I slid into the back row of Relief Society in Mesa, Arizona, and found a seat next to a little lady doing some crocheting while we waited for the meeting to start.  All the chairs immediately around us were empty. Leaning toward her I asked what she was making. She didn’t answer. I tried again, asking her name and telling her mine. Again, just stillness. I decided to let it be and sat quietly at her side. After about a minute, she leaned toward me and said rather loudly, “I can’t hear you.”

So, I leaned closer and said directly in her ear, “What are you making?” Within five minutes I learned she crocheted hot pads. She made two at a time and sewed them together, so they were plenty thick for any hot pot. She dug into her bag and pulled out her phone which surprised me; she didn’t look like technology was her friend. She showed me a picture of her father who had died two years earlier and her son. By the time she got to her grandson’s picture, the opening prayer had started. I just put my hand on hers to indicate a pause. After the prayer, she finished showing me her grandson, then tucked her phone away and we listened to an excellent discussion.

Her name is Tonya. She participated in the lesson and though her words were a little hard to understand, she was engaged and contributed. During the lesson she got up and left the room at least twice. I sensed an energy that needed to be relieved with a short walk. I could be completely wrong, but she always returned quietly. When she slipped back into her seat with about ten minutes left in the meeting, she again rummaged in her bag. She pulled out two hot pads that had not yet been sewn together. She put them in my lap and said, “These are for you.” 

I don’t know when I have so appreciated a gift. I thanked her as I sat wondering about the goodness of people. She again slipped out before the meeting ended. After class, I looked for her in the hallway, but she was gone. 

It is a Good Life when you can sit on the back row and get a new hot pad all at the same time. When I get home, I’m going to sew the hot pads together, put them on my counter and think of Tonya every day. That will make me smile.