3-24-22 GO TEAM

Sunday evening, after family dinner, I slipped outside and let other people clear the tables and do the dishes. I decided I needed to play basketball with my three youngest grandsons. We decided to play HORSE because I can't run anymore without tripping over my neuro-pathetic feet. We decided to go youngest to oldest: Walter (8), Joe (9), Calvin (10), Gummy (64). I was last.

I went inside when we were done and remarked how sad it is to no longer be able to do a jump shot. Park (15), who was at the kitchen sink, said, "Oh yeah, weren't you on the girls basketball team in high school?" I answered, "Why yes, and I kept that bench warmer than any other player on the team!"

I've been conscious of teams the last few days. All sorts of teams. Athletic, musical, intellectual, spiritual, familial. I realized I have been on a remarkably large number of teams in my life, and not very many of them had mascots. Most hardly even have official names. But in general I feel really fortunate to be part of a team. How sad my life would be to have been flying solo all the time.

These past two years I've been really involved in Team RS, (Relief Society - our church women's service organization). On that team I am jumping regularly between coach, manager and head cheerleader. More often than not I'm that kid who slides out on the floor between plays and wipes the sweat off the hardwood after one of the players has fallen. I like this team, and I really enjoy the fact that we do not have to compete against anyone, we just play and give each other high-fives whenever any one of us makes a shot.

Team RS getting together for the first
time since the Pandemic hit

Tasha is one of our team captains. Yay Tash!

This team of disciples spent two Saturdays (and many other days)
cleaning out the mobile home of one of our church members.

Because I've been so involved in Team RS I've had to take a leave of absence from some other teams. Most of these former teammates  play musical instruments and know how to string together words really nicely. They speak my second language, and I fear I am losing my ability to speak the way I used to in that blessed tongue. I have to pray I will be able to find those teams again and that there will be some elasticity left when I am done being stretched so thin. I wonder sometimes if they are still playing with each other, or if the whole division has dissolved. I wouldn't know, because the Pandemic came at the same time as I was recruited onto the RS team.

A couple weeks ago, on my birthday, my social network accounts reminded me that my team of friends is vast and powerful. It's made up of a lot of super wonderful players, each one with their own strengths. We play together, all these team mates and me, in different ways, all of us. It's really pretty magical. Because my church team and family team are so foundational, I sometimes forget how extremely important my team of friends are. Thanks, Team!

I love all my teams, from the Foundation for Artists of Faith (Formerly Mormon Arts Foundation) Team, made up of the most talented and good hearted capable people one could ever know - to my Girls with Guitars Team who used to gather in my family room once a week through most of the day every Thursday. I like huddling with whichever team I'm playing on at any given time.

Seriously, give yourself a challenge to think about the teams you belong to. There are likely more of them than you were aware of. Then say a little prayer of thanks that you are not he last living creature on the earth.

Today Team Lifting Lives in Kenya is over in Africa helping with the Gardner Granny School and Orphanage. I had sent a couple sets of leather bound scriptures to Ezekiel and Roseann, the two orphans our family helps support. Recently both of them had found the LDS Missionaries, had been taught the Gospel of Christ, and were baptized. We had also sent letters and photographs. Today Ali Adams, on the team over there, texted me little videos from Ezekiel and Roseann. They were beautiful and a little nervous and oh so sweet. I love being part of that team.

Roseann age 9

Ezekiel age 14

Dianna (Libby's girl.)

Shawna Meek, also on the team over in Kenya right now, sent Libby a picture of our family that they have hanging on the wall of the school. I guess there is a wall of photos of people who have helped and continue to help these kids. They're generally lovely photos of normal attractive people. 

Cindy and Reed Gardner's photo hangs on the wall

Then there's us:

Apparently our family provides comic relief.
(My siblings and I)

It reminds me how awesome it is to be on the ultimate Team of Teams. As crazy as we are... as overly embedded and probably codependent as we are, we sure do like each other. And we love each other. They're different things, you know. I was talking with my sister this morning and it hit me how lucky I am to have safe people in my life. People with whom I can be completely myself, who take me as I am, flaws and all. Right now there are four of our five sisters in the same church congregation. They call us the Hansen Sisters. Team Hansen. It would probably be a more appropriate homage to call us the Parrish Sisters, using our mother's maiden name. She was one of the original 7 Parrish Sisters, who came one generation after the original 9 Parrish brothers. I guess if you've had to figure out how to do chores together from the time you could walk, you can figure out how to work together to throw a ward party.

Anyway, I am grateful tonight for the teams I am on, the teams I've been on, and the ones to come.