Sabbath Day Scribblings - Service

I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Revelation 2:19

What I learned - "Come Follow Me"

"As the Savior’s latter-day disciples, we come unto Him by loving and serving God’s children"

 

This talk was given by Elder Robert D. Hales and I found myself eagerly listening to his words. 

 

"Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel was in the hospital recovering from open-heart surgery when he was visited by his five-year-old grandson. As the little boy looked into his grandfather’s eyes, he saw his pain. “Grandpa,” he asked, “if I loved you more, would you [hurt less]?”¹ Today I ask a similar question of each of us: “If we love the Savior more, will we suffer less?”

No matter what your beliefs, this talk about service is priceless, especially in the world we live in today.  I love the idea of serving others.  I actually love serving and doing things for others.  I love teaching the children in Primary and hearing their voices sing.  I love helping neighbors and friends.  I love doing service where it is needed without having everyone else know about it.  Service is not a competition.  It is love in action. 

He talked about parents, whose grown children are lost, and how they cannot pray free agency away.  That is so true.  I find in my children, things to love about them no matter what path they have chosen.  I believe that is my job as their mother.  To love them unconditionally and to help them when they need my help and care. 

He told stories and talked about love and acceptance. 

One of the greatest testaments to love that I have personally witnessed happened when I used to work in a nursing home long ago. 

There was a woman who had Alzheimer's.  It was so far advanced that she could not straighten her limbs and was bedridden.  She could not speak or do anything at all for herself.  Her husband of over 50 years came every single day.  She could not eat by herself and had to be tube fed.  Nevertheless, he made her favorite foods and ground them up in a blender so that they could be put in a syringe and she could have the foods that she had made all her life. 

In the two years I worked there, he only missed one day of coming and that was because he was ill.  He washed her face and her hair.  He talked to her constantly.  He loved her in both word and deed. 

She did not even seem to know he was there, but he did.  He served her every single day until she passed away after 10 long years with that disease.  It brought tears to my eyes to witness that kind of love.  It made me long for that in my own life. 

Often, when we follow the Savior's teachings, it is not glamorous work.   It is hard work.  Changing diapers, making meals, getting no sleep, running on the ambulance late at night, having people yell at me because they want something that I do not have.  But service, when done with the right attitude, is simply love in action.  It is bring Christ into our hearts and sharing Him with everyone around us.  It is learning to come follow Him. 

 

 

Sabbath Day Scribblings - Serve One Another

"The way you treat your wife or children or parents or siblings may influence generations to come.

What legacy do you want to leave

your posterity? One of harshness, vengeance, anger, fear, or isolation?

Or one of love, humility, forgiveness, compassion, spiritual growth,

and unity?"

—Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "In Praise of Those Who Save"

Mosiah 4:15 

But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

Wordless Wednesday - Weeding

A single photo 

– no words –

capturing a moment from our lives.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment

I want to pause, savor and remember.

A moment

that brings a smile to my lips, 

and joy to my heart.

Stories We Tell

Fears,

Are Stories

We Tell Ourselves.

