Day 5

Today started with, oh, coffee..and then I went to an LDS (Mormon) sacrament meeting as per requested by my friends, Connie and Cameron. Connie and Cameron have come with us to First Presbyterian and although I've been to some other Mormon services, I had not been to their church.

The service was good, speakers talked about self-reliance and food storage. Food storage seems to be a big thing out here, our house even has a canning room and I think a lot of people stock their canning rooms with non-perishable food, up to a year's worth. I'm not sure if it's in preparation for a major disaster or personal struggle, such as the loss of income, but it's not something we've ever gotten into. Our canning room has remained empty and in fact, our realtor told us it was a wine cellar, after she asked if we were from Utah.

So anyway, the service was good, though very somber, but I especially appreciated talking with my friends and another acquaintance in attendance, about Mormonism and other religions after the meeting. I think it's so good to have conversations about perceptions and beliefs and to question why a person believes what they do. I don't see it as offensive, though at first it appears that way, but as an avenue to learn more about people and how they came to have the belief system they have.

I then hurried over to First Presbyterian and had the whole Mormon message of tithing in my brain, so when the offering plate was passed around at First Pres, I dug into my purse and came up with 2 pennies. Literally. I thought of writing a check, but then decided against it, as that giving is not anonymous (my name being on the check and all). I felt kind of silly putting just 2 cents in the plate, I even kind of snuck it in under another person's check, but it's what I had to give at that time.

After the offering I thought about anonymous giving of monetary means. When Soph was in kindergarten in Texas, we received a donation request from her school and it actually listed other families who had given with the amount given. We received this note numerous times. I was so offended that they listed how much people gave that I wanted to contact the organization and request they list our name with a big 0 by it.

I suppose peer pressure does spur some people on to give more than they normally would, but what about those people turned away from giving because they feel their gift is not equal to that of others? Should we be held accountable for our giving, as in the Mormon religion? Is giving of one's time more valuable than giving of one's money? How do we measure the worth of what we give in comparison to all that we are given?