I like humans best!

I also really like dogs. Dogs are fiercely loyal, and loyalty is the most important characteristic in a creature, if you ask me. Loyalty is my personal "love language," even though it's not technically one of the five. Indeed, dogs are wonderful, but this past week, I had some experiences with humans, and my faith in humanity has been restored. Humans are funny and kind, and (sometimes) even genuine.

First, there's this octogenarian (maybe he's even 90?) gentleman in our ward. I don't know his name, but the other day he and I were waiting outside the clerk's office for our temple recommend interviews. His wife was inside meeting with a bishopric counselor, and he and I were chatting. He noticed that I was carrying my quad (a large book of scriptures). In an effort to help me out, he asked me if I was aware that I could get the scriptures on my phone with an app called "Gospel Library." Bahahaha! Yep, I actually have that app as a matter of fact. It's just that on the Sundays I teach Gospel Doctrine, I prefer to use my physical scriptures that have years of annotations. This whole encounter made me laugh, but seriously, what a nice guy.

Second, there is my lovely family. Missing Luke and Seth, the rest of us gathered this past Sunday to celebrate my birthday. Well, just look how cute my kids are:

These four people standing next to me are not only adorable on the outside; they are equally wonderful on the inside. They are generous and loving. I've been assembling items for Seth's Christmas package, and yesterday, I put everything together and weighed the thing. I was expecting it to be maybe 3 lbs. so was woefully disheartened when the scale said 5.5 lbs. and I hadn't even added the 20 oz bottle of Mtn. Dew Code Red! It costs around $20/pound to ship with the courier I'm using. I began to consider what I might leave out, but the heavier items are the candy, which Seth really, really wants. (Apparently, they have no decent candy in Paraguay.)

Desperate, I sent out a text on our family thread, asking if anyone would like to donate to help get this stuff shipped to Paraguay, so our favorite missionary would have a great package without breaking my Christmas budget. Within seconds, I had replies from everyone. Gerald texted, "I'll send you cash via Venmo tomorrow." Amanda (on behalf of her and Eli): "We are definitely in!" Next, Shulamith: "I'll Venmo you on Tuesday when we get paid. Seth needs candy. And soda!" And then, Isaiah: "Take whatever you need from my account."

Have I mentioned how much I love these people?

Finally, after reading what feels like hundreds of boring narrative essays, on occasion a student actually gives you some genuine voice:

"So there I was, foot in a boot and ass in a wheelchair, on a cocktail of drugs sufficient to put a small elephant to sleep."

Okay, possible you need to be a writing instructor to appreciate the joy of honest voice, but trust me; it made my day. Do ya feel me, John, Chris, Jay, Lizzie (who is no longer with us, but I know she's reading from heaven because she always read my blog)?

Anyway, dogs are the coolest.

But after this past week, I like humans best.