This is a post about my ward. The Berkeley 1st ward. Berkeley’s only ward besides the university ward. The church building is this gorgeous white structure in this beautiful neighborhood and it’s across the street from the “Friends of the Quakers” organization…or something. I don’t know much about the history of the building but I do think it was built in the 1930’s and the chapel feels like a nativity scene. The walls are this really soft gold and there are HUGE windows and exposed wooden beams going across the top.
Every Sunday when we go to church I feel the strongest spirit of confirmation that this is the place we are supposed to be. I don’t know for how long but for now this is home! I’ve changed a lot since being a member of this ward-one of the most startling changes I’ve noticed in myself is being more comfortable and confident in my adult self. It’s weird. Sometimes I feel nostalgic for my 18 year old self that was fun and carefree and danced all the time…but I’m learning that being an adult is so much more rewarding than I had previously imagined. Not that I am officially an adult, but I’m growing into it. I am no longer a student in a student ward where everyone is my age and I’m not one of the Julander girls in the Capo 2 ward here. I’m Sister Beasley. I associate with the adults, not just my other student friends and I’m not looked at as one of the “grown up youth”.
This is especially apparent to me in my calling. I am one of the activity day leaders. The other leader is my friend Shawn and she is so cool! I have so much fun riding with her to activity days on Tuesdays and planning activities for the 8-11 year old girls. We have the best calling! I never thought I could love children so much. It’s such a new feeling being looked up to as a leader by little kids. They are all so sweet and smart and have such funny and interesting personalities. It’s so fun to watch them interact with each other and create really artistic things when we do crafts. I guess I never realized how mentally and socially developed girls this age are. I just remember being kind of shy and awkward and weird. Maybe that’s how they feel about themselves sometimes but to me they are so beautiful and talented and wonderful!
Tonight Shawn and I introduced Activity Days to the girls who are turning 8 this year and while we were there we got to listen to each of their parents talk about their kid and introduce them to everyone. I guess one of the reasons I feel more like an adult now is because I’m relating more to the parents than I do to the kids. Not because I have kids but because I could only imagine how proud each of them are about their little girl or boy turning 8 and preparing to be baptized. When they were talking about their children I was thinking about how cool it is to be the parent of one of Heavenly Father’s children and to watch them grow and change and learn the gospel. Some of the kids were described as being sensitive to the Spirit and things that are right, and good. Some are inquisitive, and active, and kind to their younger siblings. How nice it must be to be the parent of a girl or boy who is kind to their younger siblings! I was not always like that to Kellie. In fact, I was really mean to her sometimes and I still feel bad about it. I think the biggest and newest thing that I notice is the Spirit I feel when I am in their presence. I never really understood that until recently. People bear their testimonies all the time about how much they feel the Spirit serving in Primary and being around such “precious” children and I would think, “Really? They’re just kids…” I was not very fond of children... But that’s probably because I hadn’t had many opportunities to really be around them and the few times I was they were kind of terrors sometimes. But it has helped me so much being around them in a church setting. It’s totally different than babysitting the semi-evil little girls who would give each other bloody noses and defiantly disrespect me. That was birth control. Seriously. BUT I’ve changed. The Berkeley ward has given me an entirely new perspective and love for kids that I really never thought I would have. I learn from their parents every week and I love their kids. BUT I am not ready to have kids right this second. I need to get in better shape and be more consistent in running EVERY DAY so I don’t get fat when I’m preg. Also, I love our apt to much and as soon as there’s a little baby crawling around we would have to move. And I don’t want to yet. Also Willis attacks all things that move and all things that don’t move and has already chewed on our nephew when he was here. Willis is not ready for a baby. I guess my whole point is that Heavenly Father is PREPARING me to be a mother someday and that is neat. I did not expect this “change of heart” when we first moved here.
Moving on. The Berkeley ward definitely lives up to its reputation. It’s so…Berkeley. People speak their minds, they ask questions, there are some definite feminist agendas during some of the lessons, there is an art group that meets every month, a book group, a feminist discussion group, half of the ward are married students at Cal earning their PH.Ds, the Bishop endorsed Obama during our tithing interview, the list goes on. I love it. At first I was really taken aback by how extremely opposite it is from every BYU student ward and my home ward. But I have grown to love it more than I ever thought. It’s such a tight community of friends looking out for each other and people who try their best to live the Gospel. It’d definitely the kind of ward where everyone has a place because of the nature of Berkeley. I’m sure some of these things could be said about a lot of other wards (besides the existence of a feminist discussion group and the many members who support Obama) but there is no place in the world like Berkeley. We even have a homeless man who comes sometimes. The day we move away from this ward will be one of the saddest days. To be continued,