We all do that, at least,  I think that many of us do.  I have been afraid of so many things in my life.  Afraid of the dark, afraid to try, afraid to succeed, afraid that I would not have any friends, afraid that my friends wouldn't like me.  If you really think about it, there is so very much to fear in our lives.
I am on a vacation with my new Grandson and grand daughter.  I am spending grammy time, without fear.  I am learning to love them and hold them and kiss them and squeeze them and call them both George.  For me, the fears are about being unwanted or unaccepted.  They are about plane crashes and car problems.  They take place fully in the magical realm that is called my imagination.  Part of overcoming the fear, is to beat it, on small step at a time.  It is not easy, but it is so very possible.  In the midst of all my stories of fear, I will try and write, but don't be surprised if we take a little break here.  Babies in my life are amazing things.  They remind me of God's love for each of his children.  They snuggle, they cry, the eat, the wet, all in all, they remember those parts of like that we need to be reminded of every once in a while.
I think babies remind me that they cannot conquer their fears on their own.  It takes a family to calm a child.  It takes a Grammy to hold Alexander and a dad to read Emma Bear her favorite stories.  It takes the mom to get everything ready and to hold hand tickle her precious daughter.
It takes us all to over come the stories of fear that we have told ourselves of why the best cant happen.  Of why we don't deserve this.  Of why it doesn't have the meaning that our hearts know it has.
Fear is what is inside us.  We choose to bury it there in the darkness, or bring it out into the little light and have a little more fun.
Use your imagination for all the good that surrounds us.  Figure out how you can change your own little corner of the world.  How can you share happiness instead of hurt and sorrow.  It is up to each of us to find  the imagination inside that will let us be free.
The dream is ours.  The stories are ours too.  What amazing work of art have you to share?
Make it a masterpiece.  Because when I look at this little man, I know that he is capable of so many more things than I could ever do.  He has not and will never be the fear.  The fear is that I won't know him as much as I want to.
As much as my heart aches to hold him, to whisper stories of his family, to remind him that he will always be loved.  I want fear to have no place in his heart, because his heart is already full of the stories for those who love him best.  Those stories will get him though.  Sometimes love is enough and then some.

What to Leave Undone

"The whole point of getting things done 

is knowing what to leave undone".  

Oswald Chambers

I think this is one of the hardest things to learn for me.  My list of "to do's" is way too long.  I also don't feel that I have been successful unless I have everything done.  My list is too much like the family laundry, no matter how many times you do it, it is never entirely finished!  After all, someone is wearing the clothes today that I will need to wash tomorrow! 
My problem with trying to do too much is on-going.  My husband is fond of telling people that he doesn't need to do any volunteer work, his wife does it all.  There are just so many good things that need doing and so few people to get them done. 
I remember when I would volunteer to do something and there would be so many people to help that I would have to go home early.  Now, I am lucky if I am not the only one doing it.  That is so sad to me.  If everyone pitches in, the work goes fast and it is fun to do.  Then we all go home to whatever else needs doing.  
Too many people just don't want to do their parts.  They want to have to fun without the work.  I see it more and more.  It is the same women that bring dinners.  The same people who stay to clean up.  The same ones who leave early.  It makes me so sad to think of all the things that we could be doing just a little bit better, if we would just work together to get things done.
I am still planning on helping where I am needed, and pitching in where it is necessary, but I am also going to work on being a little more careful of what I volunteer for.  Life is full of good things that need doing.  It is full of worth causes.  I just don't want to be choosing a good cause, when I should be spending time on a more important one.
So today, I am trying to learn to leave the unimportant things undone, so that I can spend more time on those things that are most important.  The things that truly hold my heart in all of their wonderful hands.  Today, I am going to pause, breath and just enjoy the many gifts that the Lord has given to me.  I am truly blessed.  I am wanted.  I am loved.  I am with family.

1000 Blessings
31.  A mid-west thunderstorm.
32.  A visit to my Grand-daughters classroom.
33.  Others who love my children.
34.  All the work and effort that teachers put into their classes.
35.  Andy's Frozen Custard (need I say more!).

Strength in Togetherness

Teamwork: Simply stated, it is less me and more we.

(Sigh) this past weekend, winter returned with a vengeance.  It rained, the wind blew, the hail fell, and finally, the snow covered my mountain home.  Somehow, in the middle of all this white loveliness, I noticed some big, huge, perfect snow flakes.  They were simple and crisp.  They were six sided and totally fragile.  When the girls caught them in their hair, or on their hands, the snow would melt away to nothing.  By itself, the flake was almost nothing.  But when it became part of many falling crystals, it had the power to stop the traffic.  It could trap us in our own driveway, it could keep us from our journey.
Tonight, the girls and I were watching an episode of Mythbusters from Netflix.  It was the show about the myth of the phone books.  For this one, the myth is that you can't rip a phone book if the pages are married together (or interlocked) with another one.
They first tried using human power to pull the phone books apart.  It did not work.  Than they tried to pull them apart using two cars.  Those were also unable to pull the books apart.  Finally, they had to use an armored tank and a personnel carrier from the military.  Those were finally able to pull the phone books apart.    The interesting part is that it took more than 8000 lbs of pressure to pull those books apart.  It is not something that was easy to do.
Think about this for a minute.  How easy are phone book pages to rip?  (Just ask any one year old that has discovered the joy of ripping them!)  I would never have imagined that the phone books had the potential to be that strong.
Any one of us, is probably not as strong as we think we ought to be.  We can be blown and tossed in the wind.  Ripped and torn apart in the trials of everyday living.  But together, we can accomplish those things that need to be done.  We can combine our time, our talents, and our work to accomplish so much more than any of us ever imagined.  Like the soft, white snow, individually, we are not as strong as we would like to be, but collectively, we can be all that is needed.  We can stop the traffic if we need to.  We can change the world.  We can change what people see and what they do simply by making a stand and then standing together.
With all the problems going on around us today, I think we need to remember how much we can change our tomorrows by working together today.  

