It's Spring! The gypsy flower stand by the subway stop has reopened. 
Lavender and other flowering bushes are blooming. Sunny forsythia bushes glow even on cloudy days. Daffodils have been popping up through the pansy beds on the temple grounds. The willows by the pond in the park have been showing forth tender green leaves.
Spring rains are turning vacant lots into verdant fields dotted with wild flowers. It's spring!
The Duartes, our next door neighbors, had a party to celebrate Sister Duarte's birthday, and gave out a hand-copied poem they tell us is hanging on their wall at home to remind their family of what is important in life:
Primera ama porque... Love is the important thing because...
La vida sin amor, no vale nada. Life without love has no value.
La jusicia sin amor, te hace duro. Justice without love makes you harsh.
La inteligencia sin amor, te hace cruel. Intelligence without love makes you cruel.
La fe sin amor, te hace fanatico. Faith without love makes you fanatical.
La amabilidad sin amor, te hace hypocrita. Friendship without love makes you
a hypocrite.
El deber sin amor, te hace malhumorado. Duty without love makes you bad tempered.
El orden sin amor, te hace complicado. Order without love makes you difficult.
El honor sin amor, te hace arrogante. Honor without love makes you arrogant.
El poseer sin amor, te hace avaricioso. Riches without love makes you greedy.
La responsabilidad sin amor, te hace implacable. Responsibility without love makes you
unforgiving
"Un mandamiento nuevo os doy. Que os ameis unos a otros como you os he amado, que tamblien os ameis unos a otros." dice Jesu Cristo en Juan 13:34
"A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another," said Jesus Christ in John 13:34
They are wonderful neighbors. She fell and hurt her hip the week before we came, and has been in pain and unable to walk without support or serve in the temple ever since, but she and her husband still think of making others happy instead of dwelling on their own frustrations. We love them. In fact, we have never met temple missionaries we didn't soon come to love.
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