Happy Birthday Cindy 10/6/2008

Happy Birthday Cindy 
10/6/2008

Weather Report: Solid overcast with occasional sun
Hi 11.4c Lo 5.9c
winds 8-12 mph from the NW

Welcome new followers, the Gayle family and Bob & Doretta.

We have a birthday in our family today. It's Sister Cindy.
You Primary children can all sing along; ready?

Today is such a special day
It's birthday time for you.
We really want to celebrate
This happy day with you.
Oh, zippidia and hideho
There's something we can do.
We'll sing a song that we all know, Happy birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Cindy
Happy Birthday to you.

Today, Cindy got "Happy Birthdayed" from the family, the sisters in the office, the Assistants and office elders, President Mickelsen, and President Drachev (mission presidency 1st counselor). The sisters sang in English, quite an effort for Yulia. The Assistants also sang in English, somewhat less effortful. President Mickelsen joined in with a heat-felt greeting and all felt festive. Later, President Drachev presented her with a home-made card expressing an appropriate birthday greeting.

I must say that Sister Cindy has worked her way into the hearts of all of those she has met more than once. The Branch sisters love her even though they can't say much more than hello. The elders are particularly fond of her, maybe because of the meals that she has cooked for them, but probably it is just her loving demeanor and openness with them. Many of those who frequent the office have confided their softest feelings to her, knowing that they will get an accepting and compassionate hearing from her. She is even corresponding with several mothers of missionaries, giving them news of their missionaries and general support for worried mothers. She feels isolated from people in general but she has connected with a lot of people on a very personal level.

Sister Simmons' desk area is now festooned with flowers several cards, and a flock of sheep all getting into the celebration. Some of the lost sheep are reluctant to get involved, saying that they are just not sure this is what they want to do; maybe it's not right. Maybe they will feel better about it if two of the found sheep go and visit them.

I bought Sister Cindy some flowers on Friday, sort of a pre-birthday kickoff, coming back from the First Branch Presidency meeting from one of the Metro flower shops located underground in the Metro approach tunnel. They were quite an affair, three transvaal daisies on long plastic straws with cups to hold the flower's head straight (sort of a flower-bra), a lot of greenery, a ruffle of clear cellophane with a red and white pattern edged with red, and a skirt of white crepe-paper and more cellophane. If there was ever gilding the lily (or daisy), this is it.

Tonight, I am making the dinner. We are starting off with a creme of mushroom broth prepared with boiling filtered spring water. Then we have an aged cabbage, carrot, and tomato salad with a honey-mustard-vinegar dressing. The main course has a foundation of Harry bread covered with native Russian Mayo, rare yellow cheddar cheese, a slice of Ukrainian onion, Kazakhtany tomato, and questionable native salami, broiled under a heat-convective coil in our very own vintage oven. This is followed by popped Ukrainian peasant corn with salted Russian butter and dead sea salt, accompanied by a native pina-colata demitasse. All of this is served on a footstool in front of a streaming General Conference. Nothing but the best for the birthday girl.

What a girl. What a missionary. What a country.

DS