Vince Lombardi (1913-1970), football coach for the NFL once said:

People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society."

Sunday Devotional - Service

“Sometimes we get discouraged because the needs in the world around us seem so great and our resources seem so few. We think, “We’re not doing enough. We can’t do enough. Nobody could do enough.” When we think like that, we focus on what is left undone, and we lose the joy that comes with service. 
I want to tell you that we don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone else, either collectively or as individuals…We can do great good when we work as a united sisterhood, as long as we don’t burden ourselves with unrealistic expectations that rob us of the joy of achievement.” Chieko Okazaki,Aloha, pg 21

The Sweetness at the End

This week, it has been so hard to get to my blogging.  I have been increasingly busy!!  We bought several boxes of fruit that all decided to ripen at the same time!  This meant that we had exactly 24 hours to get four boxes of peaches and two boxes of pears sorted, pealed, cut, and bottled so that we did not lose any of the fruit.  (I really hate paying for something that yummy and than losing it because I couldn't find the time to work it).  We were able to get everything done and it looks amazing.  The pantry is full, and I still have to do the apples and the apple butter this month as well as some pickles.  I made my first batch of bread and butter pickles and they have litterally flown off my pantry shelves.  So, I received an over-abundance of cucumbers from someone else's garden and am going to make another batch this weekend.  I actually love canning season.  It is so fulfilling to see the shelves blossom with all the jars of produce and meat.  It is wonderful when I find good recipes that make it all taste so much better than store bought canned goods. 

I have decided that life can be very much like my canning projects.  We go through the spring and summer of our lives.  Life is good.  We are busy, we are productive, we are happy.   We serve, we laugh, we help, we serve some more.  As time goes on, our children grow, our needs change, we have new and important things we are doing.  Yet, the need for service is still there.
 Can you imagine the pioneers on their trek across the United States saying, "We are done!  We are tired!  We have walked all this way and now we are stopping.  We are not walking another step.  We are not going to circle the wagons.  We are not going to sing, or pray!"  Of course they did not stop.  They kept going onward, even as they neared the end of their journey and the trail got harder and colder and more treacherous.  They did not stop putting one foot in front of the other until they reached the valley of the Great Salt Lake.
Those pioneers are forerunners to us in this day.  What would they do if they were here?  Do you think that they would ease into retirement and expect everyone around them to bear the burden because they have earned the chance to rest?  I honestly don't think so.  Our lives are like the harvest of the fruit.  Some of the most important work comes at the end.  Some of the things that preserve the fruits for the next generation are earned through toil, effort, and faith.
Elder William R. Bradford once said:
“Of all influences that cause men to choose wrong, selfishness is undoubtedly the strongest. Where there is selfishness, the Spirit of the Lord is absent. Talents go unshared, the needs of the poor unfulfilled, the weak unstrengthened, the ignorant untaught, and the lost unrecovered.”
For each of us, unselfishness can mean being the right person at the right time in the right place to give service. Almost every day, brings opportunities to perform unselfish acts for others. Such acts are unlimited and can be as simple as a kind word, a helping hand, or a gracious smile.  May we be like the peaches and pears in a jar on my pantry shelf, ready at any moment to give that which is most sweet.  May we remember that the greatest fruits come from the harvest.
The Savior reminds us, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” 
May we each strive today to lose ourselves in the service to others.  May we truly be filled with the most sweetness at the end.  

