Service With A Smile

Now that Christmas is over, It's time to focus whole heartedly on our upcoming move. It's always seemed so distant. I can't believe it's just over a week away. I just can't seem to get excited about it.

Like I've mentioned before, I have never felt at home here in Ohio. I always new this would be a temporary place for us. So beside my small handful of friends, I have not been sad to leave. But as I sat in Relief Society on Sunday and listened to a lesson on service, I recalled the many, many times I've been the recipient of service here in my ward.

I have been blessed my entire four and a half years here with faithful visiting teachers. The women have changed, but I have consistently been visited. Although they may not all have been women I would have chosen as my friends, they have all selflessly served. They have:

• watched my kids countless number of times
• driven my family to the airport
• thrown me a baby shower when I was still new in the ward
• driven me to the ER with Reid
• brought treats
• showed up out of the blue when I was sick on more than one occasion
• played with my kids
• taught me lessons
• brought me meals
• invited me to lunch
• remembered my birthday
• invited me just to hang out when Spencer was busy late into the night at stake meetings
• showered me with compliments
• brought gifts
• shared laughter
• shared tears
  
• called in moments of need
• vacuumed my floors
• put my kids down for naps
• been willing to help at a moments notice
  
• arranged for others to help when they were unavailable

And the list could go on and on. I'm terrible at asking for help. I have been blessed with the kind of visiting teachers who see needs and fill them...whether or not I ask. I could not be more grateful.

I have also been blessed in this ward to serve in the Young Women program with some amazing women. Particularly Kelly, Tiffany, Amanda and Autumn. It is these women that I developed my strongest friendships with. And these women that I will miss the most. These women are the ones who make it hard to leave. I could take that last list and multiply it by ten and could still not match the service and friendship that these women have given to me. Thank heaven for the knowledge that friendships can be eternal. And thank Heaven for these women.

I have been blessed also with a ward member and dear friend, Abbey, who lives just a few houses down. She has also selflessly served our family. Abbey is one of the most giving people I know. It has been a real blessing to have a friend so nearby who I can call with any favor at any time and she is there ready and willing to help. Again, I could add Abbey to the list above. And not only that, but she has lent me an egg in the middle of cookie making, given us tickets to a Buckeye game, watched my kids in the middle of the night when I had a gall stone attack, watched our dog on a long weekend, made delicious cookies and hot chocolate, invited our family into her home on numerous occasions, and again shared much laughter and tears. The list could go on. My kids adore her, as do I.

It has been awfully hard for me to see it, but I really have been blessed with a very giving and loving ward family during my time here in Ohio. It always seems to take change to help you recognize your blessings. And I am grateful for those blessings.