Lesson to Learn

Do you ever feel like Heavenly Father really has a lesson he wants you to learn? It seems that in the last year of my life I have been blessed with the selfless in heart often and randomly. During those last few weeks of my pregnancy with Clint my own personal Burley Angels kept showing up at my door with bread, smiles, popsicles and offers to steal my other 4 ankle biters. During my delivery and the week after, food arrived in abundance and my children would again disappear for hours at a time. Always with a smile and always with an air of, "It's no problem." I credit those warrior moms with the sanity I was able to maintain while life most assuredly had to move on.

At the time I kept thinking to myself how blessed I was to be the recipient of such lovely service. I am the type of personality that doesn't want others to worry about me. I am determined to accomplish things on my own without having to burden others. I feel somewhat embarrassed when others are so willing to help, which is quite oxymoronic if you think about it. I am more than willing to provide aid to others, but ache inside when I am in need of service and find myself prideful about accepting the service. Question? How are others to grow and learn from being selfless if I myself am not willing to aid them in their own need to serve? Humility at its best.

Without exploiting the trials of others and with deep gratitude in my heart, I would like to offer a case in point.

Last week I was visiting a very dear aunt and uncle of mine. This is THE aunt and uncle who have played a dominate role in my life, even so far as setting me up with a guy while I was at Ricks and then hosting the date at their house. Good times. This pair is the one who made sure we had a bed when we got married. Not new mind you, but usable and available. Did we need a washer and dryer? Did we need a dresser? Eternal providers. Eternal doers.

My sweet aunt found out at the end of last summer that she has Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). When Clint was born she was able to walk into my hospital room and hold my little newborn. You would never have known there was something brewing beneath the surface. She now relies heavily on a wheelchair to get about. Shortly after her diagnosis my uncle was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Definition: When it rains it pours.

Last Monday found me at their house doing what I do best...boo hooing about James and his blasted Achilles tendon (I promise to never mention it again hereafter). My uncle had had a chemo treatment that morning and was lying in bed while I regaled him with how busy life was and how I needed James for this and that. My trauma that day was that our area was having its spring clean up with dumpsters available for dumping whatever you wanted. Boy did we have a lot to dump. We still had stuff from the previous owners sitting in our backyard waiting for a trip to the dump. My uncle laughed and said, "I'll be there Thursday." In true Emily style I put him off and told him I could handle it...He just smiled.

Thursday rolled around and so did my aunt and uncle. My uncle helped me load up the trailer full of garbage. He talked me into keeping a few boards for 'patch jobs' and found some people who needed the extra bag of insulation that has been sitting in our garage all winter. Eternal providers. Eternal doers. Even in the midst of their own despair...their need to serve exists. And my need to let them emerged.

I determined that night to do. Act upon opportunities to serve and let myself be acted upon. No matter the circumstances. We as brothers and sisters were meant to interact with one another, lift each other up and help one another progress...

lesson learned.