Loving Thy Neighbor

Today, I have a need to express a little something.  I have been frustrated lately with the way some people seem to think that they don't have to do anything except sit and bask in the completed project, or lesson, or dinner, or program.  There is an old saying that says simply:
The world is run by those who show up. 
This quote describes for me, what most of us observe in our personal lives.  People tend to fall into two groups:  Those that are involved in the world around them and activly working to make it better or those who are separated from the world around them. 
Do you ever notice when someone gets an award, you often learn that they are also coaching their children’s sports team, serving on the local school board or fire board, heading a committee, or helping their neighbors with babysitting or food?  Have you ever noticed that there are a limited number of people you can reliably can turn to when you need something done? Have you noticed that the same people substitute in Primary, or Sunday School, or who show up for the church wood project?  Is it a surprise that these same people are usually in both categories?
It is so hard to see people who don't want to participate, who don't want to serve, who don't want to help.  I just don't understand it.  It is not as if we are not all busy.  Many of us are fortunate to have loving families who want a portion of our time and attention.  But I know that I want to teach my kids to be helpers throughout their lives.  I want them to find and come to know the joy of service.  I have found that even serving in the "little things" can bring amazing joy, in ways I never planned for or expected. 
So, how can we make sure our children develope within themselves this desire to serve?  I think there are a few things that we can do to help.
The first is to remember that:  Charity begins at home.
There is nothing more important in your life than taking care of your family and raising healthy, well balanced children if you have them.  You should not feel obligated to take on more than you can reasonably be expected to accomplish, especially if those activites take you away from your family.  However, you should work at things that you can involve your family to participate with you.  We have discovered that family oriented service projects can go a long way toward teaching your children to be willing to serve.  Don't forget that service should begin at home.  As you get them involved in doing things for each other, they will be more willing to help others.  You need to be willing to make your home a place where service is practiced, not just preached.  One of the new things we are doing in our family is using a "service block".  This is a painted block of wood.  When the kids do a service for each other or their parents, they get to pass the service block.  That person has two days to do a service for someone else. They love this game.  I came home today to find my bed made and the service block placed neatly on the covers.  Kids get excited when it becomes a game that everyone plays.
The second thing is:  Be a good role model.
Children need good role models.  Those people influence them in how their attitude toward service will be for the rest of their lives.  They should learn early on that church service, public service and caring for the community are not only good things, but something that should be expected.   Balancing these priorities is what will help them make a difference. Who in your neighborhood needs your help and encouragement?  Is there a widow who needs yard work done?  A young couple who needs a date night?  As children see your willingness to serve, they will develop that willingness for themselves. 
President Monson said, in his address to the youth of the church:
"As we look heavenward, we inevitably learn of our responsibility to reach outward. To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves. No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. Service to others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy. We do not live alone—in our city, our nation, or our world. There is no dividing line between our prosperity and our neighbor’s wretchedness. “Love thy neighbor” is more than a divine truth. It is a pattern for perfection. This truth inspires the familiar charge, “Go forth to serve.” Try as some of us may, we cannot escape the influence our lives have upon the lives of others. Ours is the opportunity to build, to lift, to inspire, and indeed to lead. The New Testament teaches that it is impossible to take a right attitude toward Christ without taking an unselfish attitude toward men:
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40)".   Thomas S. Monson, “The Joy of Service,” New Era, Oct 2009, 2–6


In this world that is filled with so much selfishness and despair, let us make sure that we are not contributing to the pain and suffering that is all around us.  Let us make sure that we are making the right choices in our lives and following the Savior's teachings.  Let us teach our children that loving their neighbor is more than simply a convenient way to show our righteousness.  It is the way to perfection. 
May we each find a small service to share with those who need us today. 

Holiness to the Lord

This is one of my new favorite stories.  I hope that I can be this kind of a Steward to my Heavenly Father.  I think it is important to not that Brother Moyle wasn't any different from most of us.  He was a simple man who worked with his hands and gave his heart to the work.  He believed in what he was doing and he worked to make sure that he did it well.  That is the thing that is required of each of us.  To be whatever we can be.  To bloom where we are planted.  To give our hearts to our Savior.

