We Can Do It

It's a busy time of the year but it also is one of my favorite times. I love Christmas and the holiday cheer that accompanies it. I am grateful for the hustle and bustle that becomes a part of the celebration but I try to keep in perspective the 'Reason for the Season'.
Let me share an experience that illustrates my love for the season. Many years ago I was privileged to be a small part of an act of generosity that my friends and I knew would uplift a needy family. The act was not to pat ourselves on the back rather to bring some joy to a family that would have otherwise not come. Like each one of you it feels good to do something for somebody else. There isn't another feeling quite like it. I was overjoyed on that particular day but every time I think about it a feeling of happiness overcomes me.
We help because we want to bring joy to someone else. We serve because it's the right thing to do. We feel better when we lift the spirits of somebody else.
I am thankful for this time of year and I hope that you will too.

Warmth

It's a good feeling to feel happy and warm and to have the security of knowing that life is good and that the things going on are uplifting.
Here in Utah the weather is getting colder and the coats being worn are becoming more noticeable. 
I have recently noticed that even more important than the warmth of the coats is the love that is shown from one person to another.
We are reminded that kind acts for others go a long way.
I want to be more aware of the needs of other people.  There are many people with many needs and I want to lend the help that will be the most meaningful to them.
It's a wonderful time of the year!

Hands That Help Lift The Heart of Another

We live in a time when natural disasters seem to be a common occurrence.  A large hurricane swept through many parts of the east coast of the U.S.--Hurricane Sandy was her name.  As you can imagine it it wrecked many homes, businesses, and many lives.  The thing that I love about these types of happenings is the rendering of service that follows. 





These two young missionaries get to experience first-hand what it's like to offer Christ-like service.

For decades missionary work in the area has been slow, but at the end of their first day of service, when the missionaries gathered for a group picture, they were greeted with cheers from those they helped.
“It is softening hearts, and regardless of what you read in the press, these New Yorkers are resilient and are keeping their humor,” President Calderwood said. “The Lord has a way of turning calamities into His favor.”  (lds.org)

Although our opportunities to serve may not be to this extreme we have daily opportunities in our own communities to help lift the hands that hang low and the hearts that know devastation in one form or another.

In the Church of Jesus Christ there is a well-known scripture that defines the role of a missionary.  I believe that this scripture applies perfectly to our service.

"Now behold, a marvelous work is about to come forth among the children of men.

Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;

For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;

And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.

Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants 4)

 

Moving Forward--Together

Becky and I went to Orem to visit our grandparents. My mom is in town to be with them for the next week. Grandpa's health continues to worsen but he keeps 'hanging on' through these last days.
I thought about how good life is when we go through it together. I watch my grandma as she shows her true love and devotion for my grandpa and reflect on the promises that Becky and I made the day we got married.
I want to emphasize how important it is to move forward in life, even after the stumbles that take place, and be united in all that you do.
Marriage is ordained of God and the marriages between a man and a woman are supposed to be enjoyable. Working through the struggles builds strong character and the love that can be enjoyed is endless.
I held Becky's hand yesterday and felt grateful for all that she does to make life wonderful for me and our children.
Difficult times will come to all of us and some of you might be right in the middle of one of the 'storms' of life but there is hope that eventually the sun will shine through the clouds of mortality and the refreshment of a new beginning is shortly on the horizon. That new beginning will be worth the endurance that you pursued.
Move forward with faith and with a sense of unity that will prove the worth of the one that you so desperately love. Be in it together, no matter what!

Are You Willing To Help?

It’s that time of year when our minds are turned to an increased desire to help the less-fortunate.  As the holiday season approaches there are many who will go without.  It doesn’t take much to help lift the spirits of someone who is down.

I bring this up because there is time to plan a little before the time is actually here.  There are many of you who help people constantly and I find that incredibly admirable.  Thanks for your good example.  I would like to challenge everyone to find somebody or a family that will benefit from our acts of kindness.

Our service will help them through their struggles.  Put on your thinking caps and begin thinking of what you can do. 

