Bishop Olcott

On Sunday Vince was sustained as the Bishop of our ward.

So that's new.

It'll be a growing experience for our family and it is always a privilege to serve the Lord.  I can't decide if I feel completely inadequate to take care of most of the home and family concerns on my own or inspired by my Heavenly Father's obvious vote of confidence that I can.  Maybe I'm somewhere in the middle.

For our first date Vince took me rappelling.  I'd never heard of rappelling before and I asked my roommates about it.  They told me they thought it was kind of like bungee jumping off of a mountain.  I found that utterly terrifying.  I've never liked heights--my legs shake and I feel dizzy and nauseous if I stand on a ladder too long.  I wanted to cancel the date, but I really did like this guy and the Spirit said it would be OK so I decided that I would go and if it was that awful I would just walk back down the mountain.  Hiking I don't mind so much.  Imagine my relief to discover that rappelling is NOTHING like bungee jumping!!  It's more like walking down the side of a cliff with a support rope.  I was so relieved that I readily agreed to try it--once.  The hardest part was convincing myself to walk off the side of the cliff and over that first lip where I felt like there was no mountain beneath--probably because the lip obstructs the view of everything else.  It went so well I did it a few more times.  In fact, I even went once "Aussie" style which is face first.  I guess I wanted to make an impression.  :)

Right now I feel like I'm just starting an Australian style rappel.  I've spent the last several weeks staring down the cliff to see the bottom and I can finally just start.  All that waiting was horribly distracting because the longer I looked the more I wondered if I could really do it.  I haven't made it over that first lip yet and I can't see all the challenges I will have to rappel around.  I have a ballet (a person minding the rope at the bottom that won't let me fall).  Actually I consider all friends, family, and ward members to be the ballet--I know I can't totally crash and burn but with their support but I could still get myself in a lot of trouble and they can't do it for me.  I also have a firm grip on the rope--my direct line to my Father in Heaven and his son Jesus Christ.  I have to really mind my grasp on the rope so I can receive the full benefits of the power, strength, and direction it offers.  But I make the comparison with the Aussie rappel because my left hand (Vince) will not be as available.  He will be there to catch me and stop me from serious injury bumping into sharp rocks, but this rappel relies more on my own right hand--more on my own ability to listen and respond to the Spirit to receive guidance and direction for our home and family.