"John R. Moyle lived in Alpine, Utah, about 22 miles as the crow flies to the Salt Lake Temple, where he was the chief superintendent of masonry during its construction. To make certain he was always at work by 8 o'clock, Brother Moyle would start walking about 2 a.m. on Monday mornings. He would finish his work week at 5 p.m. on Friday and then start the walk home, arriving there shortly before midnight. Each week he would repeat that schedule for the entire time he served on the construction of the temple.

"Once when he was home on the weekend, one of his cows bolted during milking and kicked Brother Moyle in the leg, shattering the bone just below the knee. With no better medical help than they had in such rural circumstances, his family and friends took a door off the hinges and strapped him onto that makeshift operating table. They then took the bucksaw they had been using to cut branches from a nearby tree and amputated his leg just a few inches below the knee. When against all medical likelihood the leg finally started to heal, Brother Moyle took a piece of wood and carved an artificial leg. First he walked in the house. Then he walked around the yard. Finally he ventured out about his property. When he felt he could stand the pain, he strapped on his leg, walked the 22 miles to the Salt Lake Temple, climbed the scaffolding, and with a chisel in his hand hammered out the declaration 'Holiness to the Lord.' "

Jeffrey R. Holland, "As Doves to Our Windows," Ensign, May 2000, 76–77

These are the panes that were carved on the Salt Lake Temple

When I think of the sacrifice of men and woman like John Moyle, I am amazed.  I think of the love that they had for their Savior.  I know that I want to be like them. 

Not Too Far From Here

It is so easy to lose track of those around us.  Our lives are much busier today than they used to be 50 or even 100 years ago.  It is a different kind of busy.  It is the kind that mean you have to go places, do things, take people somewhere, work, go to school functions, go to the store, go to church.  Sometimes I feel as if I spend most of my life simply, "going to". 
Occasionally, I miss knowing what is going on with those around me.  I miss seeing neighbors, friends, and adults who are polite and happy.  I get so caught up in what needs to be done right now.  The girls have piano, homework, chores, flute and chelo practice, after school activities and who knows what will be on the agenda tomorrow.  Sometimes, I get so caught up in what is going on in my own life, that I don't look outside of it as I ought to.  I don't open my eyes and look around for those that might need me. 
My one regret for living in this amazing, busy world, is that it makes it so much harder for us to realize those who need us.  We don't know our neighbors like the pioneers did.  We go to work, come home and we may never see those who live on our street who need the kindness and compassion that we can bring to them.  I recently read a blog about needing help and service and how hard it was to accept that in their life.  One of the commenters  wrote something that nearly broke my hear.  She said that she wished she lived around those who wanted to serve.  That when she needed someone to help, no one came.
So today, my plea is for each of us to take the time to remember, wherever you are, that someone needs you.  That you can be of help and service.  That you are appreciated and valued in so many ways.  Today, I want to share with you one of my favorite songs.  I heard it done by Hillary Weeks and it has become a song that I have taken to heart.  I hope that you do too.
May each of us remember that we are our brother's (and sister's) keeper.

Not Too Far From Here - Kim Boyce (By Faith)
Somebody's down to their last dime,
Somebody's running out of time,
Not too far from here

Somebody's got nowhere else to go
Somebody needs a little hope
Not too far from here
And I may not know their name
But I'm praying just the same
That You'll use me Lord to wipe away a tear
'Cause somebody's crying
Not too far from here

Somebody's troubled and confused
Somebody's got nothing left to lose
Not too far from here

Somebody's forgotten how to trust
Somebody's dying for love
Not too far from here

It may be a stranger's face
But I'm praying for Your grace
To move in me and take away the fear
'Cause somebody's hurting
Not too far from here

Help me, Lord, not to turn away from pain
Help me not to rest while those around me weep
Give me Your strength and compassion
When somebody finds the road of life too steep

Now, I'm letting down my guard
And I'm opening my heart
Help me speak your love to every needful ear
Someone is waiting
Not too far from here
Jesus is waiting
Not too far from here

“We live in perilous times when many believe we are not accountable to God and that we do not have personal responsibility or stewardship for ourselves or others. Many in the world are focused on self-gratification, put themselves first, and love pleasure more than they love righteousness. They do not believe they are their brother’s keeper. In the Church, however, we believe that these stewardships are a sacred trust.”


Quentin L. Cook, “Stewardship—a Sacred Trust,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 91

A Little Place

Working

I asked the Lord, "What shall I do?"

And my love flowed warm and free. 

Then He pointed me out a tiny spot 

And said, "Tend that for me." 

I quickly relied, "Oh no, not that. 

"Why no one would ever see. 

"No matter how well my work was done; 

"Not that little place for me." 

The word He spoke, It was not stern, 

He answered me tenderly; 

"Ah, little one, search that heart of thine. 

"Are you working for them or me? 

"Nazareth was a little place, and so was Galilee."

I sat in Sacrament meeting this past Sunday and listened to the speaker talk about serving and fulfilling callings.  I felt inspired to listen and learn from his teachings.  I think that I have been so guilty of this from time to time.  I want, need, and even like to be noticed.  I like when people remember me, talk to me, or notice if I am not there.  I love to sing and speak in church.  I love to teach and lead.  But, I also love my Heavenly Father too much to refuse a small, insignificant seeming calling.  I believe that He has given me everything, and who am I to try and tell Him how to teach me!  

Case in point.  A few years ago, my husband and I were called to teach the nursery.  I have no idea why I was called!  I have raised all my children past nursery age, I have held, rocked and changed more babies than many others, yet, my bishop called us to the nursery.  So, we accepted and went to church week after week, to this one small plot of ground way in the back from any body else.  

We rarely heard what was going on, since we were both in nursery, the Priesthood and Relief Society announcements were completely missed.  We were part of the Primary, but since we did not see any of the other teachers, we did not feel like we were part of anything.  We met and kept track of the parents of the children we were responsible for.  We served in that calling nearly two years.  

It was hard for me, yet the blessings have been amazing because of it.  My sweet husband has never been outgoing.  He is reserved and quiet.  He doesn't like teaching.  He doesn't like speaking.  For years, every bishop we had despaired of finding the right place for him to serve.  One where he would learn and grow.  In the nursery, the kids did not care how well he spoke, they just cared that he had arms to hold them and a lap to sit on.  He found that he could teach a five minute lesson.  (That was as long as I could get them to sit still).  He found that the children loved him, and did not judge him because of what he might have been.  After two years we were released.  I was immediately called into the Primary to teach the three year olds (those same sweet nursery children) and my husband now teaches the High Priests.  

Yes, that is right.  My sweet never talk or teach husband is now teaching (and might I say even enjoying) a class.  Heavenly Father knew just where he needed to be in order to prepare him for other things.  Some of my most earnest prayers have been answered with that one, small, seemingly insignificant nursery leader calling.  

So, the next time you are asked to do a job that you don't want to do, ask yourself these simple questions:

Who are you serving?

Why are you serving?

Hopefully you will find your answers.   

Matt 20:27-28

     And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
     Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, 
     but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Window washing at the Decker's

The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live. --Ethel Percy Andrus

