Gratitude
This entire experience has changed me. I believe God knew I needed this, oh how I needed this. I have never been more humbled in my entire life. God is so so good. And He is in the details of our lives, if we just look. He is the sole reason this surgery went extremely well. He is in the people all around us. He is in the countless number of people (YOU) who went out of their way to serve me, send me care packages, write well wishes, visit me, send flowers and balloons, brought our family food, got me out of the house, called me on the phone and especially those who prayed for me. People who I don't even know but are friends with my parents sent me thoughtful gifts and flowers. It is overwhelming and makes me cry even thinking about it. To know that strangers are praying for you is incredibly powerful and heart warming. I have been changed. I realized how the littlest acts of service don’t go unnoticed. I’ve learned that while, “let me know if you need anything” is an extremely kind thought and always comes from a good place, sometimes you just need to take action if you can. So act. Find out what their favorite treat is, what chores need to be done, if they need any errands or rides somewhere, kids to be watched, or just simply a visit or a hand written card. All too often I’ve been guilty of “call me if you need anything” when I could’ve just opened my eyes, seen a need and acted. I’ve been so blessed with being the recipient of selfless service over and over again. Just look at all these pictures....
My life has been changed by the examples of those around me who showed me Christ-like love. They didn’t ask questions or how they can help, they just went into action and served how they could, and sometimes that was just wrapping me up in warm hug or sending an encouraging message. I think that as we serve where we are, within the capacity that we can, we are eternally blessed. Some seasons of our life we can do more and other seasons of our life our time might be limited but we can always do something. This experience has reminded me of a talk from the LDS Women’s Broadcast in April 2017 by Bonnie Cordon (Who actually came and saw me in the hospital but I was sleeping) who relayed this story about Amy Wright...
“On October 29, 2015, I found out I had cancer. My cancer has a 17 percent survival rate. The odds weren’t good. I knew that I would be in for the fight of my life. I was determined to give it everything I had not just for myself but, more important, for my family. In December, I began chemo. I was familiar with many of the side effects of cancer-fighting drugs, but I did not know that it was possible for someone to be so sick and still be alive.
“At one point, I declared chemotherapy a human rights violation. I told my husband that I was done. I quit! I was not going back to the hospital. In his wisdom, my sweetheart patiently listened and then responded, ‘Well, then we need to find someone to serve.’”
What? Did he miss the fact that his wife had cancer and couldn’t take one more bout of nausea or one more moment of excruciating pain?
Amy goes on to explain: “My symptoms gradually worsened to where I generally had one or two ‘OK’ days a month [when] I could somewhat function as a living, breathing human being. It was those days when our family would find ways to serve.”
On one of those days, Amy’s family distributed chemo comfort kits to other patients, kits filled with items to cheer and to help relieve symptoms. When Amy couldn’t sleep, she would think of ways to brighten someone else’s day. Some ways were big, but many were just small notes or text messages of encouragement and love. On those nights when her pain was too great to sleep, she would lie in bed with her iPad and search for ordinances that needed to be completed on behalf of her deceased ancestors. Miraculously the pain would subside, and she was able to endure.
“Service,” Amy testifies, “saved my life. Where I ultimately found my strength to keep moving forward was the happiness I discovered in trying to relieve the suffering of those around me. I looked forward to our service projects with great joy and anticipation. Still to this day it seems like such a strange paradox. You would think that someone who was bald, poisoned, and fighting for [her] life was justified in thinking that ‘right now it is all about me.’ However, when I thought about myself, my situation, my suffering and pain, the world became very dark and depressing. When my focus turned to others, there was light, hope, strength, courage, and joy. I know that this is possible because of the sustaining, healing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Isn’t that such a powerful and inspiring story? Someone who has every single reason in the world to focus on herself decided to serve others despite her pain and circumstances. Service saved her. We can always serve in some capacity. We will never fail when we choose to serve and show love to those around us. Each and everyone of us all have enough “excuses” as to why we can’t serve, life is hard and our trials can seem unbearable and never ending at times. But I just know that someone always has it worse and they are finding someway to serve. We all serve differently and service looks different for everyone and that’s what is so beautiful.
My sister is the very definition of Christ-like love. Her and my brother-in-law have opened up their home to my parents and I. My brother-in-law fixed the tailgate on my truck while I stayed with them (SO incredibly kind) She has cooked and cleaned. She never left my side in the hospital. She has taken my blood pressure, morning and night, fluffed my pillows and brought my blanket up and down the stairs more times than she probably wants to admit, helped me get dressed, refilled my water bottle countless times, washed my clothes and so much more all while being a mother to 4 young boys. She exudes love and gives selflessly. I quite literally could not have done this without her.
But you guys. With crocodile tears in my eyes, Thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for reaching out and spreading love. Thank you for donating your time to serve me and my family. Thank you for care packages and hospital survival kits. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for the visits and outings out of the house. Nothing has gone unnoticed. Thank you for being examples of selfless service and those who serve without hesitation. Thank you for being a light. My heart is over flowing with gratitude and deepened desire to be like you. I am humbled by your examples and desire to just simply love each other. I have resolved to be a little better and serve a whole lot more. To pray for those needing extra love, give of my time more freely and to send more handwritten notes. What a beautiful experience this has been because of the light each of you shine. Keep doing God’s work because it’s working. The world needs more of YOU!
