Paying it Forward
Introduction:
There is this awesome lady in our ward named Heidi who has had more than her share of spending time in the hospital lately with a son who broke his neck while skateboarding (he is a walking miracle!) and her husband with a torn Achilles tendon.
Story: This week Heidi called me out of the blue and asked if there was anyway that she could come to my house and help me with any project that needed to be done. She remembered that I have been trying to organize and finish things from our remodeling. I was very surprised and when asked why she replied that she wanted to "pay it forward" for all of the help that she received while she was in the hospital.
At first I was hesitant to let anyone help me, and then I remembered how prideful it is to refuse a sincere offer of help so I consented to let her help. She came over and we had a marvelous time cleaning out a closet chuck full of many miscellaneous items. She helped me sort through everything and we ended up taking over 5 boxes of clothing and decor to Deseret Industries! It was SO MUCH FUN to have her here helping me! What a tender mercy!
So, I have been thinking a lot about taking my turn paying it forward - and today I was given the opportunity. It is necessary to explain that I am not writing about this experience to boast at all. I just want to have a memory of the experience.
I received a text today that my unofficial sister, Julie, and her husband, Kevin, had received some awful news. They found out that Kevin has plasma cell leukemia, a very rare cancer that is very aggressive. My sisters and I immediately decided that we needed to make an emergency trip to Salt Lake to visit them. I called and Julie told me that she was going to spend the day working in her yard, using the time and energy to think and process their news. Before I jumped in the car with Robin and Ashley I grabbed 3 pairs of gloves.
When we arrived we found Julie busily pruning bushes and cleaning out planting beds. She was thrilled to see us, she really appreciated the support. When I showed her the gloves and told her that we were there to work her eyes filled with tears. It was an incredible feeling to be able to support her in a way that allowed her to talk things out as well as to make her yard look beautiful.
We didn't stay very long, only a couple of hours, but we got to visit with Kevin a little bit, help support Julie, and also to make her life just a little more beautiful.
They have a very long, hard, and scary road ahead of them. My heart just aches for them. How grateful I am that someone lifted my burden just a little bit and gave me the idea to pay it forward. How grateful I am that I can see and benefit from the goodness of mankind. How grateful I am to have been about to lift another's burden just a tiny bit.
There is this awesome lady in our ward named Heidi who has had more than her share of spending time in the hospital lately with a son who broke his neck while skateboarding (he is a walking miracle!) and her husband with a torn Achilles tendon.
Story: This week Heidi called me out of the blue and asked if there was anyway that she could come to my house and help me with any project that needed to be done. She remembered that I have been trying to organize and finish things from our remodeling. I was very surprised and when asked why she replied that she wanted to "pay it forward" for all of the help that she received while she was in the hospital.
At first I was hesitant to let anyone help me, and then I remembered how prideful it is to refuse a sincere offer of help so I consented to let her help. She came over and we had a marvelous time cleaning out a closet chuck full of many miscellaneous items. She helped me sort through everything and we ended up taking over 5 boxes of clothing and decor to Deseret Industries! It was SO MUCH FUN to have her here helping me! What a tender mercy!
So, I have been thinking a lot about taking my turn paying it forward - and today I was given the opportunity. It is necessary to explain that I am not writing about this experience to boast at all. I just want to have a memory of the experience.
I received a text today that my unofficial sister, Julie, and her husband, Kevin, had received some awful news. They found out that Kevin has plasma cell leukemia, a very rare cancer that is very aggressive. My sisters and I immediately decided that we needed to make an emergency trip to Salt Lake to visit them. I called and Julie told me that she was going to spend the day working in her yard, using the time and energy to think and process their news. Before I jumped in the car with Robin and Ashley I grabbed 3 pairs of gloves.
When we arrived we found Julie busily pruning bushes and cleaning out planting beds. She was thrilled to see us, she really appreciated the support. When I showed her the gloves and told her that we were there to work her eyes filled with tears. It was an incredible feeling to be able to support her in a way that allowed her to talk things out as well as to make her yard look beautiful.
We didn't stay very long, only a couple of hours, but we got to visit with Kevin a little bit, help support Julie, and also to make her life just a little more beautiful.
They have a very long, hard, and scary road ahead of them. My heart just aches for them. How grateful I am that someone lifted my burden just a little bit and gave me the idea to pay it forward. How grateful I am that I can see and benefit from the goodness of mankind. How grateful I am to have been about to lift another's burden just a tiny bit.
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