If You Think You have it Bad.....

SOMEONE ELSE ALWAYS HAS IT WORSE!!!!

Yesterday I attended my Relief Society Christmas Enrichment Night. I had slaved away in the morning to make a delicious Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake (recipe by Culinary Crafts) and it looked and smelled delicious. However, I didn't get out the door on time and with traffic slowing me down even more I arrived over 1/2 hour late. I walked in with the baby seat on my left arm, the diaper bag on my right shoulder, and the large pumpkin cheesecake on a glass platter in my right hand. I was a little weighed down and so when a sister asked if she could take the dish and set it on the table for me I was more than grateful for the help. We walked into the gym and I realized quickly the program had already started. It was dead silent and a lady by the name of Emily was speaking.

I stood there, trying to remain inconspicuous as I put Cash down on the ground and tried to regain some composure when I saw it. As I looked down I realized I had left my house wearing......not shoes, but my slippers. As I tried to hide them underneath my pants my cell phone (which is on vibrate 99% of the time) went off ringing loudly and disrupting the program. As I tried to hurry and pull it out and silence it I thought to myself "this is not going to be a good night....maybe I should just leave now". I still don't even have any friends, and now I am just making a big scene. However, after silencing my phone, picking up Cash, and finding a seat I started to listen to the girl speaking....and that is when it really hit me!!!

Emily was speaking of her life situation right now! She is married to a man who is serving in the military and has been deployed to Afghanistan. He has been there for a number of months and will be there until next February, meaning she has been a single mom to her 4 year old little Marin for quite awhile. She talked about how it is hard to do the work of 2 people all the time by herself, how it is lonely, how she arranges her day around getting to talk to her husband on the phone - whether it be early in the morning or late at night since the days and nights are reversed over there. She mentioned how the holidays are hard to be away from family and not even have her husband around.

I instantly felt humbled, and could not contain myself from letting the tears fall.

I sat there thinking about how much I complain all the time that my husband works so many hours. How sorry I feel for myself that he doesn't get every weekend off to spend with Cash and me, and how alone I feel in this new town we live in. And yet, at least he does come home at night and I get to see him a few minutes each day, at least I can call and talk to him on the phone whenever I want, and at least I don't have to worry each day that this might be the day a bomb goes off and I get the phone call that he won't ever be coming home because his life has been taken!!! It finally hit me while I listened to her and then to her husband's recorded message that I really don't have it too bad!

I felt an outpouring of love for this mother/daughter and as the sign up sheet went around to help bring her meals for the next couple of months I wanted to sign up next to all the days. I wanted to invite her over and have her hang out and do stuff and be her friend. I realized that there are people out there that are lonely too, maybe even feel more alone and overwhelmed than I do, and I instantly wanted to be of service and find ways to help them.

This was THE BEST CHRISTMAS activity for me to have attended because it helped me realize, once again, what Christmas really is all about. GIVING. And as I sat there thinking about what I could give to her and to others I forgot about my own problems, which now seemed so small, and really felt a desire to immerse myself in the work and start serving more....even if it be in small ways such as taking a dinner to someone, or inviting someone over for dessert. I want to do more!

I am grateful for the Relief Society program and how it really is sisters uniting and helping one another, and am glad this sister has allowed the rest of us to get a chance to serve her and be of help. What a great opportunity for all of us to learn and to grow. I am grateful for a church that is organized so wonderfully and know that it is true and that Christ lives. I truly have a testimony of that and am so grateful for this holiday season to remember his birth and what truly is important.

I am very glad I went to Enrichment last night, slippers on, cell phone ringing, and all....and for the chance to be fed spiritually and recommit myself to immersing myself in my new ward! Truly there are always those around us who are worse off than we are....we just have to look outside ourselves!