Ward Business*

You probably already know this but in our old ward, the Bishop was -and is- my Dad.
This was great in all kinds of ways: sweet temple recommend interviews, grandchildren making faces from the second row, getting the true stories behind ward gossip, constant access to the church.

Now in our new ward, the Bishop is my old boss.  The guy I used to spend 40 hours a week with.  The guy who sat and watched as I practically ruined his work life.
(You know, by quitting but not quitting and turning the aide position into a part-time one, then leaving him solo for an entire month, then saying I would come back to work in the fall but only working a few weeks before quitting for good....)
Anyway.
This is also great in all kinds of ways.

By our second official Sunday in the ward, I was substituting for the Primary chorister and Slice was teaching Elders Quorum; we juggled the babe between us.  We've been recruited to the ward choir and also given new callings.  I joke with people that it's weird to have a bishop who already knows me so well.  He knows my family and a fair amount of recent history; my opinions on books, current events and trends; my organizational quirks and (many, many!) pet peeves.  The nature of our work brought about a lot of discussion on such things.

My favorite thing, though, is that most people in the new ward don't know that I know the Bishop on a personal level.  They point out his children to me, telling me their names, explaining relationships and things that I am already well-aware of.
And I just smile and nod, thanking them for the valuable information.  These people are so kind.

In other news, the ward we moved into is very different from the one we left.
I know, I know!
The ward we left was (is) exceptional in many ways - literally.  Membership, activity, tithing and growth rates are off the charts, even by Utah standards.  Also, the ward choir is possibly the best in existence.
(Possibly.)
But as much as we loved it, I didn't really feel needed.  Except to keep 100+ Primary kids in check.  Meetings were big and often noisy, even irreverent.

Not so much here!

In any case - it's nice to feel needed every once in a while.


*My apologies in the off-chance that (as a reader of my blog, that is) you don't speak fluent Mormon...