 

Need Your Help

May I tell you about a recent experience that happened and brought my heart a lot of joy? Becky sees the needs of others very well and then she is quick to act. I have watched over the nearly eighteen years of marriage as she jumps in and helps out. We have talked about this before but service to another rarely comes at a convenient time. It has never mattered to Becky. I am grateful for her wisdom and the love she has for other people.
A person called to get some help and Becky was not home. This person tried to contact some other people but was dismissed because of other distractions in their lives. Finally the person was able to contact Becky and help was on it's way. I admire her willingness to share of the gifts and talents she possesses. It is her compassion that blesses these people.
I am thankful to have her as my best friend and my sweetheart. Thanks love, for all that you do! I am the beneficiary of daily acts of service from you.
I want to be the type of person that will act when someone is in need.

Service Puts A Smile On My Face

Have you ever had a bad feeling when you help somebody out?
That's a dumb question of course.
Our family has been the recipient of acts of kindness throughout the years.  We have also been on the giving end and enjoy the happiness that comes from helping someone else.
Acts of kindness come in all shapes and sizes.  That is insignificant but there isn't a better feeling in the whole world than service for

I was in the grocery store and I watched as an elderly woman had dropped a couple of items out of one of the plastic grocery bags she was holding.  Without hesitation a man walking nearby quickly picked up the items and placed them back into the bag.  The elderly woman smiled and thanked the man sincerely.  I was grateful for his simple act of kindness.  Those are a big deal and they make me happy to know that there are a lot of good decent people who still care.

Memories Are Great!

Last night I was in the kitchen and a song came into my mind that I haven't even thought about for a very long time.
It is a song written about the Biblical account of the Good Samaritan.  It's entitled "Do Likewise My Friend."
That parable is one of my favorites.  I love the account and the meaning it has for each one of us.

"Do likewise my friend, so simple the call, from the Greatest of all.  Do likewise my friend, and you shall live.  Do likewise my friend."

Those lyrics remind me of the obligation we have as sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. 
I love that this particular song was recounted in my mind.  In fact, I went upstairs and pulled it up on YouTube and listened to it.
I want to follow the desire of my Father.  It's great knowledge to have!

It's A Big Circle

We all take turns with the various opportunities that we are given to help and to serve.  I talked with a person who is spending their time helping out at a homeless shelter here in the Salt Lake Valley.  She is having a great time serving those who are less fortunate.  She told me that with the 'highs' of service come the sorrow at the situations these people are in, all varying of course. 
You've probably had some great experiences with helping others.  You will continue to have those with each passing day.  To be in the service of somebody else is one of life's greatest blessings crowned with a lot of happiness and joy.
I love to help others. 

The Savior’s Call to Serve

In the monthly magazine, The Ensign, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson taught us the importance of heeding the call of the Savior.  I enjoyed this message and found it of significance to share with you.

"All who have studied mathematics know what a common denominator is. For Latter-day Saints, there is a common denominator that binds us together. That common denominator is the individual call each of us receives to fill assignments in God’s kingdom here upon the earth.

Are you ever guilty of murmuring when a calling comes to you? Or do you accept with thanksgiving each opportunity to serve your brothers and sisters, knowing that our Heavenly Father will bless those whom He calls?

I would hope that we would not lose the real objective of our cherished opportunities to serve. That objective, that eternal goal, is the same spoken of by the Lord and found in the Pearl of Great Price: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

May we ever remember that the mantle of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a cloak of comfort but rather a robe of responsibility. Our duty, in addition to saving ourselves, is to guide others to the celestial kingdom of God.

By willingly walking the path of service to God, we will never be in the position of Shakespeare’s Cardinal Wolsey. Stripped of his power after a life of service to his king, he sadly lamented:

Had I but served my God with half the zeal

I served my king, He would not in mine age

Have left me naked to mine enemies.

What kind of service does heaven require? “The Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.”

I pause when I think of the words of President John Taylor (1808–87): “If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done your duty.”

Like a glowing searchlight of goodness is the life of Jesus as He ministered among men. “I am among you as he that serveth,” Jesus declared as He brought strength to the limbs of the cripple, sight to the eyes of the blind, hearing to the ears of the deaf, and life to the body of the dead.

With the parable of the good Samaritan, the Master taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves. With His answer to the rich young ruler, He taught us to shed our selfishness. With the feeding of the 5,000, He taught us to see to the needs of others. And with the Sermon on the Mount, He taught us to seek first the kingdom of God.

In the New World, the resurrected Lord declared, “Ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do.”

We bless others as we serve in the shadow of “Jesus of Nazareth … who went about doing good.”God bless us to find joy in serving our Father in Heaven as we serve His children on earth."

