Tag Archives: service

A Christmas challenge: Are you in?

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Last night, I read my kids the last chapter of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  Grant and I both cried.  And after I tucked them into bed and was doing the dishes, I kept thinking about how I haven’t done much to act out the true meaning of Christmas yet this year.  And my wheels started turning, and I made a plan.  And I love it, so I wanted to invite you to join in.  It’s nothing super original– maybe a twist on two or three different ideas I’ve heard about before all lumped together– but I’m confident it will help me get my Christmas mojo back (can I be honest?  I’ve never really understood that word.), and more importantly, share with others the love of God and the spirit of the season.

So here’s the basic idea:  Random acts of kindness every day for the Twelve Days of Christmas. It can be anything. (Hence, “random.”)

Here are a few ideas I threw around in my head:  mailing a Christmas package to someone, paying for the next person’s order in the drive-thru window or swiping my card to pay for a particular someone’s purchase behind me in the checkout line at the grocery store, write a letter or make a phone call to someone who might need it, show up at another tired mom’s house and help her fold laundry or wrap presents, drop off goodies at the house of a grumpy or lonely neighbor, . . .  You get the idea.  No need to spend– just look for an opportunity for kindness and jump on it, whether for a loved one or a stranger.

So I’m going to start on December 13th (this Sunday) and spread some Christmas kindness every day through Christmas Eve.  And I’ll involve my children as much as possible– coming up with ideas, or making something together, or delivering or whatever– so that we can feel the spirit of it as a family.  Anybody want to join me in the challenge?

Here’s a button if you want one.  You can blog about it and invite others, or put it on your sidebar as a reminder, or do whatever works for you.

This post right here can be the gathering place for sharing the joy.  Come back and report each day what you did. (I’ll keep a link on my sidebar here for easy access.) And unless you’re in it for the glory, comment your “reports” anonymously or with initials or a pseudonym or something.  I just think it would be fun to hear about each other’s experiences and rejoice (anonymously) in the whole business of joyful service together. Plus, we can read and then steal ideas.

“In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service. ‘It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.’  Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Then each Christmas will be the best Christmas ever.” — Thomas S. Monson

I feel more Christmasy already.

p.s.  The reporting back is not necessary, but just helps with three things:  1) accountability/slacker prevention, 2) letting you “tell” someone about something you did that you’re so excited about, but you can still remain anonymous, and 3) sharing service ideas.  There’s no rule about reporting daily, just update us as often as you can or want to.

Sometimes they get it.

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trac3275-01Moms don’t get a lot of feedback.  And results are often delayed.  So, it’s great every once in a while when you get an indication that something you’re doing might just be working.

Since I heard Sister Beck’s talk in May about intentional parenting, I felt really strongly that I needed to establish some routines in our home that would help me to achieve the goals I have for my children.  Matt and I sat down and thought about what kinds of things we wanted our kids to know and do and be.  And then I built them into a weekly schedule.  (Just a loose schedule, to make sure that every goal-related thing happens at least once in a week.)  Wednesday mornings are for service.  I just really want my kids to grow up thinking about others and trying to show love.  I taught high school, so I’m particularly annoyed by the arrogant, self-centered entitlement that seems to be the norm among many teenagers (and now adults).  Anyway, on Wednesdays, after they finish their chore, we try to think of something nice we can do for someone else that day.

Today, we had to go to the grocery store for milk, so we decided to buy some flowers and take them to someone.  I dropped off the flowers where the person worked and Grant and Natalie came with me.  Clark stayed home with his great grandmother who is visiting from Utah.  The receptionist took our flowers and card, and then offered my children a balloon.  They both accepted it and then Grant said, “Can I have one more balloon please?  I have another brother, but he stayed home with my grandma.”  So with three balloons in hand, we walked back to the car.

Grant was happy, and he asked, “Mom, are you glad I got a balloon for Clark, too?”

I said, “Yes, that was very thoughtful of you.  And kind.”

“And service?”  he asked.

“Yep, Grant, you did service.”

And I felt like our little efforts meant something, and were making something happen inside my children.  It’s just another testimony to me that when you feel prompted to do something, and you do it, the blessings come.  In many, many cases the results are not visible for a long time.  Motherhood, after all, is “creation in slow motion,” but it’s sure nice to get those little glimpses of success every once in a while.

General Conference Book Club, week 14: Sister Thompson

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04_04_thompWeek 14?  Can you believe we’ve been at it that long?  Welcome back to GCBC.  Coincidentally, this talk ties in quite nicely with yesterday’s long-overdue post about Sister Beck’s Women’s Conference Talk.  During the Sunday morning session of General Conference, Sister Barbara Thompson, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, spoke about the three directives that help us fulfill our divine role as women and how to implement them more fully in our lives.

>>Click here to read “His Arm is Sufficient” by Sister Barbara Thompson<<

If this is your first visit to the General Conference Book Club, click here to learn more about it. You’re welcome to join us at any point along the way, and we’d love to welcome back many of you that we haven’t heard from in a while.

General Conference Book Club Week 8: Elder Oaks

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05_01_oaksElder Oaks is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  I’m excited to read his talk this week for General Conference Book Club.  It’s week 8 already; can you believe it?  We already studied Elder Christofferson’s talk a couple of weeks back, and I think this week’s talk is an extension of that message.  It is called “Unselfish Service,” and teaches us that we must be engaged in the work of building the kingdom of God and offering service to those around us.  I look forward, as I always do, to reading your comments about this great talk.

If this is your first visit to the General Conference Book Club, click here to learn more about it. You’re welcome to join us at any point along the way.

>>Click here to read the talk “Unselfish Service,” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks<<

Here is a lovely video where Elder Jeffrey Holland teaches how we can serve by showing true love to one another.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did: