My own little Good News Minute

(Before I begin, let it be known that I am burying the lede. So, keep reading.)

Sometimes, who knows when, LDS Relief Societies all over began conducting what's called a "Good News Minute," during which old ladies raise their hands and report good news from the week — i.e., that their 284th grandchild was born, or grandson No. 78 got his mission call or ... whatever.

You probably can guess how I feel about this practice. However, when we moved to Smithfield in 2009, the Good News Minute took on a life of its own. The Relief Society secretary actually wrote down everything people said, typed it up and e-mailed it to everyone later that day as part of the weekly newsletter. "Good news" became more than just new babies, mission calls and baptisms. It was making it down Highway 91 all the way to Logan hitting only green lights, watching your kid's volleyball team beat Mountain Crest, buying a bag of M&Ms the night before. The Good News Minute would go five, 10 minutes and ended only after the whole room had a good laugh about something. It sounds stupid, but it was a great way to get to know people. I was new, other people were new, and even though many of us never participated it was still kind of ... fun.

A new stake was created last May, and our ward was divided up three different ways. My chunk got added into a new ward that while nice, did not have the same energy. Good News Minute turned back into the awkward, quiet time dominated by old women whose goal, it seems, is to populate an entire small country with her offspring. The months have gone by, and I know certain people have tried to liven things up. It's getting a bit more lively, but it's not quite there.

(Warning: Next graph contains aforementioned lede.)

Nevertheless, I do not participate. I'm traditionally not a participator in anything churchy (beyond actually attending). But I promised myself some time ago that under a certain circumstance I would share my good news. That circumstance came this weekend. Because, on Friday, GARRETT GOT A JOB!

After seven months, dozens of applications and a handful of interviews that got our hopes up but yielded nothing, he got an e-mail Friday offering him a position at a university research facility. It's technically a graduate student position, but they'll allow him to work up to 40 hours and the pay will work out — barely. He starts Wednesday.

So, YAY!

And that, my friends, is my Good News Minute.