General Conference 2015

A couple days ago, I read How to Be a Pirate, which is the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. In this book, the hero, who is a young viking by the name of Hiccup, dislocates his arm as he is escaping from a perilous situation. The book actually says:

"And his right arm was dislocated from the strain of hanging from the talons of Newtsbreath. Gobber put it back in its socket (a very painful process, as Gobber was not the most tender of nurses) and tore a strip off his shirt to make Hiccup a sling for it." (p 126)

 So on the one hand he was spared a long wait in a hospital emergency room, but on the other hand, he didn't have any kind of anesthetic. Ouch.

He goes on to have more adventures and get himself into more perilous situations, and it is easy to forget that his arm is an a sling, until the author mentions it again:

"Hiccup caught the sword in his LEFT hand, because, if you remember, his right arm was dislocated and in a sling." (p172)

And then in the midst of a sword fight, Hiccup makes an amazing discovery:

"For it was the first time in his life that Hiccup realized he was left-handed." (p174)

There have been many times in the last week that I have wished that I, too, were left handed.

It is the little things that bother me most when it comes to only having the use of one arm: fastening articles of clothing that fasten in the back. Tying my shoes. Washing my hair.

This past weekend I had the privilege of watching General Conference. I loved listening to the talks and messages that were shared. Usually, I take notes. Unfortunately, not being left handed, writing with my left hand is slow and the words come out wobbly and looking like a kindergartner wrote them. I wrote down major concepts, and a couple quotes that I really liked, but that was about it. I made an interesting discovery though. I can't write with my left hand very well, but I can draw! Maybe my doodlings aren't quite as good as with my right hand, but they aren't horrible, either. I wonder if it has something to do with which half of my brain I'm using.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family was also watching conference. More or less. John was shaping things from his Easter candy as he listened.

John's candy man

Hannah was making a duct tape bag from a kit her grandma sent for Easter as well as taking notes.

Peter played with one of the catapults that Grandma sent for each of the boys for Easter until Steven asked him to put it away until after conference was over.

I'm not quite sure what Josh was doing in the cubby that the TV usually stands in. (We hooked the TV up to the computer on the desk so we could watch Conference via the internet on the bigger screen.)