 Many years ago, when I was a single mom with six small children, I really wanted to teach them the value of service.  We had a lot of people who did amazing things for us, but I wanted them to learn how wonderful it was to do service for others.  So, I asked around the ward.  Finally, one elderly couple called and asked if we would come and clean all the windows in their house.  I was thrilled!  This was my opportunity to teach.  However, the kids were not so thrilled.  They felt like they had enough work to do in their own home and why would I be volunteering them anyway!  Needless to say, I made them go and do it.  So, I had several grumpy kids going to clean windows.  We had to pull over to the side of the road and have a "discussion" on my favorite saying, "If you are going to do it anyway, do it with class!".  They were obviously going to do it anyway, so they needed to adjust their attitudes.  They did and we went over to the Deckers small home.  My children got right to work.  Brother Decker gave them buckets and squigees to do the outside.  Sister Decker gave the girls paper towells and buckets for the insides.  They had a great time.  The best part was that Sister Decker made them dessert for when they finished. 
During the time we were there, Sister Decker talked about how bad they felt needed to ask for the help for such a simple thing.  She talked about how hard it was to not be able to do everything themselves and to need the help.  She talked about how wonderful it was to have six willing children come to their home and work so hard.  She taught them that service isn't something we necessarily want, it is something we need.  Can you imagine what a blessing that was for my children?  They remember it to this day.  Sister Decker made them feel like they were amazing.  And so, they rose to the occasion and became amazing. 
For months after than, Brother and Sister Decker would bring oranges, grapefruit and lemons over to the house.  Sometimes, they would ask the children for little favors of service that were always more than repaid in simple acts of kindness.  They taught my children the value of serving others. 
My children served the Deckers in our ward for several years.  Until they grew up and left home.  But the lesson of service remains in their minds, even now.

President Monson has said, "The Savior taught His disciples, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”
I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives".

I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody’s need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind.

I am only one; but still am one. I cannot do everything, but I still can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. --Helen Keller

May we each strive to do something today to touch the life of another.

The Other Wise Man

Today, is officially the start of the Christmas season for me.  I am not sure why it did not start until today, but today I realized that it is only about three weeks until Christmas.  I came home from work today and Anya ambushed me with her request for books.  The school is ordering the monthly Scholastic books and she wants some for Christmas.  I am looking at the order forms, and surprise, there is not one book that is about the true meaning of Christmas.
I think it is time to break out some of my favorite Christmas stories.  I think that I am going to go get one of my favorite books called "The Other Wise Man", and read it to the girls.  
This is the story of a man named, Artaban.  He is a seeker of Truth. He is supposed to be the other wiseman (or the fourth wiseman) who sought the Savior foretold in ancient scripture.  He recognized the sign for the Savior's birth when he saw the Star of Bethlehem.  He was delayed on his way to meet the other three wisemen. When he arrived at the meeting place, he discovered that they had left without him.  He set out on his own to find the Savior and present his gifts to the little king.
Artaban, came upon a town where Roman guards were taking and killing the small children. He heard a muffled cry from one of the houses, entered and found a woman crying and clutching her baby tightly to her breast.  A Roman soldier came and tried to enter the home, but Artaban paid him to leave the child alone by giving the soldier the ruby he had been saving for the Savior.  He saved the child's life.  He took comfort in knowing he still had other gifts to give the newborn king. 

The rest of the story goes on to tell of Artaban's travels, and how he found more people to help, each time sacrificing one of his precious gifts for the Savior. At the end of his life, he arrives in Jerusalem on the same day when Jesus was to be crucified. He did not know that Jesus was the King whom he had been seeking for so long.

At one point, Artaban heard a disturbance behind him. He turned to see a soldier trying to take a young girl from her parents. Artaban discovered that the girl had been sold as a slave to pay her parents' debts. Artaban, with his last jewel, paid the debt the parents owed and the girl was freed. 

At that moment, the Savior died and there was an earthquake.  A wall fall on Artaban before he could flee. As he lay dying, he was so sad because he had never been able to find the king and give him his gifts. Right before he passed away, he heard a voice saying "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

In all the ways that mattered, as he served and loved others, Artaban, had indeed, found his Savior and King.

Today, I am reminded of Artaban and his love and kindness, and his journey through life.  I know that my own life is a journey much like Artaban's.  It is a journey to find my Savior and my King.
I don't have worldly jewels, but I do have things in my life that I want to give up so that I can be more like Him.  I have virtues that I want to strengthen and grow.  I am hoping to find my Savior this year as I work on being more kind and loving to my family.  I want to speak softly and lovingly in all I do and say.  I want to control my temper and my tongue.
This year I am reminded of the importance in seeking truth wherever we find it. The story of Artaban, helps me to remember that I can live my own story of Christmas.  Although I might never see the Savior in this life, I can still serve Him and help Him and show my love for Him, by taking care of others and truly loving them.   May you each find a gift inside yourself to give to the Savior this Christmas Season.