This past week I have been in Boise. Dayna called me a few weeks ago and asked that I come and "babysit" her dog and my mom while she went out of town. She was heading to Portland, Oregon with her son, Pete, to check out Portland State and Peter was out of town on business. My mom then decided that it would be nice to invite her sister, my Aunt Karen, to come along too. She lives in Sandy, Utah and had a stroke a few years back. She has had some physical challenges since that time and needs a lot of help with everyday things. She does not get out much unless someone is there to help her. So...I agreed to be that person, not really sure what was ahead of me.
We had a great time and I arrived home last night. On the plane ride home I reflected on the many things that transpired during the past few days. I then began to realize the many spiritual lessons had been taught to me and what a great experience it really had been. Here are a few things I learned during my stay:
1. Prayer is powerful. One morning while getting ready, I burnt my had really bad (really bad) on my curling iron. I know...not too smart. I grabbed the cylinder with my right hand and almost immediately it began to blister. I had large blisters forming on each finger and all the way up my palm to my thumb. I was in a lot of pain. I knew that I would need this hand to do the many things required by both my mom and Aunt Karen. I decided to say a prayer to my Heavenly Father to please heal my hand so that I could do the things necessary for the care of both of them. I carried ice with me most of the day. By evening, miraculously, there was not one trace of a blister...nothing was there. It was amazing. The blisters that had began to form had suddenly disappeared. I have not doubt in my mind that a miracle had transpired on my behalf. Another tender mercy in my life from my Heavenly Father.
2. Patience. Whenever I would run errands for my mom I would offer to take Aunt Karen with me. She would jump at the chance. One time my mom wanted me to go to Deseret Book, Wal-Mart and then to a bird seed supply store. This would normally take a little over an hour to complete. However, this day it took almost three hours. My Aunt Karen loved just wandering around the stores and taking everything in and you know what? I was okay with that. What was the hurry anyway? Sometimes I think we are so busy running around and checking off our lists that we forget that people are more important than things (or lists). I kept thinking of the saying that "Life is not a race"...how true.
3. We are more than our bodies. As I would watch my sweet Aunt walk with a slight limp and her left hand clutched closely to her side I would think of the aunt I remember from my youth. She was so vibrant and full of energy. I cannot ever recall a time that Aunt Karen would just sit and relax...she was always on the go. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, organizing scripture study with her 8 children etc. She was a ball of energy. To think that all of that changed in literally an instant. She walks slower, talks slower, is not able to do even simple tasks such as tying her shoes or opening the packaging from a granola bar.
One evening I was showing her some clips on Mormon Messages. There was one about a lady named Stephanie Nielson who was in a plane crash a couple of years ago and in an instant went from a physical beauty to a woman with numerous scars across her face and body. My aunt began to suddenly cry. I realized she felt some kind of connection. I realized that she was probably thinkin how much her life had changed since her stroke. While we listened and watched the clip, Stephanie Nielson said something that struck me. She said "We are more than our bodies."
As I pondered that I began to think how hard we fought in the preexistance for the opportunity to come to earth to gain a body. We knew that they may not function properly and that these bodies may even be the very burden of our existence, but we still fought. I then began to think about how we were all spirits first and how we still have that same spirit within each of our bodies. In essence, Heavenly Father created us from the inside out. Knowing that made me love my aunt even more. It is true that her body has changed, but she is more than her body...much more.
4. Gratitude. As I would help my aunt with simple tasks, I began to notice that she ALWAYS thanked me. Whether it was tying her shoes, combing her hair, preparing her food, opening her cheese-n-crackers, opening and closing her car door, opening her water bottle...whatever...she ALWAYS showed gratitude. What a great example. How many times in a day do I thank people for the simple things they do for me?
5. The happiness that comes from helping others. I can honestly say that while yes, this week was hard in some ways, the overall feeling of joy out weighs any of the hardship. What a pleasure to sit and talk and laugh with my aunt and mom. They are beautiful in every way. I think that when you serve someone you can't help but learn to love them just a little bit more and begin to see them with spiritual eyes. How grateful I am for the opportunity I have had this past week to love my aunt and mom just a little bit more.
Emma is playing in a new soccer league this year. The name of her team is "Money"...kind of funny if you ask me, but they love it. She has the same coach and some of the same teammates. They decided to go into a higher league and challenge themselves a bit more. Last night she had a scrimmage against a team that is older and two leagues up from them. What a blow-out. I was a bit worried that she would have her spirit broken but that is not the case at all. She told me after the game that if she could play shoulder to shoulder to that team, no one scared her anymore. What a great attitude! The official season kicks off early Saturday morning. Should be interesting...
(Before the game getting a talk from Aryl, her coach)
