I am fulfilled.

Flashback:


It’s March. Josh is in school. I need a hobby. I’m bored, I’m not productive and I need to feel like I’m doing some good in the world. I hate my job, I hate my empty nights, I hate feeling like I’m not contributing to anything. I attend the Bountiful temple (because it’s “our new temple” I love that moving 15 minutes away gets me a new temple in Utah, what a blessing!). They have little cards and stations everywhere that say “we need volunteers”.

These cards are calling to me. This is what I need to do with my life. It’s like God came down and hit me in my head with a stick. He’s shouting at me “HEY AMY!!!! (do this in your best echo-y God voice) VOLUNTEER AT THE TEMPLE (-temple -emple echo) ……IT WILL SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS AND MAKE YOU HAPPY (happy appy).

I take home a card, give it a lot of thought and consideration and under the section “preferred area” I mark the baptistery (because that sure beats out laundry and cafeteria) but write that I’m willing to go anywhere I’m needed. The only thing I really know is that I do NOT want laundry or cafeteria because I do enough laundry and dishes at my house and it’s not going to make me feel any more fulfilled than I already do.

Fast forward a few months:

It’s June. I still hate my job. Josh isn’t in school, I’m not so bored. I’ve just started taking pills to help us get pregnant and I’m optimistically thinking that we’ll be pregnant soon. Like within a day or two. (ahhh….the blessed naiveté that is me) I’ve totally forgotten about the card I filled out. Brother Smith (I have no clue what his real name was…it doesn’t really matter.) called and asked if I’d be willing to work in the cafeteria. I hesitate (I knew that would happen, that’s the worst one!) then say “sure”, he says I’ll hear from "someone else" sometime soon. And by the way, thank

Fast forward to September:

I’m now working at a job I love and feeling totally fulfilled. Josh is not in school. I have no spare time (unless you count the 4-5 hours a week I spend in front of the tv……or the 5-10 hours a week I spend playing games with my husband…….or the 10-15 I waste sitting around test driving the love sac we’ve owned for a year…..those hours of course don’t count because Josh is home, so technically I’m enriching my marriage during those hours). And I am doing some other stuff that makes me feel quite fulfilled in my life. Que the “someone else” phone call. They’d like me to do Saturday afternoon (even though I marked morning) shift every other week and can I start this weekend please? Yes. Yes I can.

So Saturday I had my first shift as a volunteer cafeteria lady at the Bountiful temple. I went out and bought some brand new white “tennies” (as the cute old ladies in the temple call them) and waltzed right into the temple. I get to "work the line" (which means if you come eat there, I’ll say “What can I get for you Sister (or Brother if you’re a guy….or Sister if you’re a guy and it’s been a long day….)?” And you’ll smile at me and tell me what to put on your plate so you can eat it. Fun huh? I must say, serving in the temple, even if it is in the cafeteria, is fulfilling, even though I didn’t think I needed to be fulfilled anymore.