One of my dear sweet friends Ali sent a care package and included a note that brought me to tears. She’s going to kill me if she reads this but in it she wrote “we’re here to serve our fellow man & experience pain. To go towards those experiences of pain and suffering and see purpose in them and find joy.” We are brought here to this earth to serve and help each other. I believe we can truly find ourselves as we lose ourselves in the service of others. Ali really opened my eyes to the fact that through pain and hard trials we find joy. A joy that can be found through serving others during their time of trial and need. There is no rainbow without a little rain. When others are going through pain and trials we should walk toward them and their pain. We need each other as humans, as neighbors, as children of a loving Heavenly Father. Our whole purpose on this earth is “to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death (Mosiah 18:9)”
My life has been changed by the examples of those around me who showed me Christ-like love. They didn’t ask questions or how they can help, they just went into action and served how they could, and sometimes that was just wrapping me up in warm hug or sending an encouraging message. I think that as we serve where we are, within the capacity that we can, we are eternally blessed. Some seasons of our life we can do more and other seasons of our life our time might be limited but we can always do something. This experience has reminded me of a talk from the LDS Women’s Broadcast in April 2017 by Bonnie Cordon (Who actually came and saw me in the hospital but I was sleeping) who relayed this story about Amy Wright...
“On October 29, 2015, I found out I had cancer. My cancer has a 17 percent survival rate. The odds weren’t good. I knew that I would be in for the fight of my life. I was determined to give it everything I had not just for myself but, more important, for my family. In December, I began chemo. I was familiar with many of the side effects of cancer-fighting drugs, but I did not know that it was possible for someone to be so sick and still be alive.
“At one point, I declared chemotherapy a human rights violation. I told my husband that I was done. I quit! I was not going back to the hospital. In his wisdom, my sweetheart patiently listened and then responded, ‘Well, then we need to find someone to serve.’”
What? Did he miss the fact that his wife had cancer and couldn’t take one more bout of nausea or one more moment of excruciating pain?
Amy goes on to explain: “My symptoms gradually worsened to where I generally had one or two ‘OK’ days a month [when] I could somewhat function as a living, breathing human being. It was those days when our family would find ways to serve.”
On one of those days, Amy’s family distributed chemo comfort kits to other patients, kits filled with items to cheer and to help relieve symptoms. When Amy couldn’t sleep, she would think of ways to brighten someone else’s day. Some ways were big, but many were just small notes or text messages of encouragement and love. On those nights when her pain was too great to sleep, she would lie in bed with her iPad and search for ordinances that needed to be completed on behalf of her deceased ancestors. Miraculously the pain would subside, and she was able to endure.
“Service,” Amy testifies, “saved my life. Where I ultimately found my strength to keep moving forward was the happiness I discovered in trying to relieve the suffering of those around me. I looked forward to our service projects with great joy and anticipation. Still to this day it seems like such a strange paradox. You would think that someone who was bald, poisoned, and fighting for [her] life was justified in thinking that ‘right now it is all about me.’ However, when I thought about myself, my situation, my suffering and pain, the world became very dark and depressing. When my focus turned to others, there was light, hope, strength, courage, and joy. I know that this is possible because of the sustaining, healing, and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
Isn’t that such a powerful and inspiring story? Someone who has every single reason in the world to focus on herself decided to serve others despite her pain and circumstances. Service saved her. We can always serve in some capacity. We will never fail when we choose to serve and show love to those around us. Each and everyone of us all have enough “excuses” as to why we can’t serve, life is hard and our trials can seem unbearable and never ending at times. But I just know that someone always has it worse and they are finding someway to serve. We all serve differently and service looks different for everyone and that’s what is so beautiful.
My sister is the very definition of Christ-like love. Her and my brother-in-law have opened up their home to my parents and I. My brother-in-law fixed the tailgate on my truck while I stayed with them (SO incredibly kind) She has cooked and cleaned. She never left my side in the hospital. She has taken my blood pressure, morning and night, fluffed my pillows and brought my blanket up and down the stairs more times than she probably wants to admit, helped me get dressed, refilled my water bottle countless times, washed my clothes and so much more all while being a mother to 4 young boys. She exudes love and gives selflessly. I quite literally could not have done this without her.
But you guys. With crocodile tears in my eyes, Thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for reaching out and spreading love. Thank you for donating your time to serve me and my family. Thank you for care packages and hospital survival kits. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for the visits and outings out of the house. Nothing has gone unnoticed. Thank you for being examples of selfless service and those who serve without hesitation. Thank you for being a light. My heart is over flowing with gratitude and deepened desire to be like you. I am humbled by your examples and desire to just simply love each other. I have resolved to be a little better and serve a whole lot more. To pray for those needing extra love, give of my time more freely and to send more handwritten notes. What a beautiful experience this has been because of the light each of you shine. Keep doing God’s work because it’s working. The world needs more of YOU!
Thanks so much for your inspiring words of gratitude. So glad you are being well taken care of. You need it and deserve it! You have inspired me to think outside of myself more and to make more time for service. It is such an important Christ-like characteristic, and you have given so much! Keep smiling and healing!
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