The Christmas season is off to a great start in NWA and the Willy house. Reese went up and down the lane and personally invited every one of our neighbors to the Nativity and Noel hosted by the Bentonville and Roger’s stakes. We attended Saturday night, and on Friday night, two of our neighbors went with my parents, thanks to Reese’s invitation.
This was a wonderful event and the efforts of those in charge really showed. The nativities displayed all over the room were beautiful. The live nativity had two sweet mom friends of mine playing Mary each night avdbtheur newborns both made an adorable baby Jesus. The children loved seeing grandpa Hal play a wise man. I think he loved it, too. It was good to see him pal around with Brothers Cabrera and Jensen. I think leaving friends of forty years must be one of the hardest parts about moving to Arkansas. Where they lived before, everyone knew them and they had worked and served abs raised families along side so many peers. They don’t have much of a history of their own here in Arkansas yet, so it was just really really good to see them get involved in an event like this, just like they would have in California.
The music was good. Really good. The Ozark Mormon chorale was better than I’ve ever heard them before. Crisp. Is that a good word to describe musicians? I think so. They sounded crisp. Everything was just excellent from diction to pitch. It was feast for the ears and heart as the Spirit was felt through testimonies were borne through song.
The little ones didn’t last. Aaron knew I would love to stay to sing hallelujah chorus (my favorite part of the evening), and generously offered to take the younger three home. I stayed and drove my parents home.
After treats, the girls and my mom and I helped a little with cleanup. Reese and Quincy groaned, but it was good experience for them to be aware of the work that goes into setting up for a large community event. They folded and put away like 300 chairs and were “sore” the next day.
It wasn’t the right day for it, but it could have been my “honor thy parents” act of service. I grew up with my parents running events like this one. I know the hours they put in. I know they would stay at the church until 1am and not leave until the work was done. I couldn’t get in my car knowing there were 300 chairs to be folded up, when I also knew I had only shown up for the feast and there were wonderful people who had spent an entire weekend working in those gyms to set up, orchestrate, and take down. My parents taught me how to work, so I honored them on Saturday by teaching my girls the same.
It was a rich evening and everyone there felt the spirit of Christmas.