To all people, the call is the same--reach out to those in need and carry out our responsibility to serve all men and women.  Service always makes you feel good.

Service With A Smile

When I was a young boy, our family planned an evening when we could go help an elderly woman in town.  She was Aunt Jessie to everyone who knew her.
She was in her early nineties and still drove her car.  She was blessed with strength and a great amount of determination to press forward in life.
We got to her house and we were each given an assignment of what to do in her yard.  We were there to clean things up a bit in her yard.
My parents always taught us the importance of hard work.  It was fun to work together to accomplish a project, especially one that would help someone else.
I can remember the feeling I had as we worked together.  We were able to pull weeds from the flower beds.  The lawns needed to be mowed and my dad took care of that including edging the grass next to the sidewalk.  It was a memorable project.  Aunt Jessie was pleased with our efforts and she wasn't shy about letting us know how thankful she was for all that we did.
I enjoy helping other people out.  The feeling that I get while serving someone else is a special one.
Service is the sure way to bring a smile on someone's face.  It puts a smile on the face of the one rendering the kind act. 
You can't ever serve too much.  Give it a try today.  Your day will be brighter, guaranteed!

Can You Feel That?

This story ranks near the top of my favorite stories ever told.  I know that you have your own experiences that are just as meaningful.  Sit back and enjoy a good cry with me.  This story was told by President Gordon B. Hinckley, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints until his death in 2008, about an experience in his father's childhood.

“An older boy and his young companion were walking along a road which led through a field. They saw an old coat and a badly worn pair of men’s shoes by the roadside, and in the distance they saw the owner working in the field.

“The younger boy suggested that they hide the shoes, conceal themselves, and watch the perplexity on the owner’s face when he returned.

“The older boy … thought that would not be so good. He said the owner must be a very poor man. So, after talking the matter over, at his suggestion, they concluded to try another experiment. Instead of hiding the shoes, they would put a silver dollar in each one and … see what the owner did when he discovered the money. So they did that.

“Pretty soon the man returned from the field, put on his coat, slipped one foot into a shoe, felt something hard, took it out and found a silver dollar. Wonder and surprise [shone] upon his face. He looked at the dollar again and again, turned around and could see nobody, then proceeded to put on the other shoe; when to his great surprise he found another dollar. His feelings overcame him. … He knelt down and offered aloud a prayer of thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife being sick and helpless and his children without bread. … He fervently thanked the Lord for this bounty from unknown hands and evoked the blessing of heaven upon those who gave him this needed help.

“The boys remained [hidden] until he had gone.” They had been touched by his prayer and felt something warm within their hearts. As they left to walk down the road, one said to the other, “Don’t you have a good feeling?” (Adapted from Bryant S. Hinckley, Not by Bread Alone, 95).

That story just makes me want to serve someone in need.  There are people who wait for people, like you and me, to help them.  Today is the day.

Taking The Time

There are some things in life that are fascinating to watch.  As a young boy, I would watch my dad tie his tie as he readied to go to church.  I was always amazed at how fast he could tie his tie. 

I still remember the day he taught me and my brother how to tie our ties.  Each of us had the tie we were going to wear around our neck and my brother and I watched and copied.  That is a memorable experience for me. 

I have shared that same experience with our two sons.  Brady is eleven and Danny is eight.  Both boys can tie a beautiful double Windsor knot!

I was missionary companions with a young man who was never taught to tie a tie.  His father tied his ties before he left on his mission and for the first eight months of his mission, all of his ties had stayed exactly how his father had tied them.  One of the pieces of instruction that my dad gave us boys was that part of taking care of a tie is the undoing of it when you are done wearing it.  Yep, you guessed it, I took the opportunity to teach my companion the proper care of his ties.  I untied each tie.  He was a little upset until I told him that I was going to teach him how to tie a tie, just like my dad had taught me.  So he and I grabbed the tie we were going to wear and together we tied until my companion knew how to tie his own tie.  He was pleased and so was I.

This seems like a very insignificant thing but for my dad to take the time to teach me how to do something that I would need for the rest of my life, is significant.

Whether it is tie tying, cooking, shooting hoop, taking the time to visit with somebody or helping someone do their yard work, the time that is spent to help someone else is priceless.

Take a moment today to do something for somebody else that lets them know how much they mean to you.  You'll be glad you did.