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A little over a month ago I was called to be the Relief Society Compassionate Service leader in the ward. I was intially shocked, then terrified, then humbled, then down right excited! I used to think that there was no other calling in the church that better encapsulated all my weaknesses and fears at once: coordinating, delegating, calling people (oh the horror!) saying the right thing at the right time, relating to women across the entire spectrum, preparing meals…etc. Of course I still feel that way sometimes but I just try to remember what one of the missionaries told me once. He said, “you need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable” or something like that. Pretty profound eh?

Anyway, the only reason I even mention this is because by far the greatest reward for me has been to see Sam caught up in the spirit of service and compassion. He’s already a sensitive and caring child but I am just amazed by what comes out of his mouth sometimes like when during a visit with a sister he asked her “What can I do to help you feel better?” or my favorite “I will draw you a picture and bring it the next time I come.” Sam has already developed a special bond with an elderly woman in the ward who is currently homebound. When I told him we’d be visiting her again today, he asked if he could make the following card for her. He insisted that she have one of his soccer pictures (grandparents, you’ll be getting yours soon) and delivering it himself. Both Benjamin and Samuel thoroughly enjoyed her and her dog’s company. As I watched her and Sam exchanging stories and hugs, I couldn’t help but marvel at his genuine love and concern for her. It’s in those moments that I catch a glimpse of the young man he’ll be one day and it gives me the perspective I need to get through the day to day challenges of raising two very active boys. I’m just so grateful for these opportunities because they bring so many blessings and opportunities for growth. Um, I think I just wrote a talk, not a blog post. Sometimes I forget this is the world wide web and not my journal 🙂