A Golden Afternoon

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."  -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

This Taiwanese adaption of a crepe was hilarious. The street vendor we bought it from was so proud of his new investment. The thing came off the griddle really crispy, not soft, and the blueberries we thought we were adding to the crepe turned out to be the thinnest layer of strawberry jam possible. Notice the marshmallows, though. This was the part that really made us laugh. The guy kept reassuring us that they were very, very delicious! In the end, it tasted the way you would guess a crepe cookie with marshmallows would
taste--a little bit strange, and altogether too sweet.

True friends are hard to come by, (especially when they're the kind of friends that can make you laugh until your sides hurt), and therefore it is a tragedy when our busy lives drive out opportunities to enjoy the friendships that mean the most to us. Imagine, then, my delight when I found out that one of my dearest friends from my mission would be visiting Taiwan during the same time that I would be here. Frankly, it felt too good to be true.

By way of background, Melissa and I never served together as missionary companions, but rather we became friends on the mission when she shared her famous farm stories from her awesome upbringing in Alaska. Her instinctive gift for storytelling always brought the house down, and some of my best memories from that time was laughing to tears when hearing her stories and her frank perspective on life unique to those raised on a farm. I loved that while we shared pictures of our families with others,  Melissa shared photos of her 4H prize competition livestock, and that regardless of how tough he was, she could work any elder under the table physically. The woman is a wonder. 

Directly after the mission, Melissa and I decided to room together at BYU, and that's where I gained an even greater appreciation for her. In addition to being wicked funny she was always clean, respectful, and thoughtful in her actions towards those she lived with. She also was remarkably frugal and self reliant. Putting herself through her own schooling, she surprised me with how resourceful she could be, and I came to feel comforted by her quiet self assurance. 

Melissa was the one who recruited me to teach a Chinese class at the state detention center, and the one to emotionally ground me when I became too hormonal. She could also openly yet lovingly call me on the carpet for just being stupid, (which in my book is also one of the signs of a true friend). More importantly, at that time and since, Melissa has quietly demonstrated to me what it means to be a true Christian. When our roommate had surgery on her arm and couldn't bathe herself, Melissa was the one to help give her her sponge baths. When a mutual friend of ours made poor choices that landed him in prison, Melissa made sure she went to visit him there. When people she loves choose another path than she would accept for herself, she still makes sure to help them feel included and appreciated. Over the years she has called after the birth of each of my babies to hear the whole story of their birth, and to particularly see how I am doing. (When the Big-O miraculously appeared she made him the most darling pair of John Deere overalls you've ever seen on a newborn.)

She's also incredibly smart. After getting a degree in agriculture, (which was a subject that many of us periodically teased her about), she went on to get a masters degree at Tufts in something akin to international agricultural development, and consulted on agricultural projects for years--all while being a young mother as well. I've admired her ability to juggle and balance the responsibilities of work and family, and enjoy observing how she has pursued something that has professionally brought her so much satisfaction. When it comes to seeking advice on the subject, she is always the first person I turn to since I value her good sense, judgment, and compassion so profoundly. 

Last Saturday Melissa was in town with her husband James, who was doing some student recruiting for BYU Hawaii, and as a result, she and I got a full day to play!  :D

We started things off with eating traditional a Taiwanese danbing breakfast, going to see the National Natural History Museum in Taichung, finding Taiwanese buddha fruit, waxed apples, and dates. After this we searched out a typical Taiwanese stationary store (more on these later . . . they're awesome!), and then found boba drinks. After that we decided we had to get a massage for our tired feet, hands, and shoulders. In the midst of our subsequent wanderings we then found the local night market, where we bought our kids crazy Taiwanese outfits and I got some hair removal done via an Asian string technique. (Hopefully I can get Melissa to send me some video or photos of this soon. . . We giggled the whole time). Then to top off our fantastic day, we ended things with fresh potstickers and noodles. (There are no words to fully describe the delectability of these bad boys.)

The two of us joked that though we had spent several hours together we could have kept going much longer. It felt so good to reminisce, relax, and howl in laughter together as we enjoyed a place we mutually love so dearly. As we embraced each other goodbye, I considered my blessing of being given such a friend. God has been good to me in more ways than I can count, not the least of which is in my friendships with people as quality as Melissa. 

Thanks for the great day, Melissa! This was one of my best days on the island ever.