Initiations

We woke up this morning to a sea of white. In defense of that statement, K2 did wake us up when she got in at 3AM to tell us something but W and I were so asleep we just agreed and fell back asleep. So, at 8 AM the puppies started to bark, I moved and found D and his friend T cleaning up the front yard.

I knew that this would be an inevitable outcome of his association to his band. It's a frosh initiations and happens to every first year member. They have a great rule, an unofficial rule, that if parents help clean up the mess the senior members will return and do it all over again. I LOVE THAT RULE!

It was interesting, as I saw what was really one of the best TPing jobs ever it brought back a flood of not so good memories. The time when our house came under attack for a number of years. If only it was TP'ing that would have been fine but it was accompanied by egging and traffic signs and Salvation Army donations strewn across the lawn. The motivation for that frivolity was not welcoming but hatred, resentment and jealousy. There was a significant difference between this TP job and those done at the Lake Bonaventure house.

I wonder how those kids feel now, over 10 years later about the acts of vandalism they perpetrated on our home. Every Sunday, after the Saturday night dance, we would go out as a family and clean the dried eggs off our home, even in -30c weather and then watch these same young men who did it bless our sacrament. It became increasingly harder and harder to not hate through this. Even to this day, apologies have NEVER come forth. Did they ever wonder if they crossed the line? Did they ever wonder why we were hurt? I mean, we welcomed them time and time again to use our backyard and they came and then we were rewarded with the acts of hatred almost every weekend for over 5-7 years. It became a nightmare, it became a way of life for us. As much as we tried to rise above it, it seemed to never end until we moved. The Bishop suggested we put into the stake bulletin that we were moving so that the kids could have a heads up so as to not do it to the new owners, he thought he was funny when he said it, I was just sad.

As I walked around this morning I was instantly struck by the difference. Before, it was about the intent. There was never concern for the property or the outcome. It was meant to be an act of feelings. Here, today, it was about welcoming. A strong and dedicated group of kids who wanted D to be one of them. You saw it most at the Grand baby garden where they could have damaged it so easily. In their haste, they could have pulled the fragile flowers out of their newly found roots and yet, they gently laid the toilet paper around the flowers and though it was, for sure, the best TP job I have seen in a very long time it was done gently and out of respect.

I think that's what the Momo kids lacked, RESPECT. I wonder if they have any now?