Temple Square, Salt Lake City and The Train

So, we love to ride the FrontRunner to Salt Lake City from Ogden. We did on Saturday. I wanted to take a pictures of the train so I could post it on my blog.

(Yes, that's our laptop--LOVE WIFI.)

Alas! In the scramble of getting from point A to point B, I did not get an outside picture. It turns out, as I learned on the radio this morning, had I taken a picture and been caught, I would have been turned over to the Department of Homeland Security's anti-terrorist organization. Whew! Glad we avoided that mishap! The ENTIRE day, however, was one misadventure after another.

We left here at 10 am "spontaneously" going to This Is The Place Living History Museum. We arrived at the museum in East SLC at 4 pm. That's right, it took us SIX hours when it should have been a 2 hour trip. We didn't plan ahead, so we kept missing transfers (since we only use mass transit in SLC). All I could think was, "Valerie would DIE! She'd hate this."

For example, the bus we were supposed to get on from the U of U to get to the Zoo and Museum was "breaking down" all the electrical warning lights were flashing. When we got on the bus, we found out it didn't stop at the bus stop we needed. The SUPER KIND driver dropped us off as "close" as she could. We still walked a half mile.

The museum was awesome. We did not have enough time to do anything but let the kids ride a tiny locomotive train around a pond. I will definitely return to the museum again.

On the way back we thought, "Hey, the junction to Trax can't be too far." It was a mile and a half. Ryan pushed our umbrella stroller as it held Luke AND Suzanne. I carried Eric in our baby carrier in the front and our "supply" backpack on our back. We were so determined to walk. Ironically, the kind driver of Bus route 21 kept passing us. Undoubtedly she must have been thinking, "Why don't they just get back on the bus?"

At one point we finally crashed on the side of the road on a grassy area between Foothill drive and one of the UofU's research facilities. There we ate the dinner we had been packing. A woman randomly jogged by us. We had not seen other pedestrians for blocks. She gave us the this-is-a-strange-place-to-have-a-picnic look.

Our journey ended at Temple Square. Luke LOVES Temple Square. He BEGS us to go every time we ride pass on Trax. We stopped and went to the north visitor center. They currently have a display on the bottom floor about service and the church's humanitarian aid. On the wall, at the beginning of the exhibit, there is a sign that reads something like: Live the Teachings of Jesus Christ in bold letters. This large phrase is surround by smaller phrases suggesting ways in which the teachings of Jesus Christ may be demonstrated.

Two of the suggestions caught my eye. First, Protect the Environment; I think we assume the idea of climate change (and other related issues) are a politically-charged melodrama. However, I cannot help but wonder WHY?? the church would put something like 'protect the environment' on a wall that included: be kind, visit shut-ins, say hello, smile. We are the stewards of this earth while we are here. This statement provides a legitimate cause for reflection. In other ways, it made me feel validated in our choice to have one car and use bikes as often as possible for the sake of pollution and fossil fuel consumption. (We do accept the hypocrisy of keeping the SUV :) )

The second Christ-like suggestion was Drive Courteously. Every General Conference we hear about road rage. Ryan proposed an interesting idea. What about when we drive too slow? (Danette should laugh at this since I slowed down REALLY fast to turn right while I unknowingly driving in front of her the other day. :) ) His idea was hypermiling. Hypermiling can often "back-up" traffic if a person is coasting to "improve" their miles per gallon. Backing up traffic for improved mpg is selfishly motivated. Funny how a simple statement such as drive coureously can create a HUGE lesson if we are humble.

I am amazed how the Lord is ALWAYS trying to teach us. We all have opportunities to improve and grow if we will humbly look to the lessons around us. Humility has been an underlying theme in my thoughts lately.

One of my sisters-in-law once made a comment about humility that taught me a great deal--even though she may not know it. The context was contentious, but the idea was celestial. Her idea was to humility accept the love [and lessons] around us. I have spent many hours reflecting on her statement, and its broader application. Humility is vital. It is the center of all of the the suggestions on the board at Temple Square including driving courteously and protecting the environment. It's definitely something I could internalize more often.