men you have on your team but I wanted you to know that strangers also see and appreciate them because manners matter, respect matters and above all, kindness matters.

The coaches wanted to share this will of you because we could not have been prouder of the young men in our program after reading this. They acted not because eyes were on them, but because they are genuinely great people. Truly, as we head into postseason, we thought this was important to share because we are always prouder of the team's accomplishments as humans than anything else.  

2. I read a really good article about the blessings of the temple endowment, and I could totally relate to the picture that went with it. As I've written before, I've become a total and complete temple convert! I love it there. I just went again yesterday and I think it's better than ever with some recent changes that were made. My life is richly blessed in many ways from my temple covenants and from my time spent serving in the temple.

How'd they get that picture of me!? 😁

3. My book club met this past week and the book we discussed was one that I didn't love, Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, but there were two good quotes from it that I could totally relate to:

• "The worst thing a divorce does to a person isn't that it makes all the time you devoted to the relationship feel wasted, but that it steals all the plans you had for the future." ✔

• "...humor is the soul's last line of defense, and as long as we're laughing we're alive, so bad puns and fart jokes were their way of expressing their defiance against despair." 

I agree with this. I think I'm pretty good at maintaining a good sense of humor about things, even tragedies like divorce and its fallout, and it really does help. And of course I'm a big fan of bad puns and fart jokes! And farts themselves, which I've always thought are really funny. 😆 

4. I'm following up about this Vineyard Vines sherpa fleece pullover that I was coveting last fall. I wrote about it here. 

My willpower didn't win out, but it did in the end (kind of). I went to the store to get it, tried it on, loved it, looked for a price tag but it didn't have one (none of the Vineyard Vines clothes did, and you will soon see why), brought it up to the cash register, and found out that it was $200! 😲 AND the store coupon for 25% off didn't even work for it. In the old days I may have gotten it anyway, but these definitely aren't the old days, and there was no way I was going to pay $200 for a pullover that I didn't need (even though it was super warm and in my favorite colors), so back to the rack it went. My coveting was officially over, and that took care of that!

5. Valentine's Day is next week. I still like it and am not a hater even though I haven't had a romantic partner on V-Day (or any other day 😆) in a few years as I continue to go through a difficult divorce. Maybe next year when I'm finally officially single I won't be celebrating alone, but for now, I'm my own valentine again. 😁 Here are my plans: I'm going to a Galentine's waffle brunch with friends, I ordered myself a box of delicious chocolate-covered strawberries from Edible Arrangements, and I'm getting a massage that day--that way at least someone's hands will be on me in an enjoyable manner! 😜 I get a monthly massage anyway because it's good for my health, so for February I made sure to schedule it for the 14th. Because I love me! 💖

Happy Valentine's Day!