I watched this Saturday as a priceless gift unfolded. It actually began on Friday night when my husband came home from work, He had been battling a bad head cold and was feeling miserable and had come home early to take a hot bath and was hoping to climb into bed. But before he did he said he was taking some of our Christmas lights over to the neighbors. They had been out hanging theirs on their house as he came home and he saw them drop them and most of them had broke. So he took ours over and gave to them.
He made it in and out of the tube and was going to climb into bed when my daughter came in wanting to go to the high school basketball game, but had no one to go with. So when he realized she needed him to go with her, he wearily put on his clothes and trudged out into a cold stormy night to the game.
The next morning, still feeling very ill, he took our 11 year old neighbor boy to a scout activity, the boy had never been before and didn’t know any of the other boys so he stayed the morning with him and watched him swim. He thought he might be able to slip out, but stayed the whole time and brought him home afterwards.
He got back about noon and had been here a few minutes when the phone rang, the call came from an older couple down in the trailer park, which needed a ride to the emergency room. He went down and picked them up and spent the afternoon with them at the hospital, taking them to get their medicine before driving them home.
He wasn’t the young boys scout leader or the elderly couples home teacher, he was simple a willing friend. I watched him give service because he cared, not because he was called. His service was a sacrifice and came from the purity of his heart.
I look at myself and wonder if my service is more like the rich young man, who was seen of men, or like the widows mite, who quietly offered all at a great sacrifice and out of love. Sometimes I find it easier to give of my check book than of my time or myself. The question is do we serve because we care, not just because we are called?
I know we are here to learn to serve and to bless as the master did as he came to fulfill the aged and ancient promises of service and sacrifice.
How grateful I am for the gift of a day and the examples I have set around me, it makes me want to be better.
So the highly anticipated holiday came with wild celebration. As the girls in our family, we have to use a little ingenuity to find ways and means to meet. We planned an hour one evening and went out for treats and than played games up at the new office. We had so much fun we decided to meet early for breakfast too. Six of the girls in the family went and one brother. He hated to be left out and we were glad to have him along.
