FFF #35 2015--"When you are in the service of others....

You are only in the service of God."  King Benjamin

Sunday, Spike will give his primary talk on that subject.  As I have been pondering on the topic to help direct Spike in his preparations, I was trying to figure out where he acts in those doctrines.

Here is our story:
We have a lovely widow neighbor who lives across the street from us.  She is amazing and super sweet.  Her heart is good!  For whatever reasons, she adores Spike.  I think part of it is that she hears him yell and scream at us when we leave the house without a kiss and a hug.  He screams until we turn around and come back to give him one.  Then he tells us that we forgot the rules, "Never leave without a hug and a kiss from Spike!"  Anyway, our neighbor Susie loves Spike.

A few weeks ago, Susie brought us some dollar store plastic silverware to put into our flower garden to keep the cats from using it as a litter box.  She gave the silverware to Spike.  He thought it was his own, so he was extremely disappointed and angry when we used it the way Susie intended for us to.  I promised him that I would get him some more.  But I rarely go to the dollar store.

This week, Susie came over because she wanted some help making her cranberry relish for Thanksgiving.  I told her I would be happy to do it for her.  She makes this awesome and amazing fresh cranberry relish and has a special tool that hooks into the kitchen aid mixer, which I do not have.  So I usually borrow her attachment and make her recipe for our family.  But this year she asked if I would do hers for her.  No big deal.  I was going to make some anyway, I would just do hers also.

When she was over, Spike told her how disappointed he was that we had used the silverware she purchased for him to put into the flower garden.  And he asked her to get him more plastic dishes.  Susie readily agreed.

Later that day, she brought him two packages of silverware, a fun bowl, paper plates, paper bowls, and some napkins.  Spike was ecstatic!!  So much so, that not long after she left, he made her two thank you notes, without any prompting.  Remember Spike is four, so his note looked like this:

When it was about time, Susie asked me again, when I was coming over to make the relish, this time.  That is when I realized, Oh, she wants some company.  Super awesome!  I will come over and we will make it together.  I got myself organized and went over.  I spent two hours over there as we worked and she fed me lunch and cleaned out several of her cupboards to give things to me.  Then she told me some of her sorrows, how sad she has been this holiday, how much she misses her husband, how difficult it is with some of the things her daughter wants and is trying to change, and how much our periodic hugs and hellos across the street mean to her.  We have done nothing extraordinary---just living our lives and being personal with our neighbors.  But our 'normal' behavior, has been a source of light for Susie.

Now, this story would seem to be how much Susie helps us out, because she really does!  But I think it is important, as Spike shares his talk in primary, to realize that Spike really hasn't done much more than be a four-year-old boy, who lives across the street.  But because he is unafraid and he talks to Susie, as a person, it brings Susie joy and happiness just to watch her loud little neighbor boy across the street!!

She loved his card so much, that she told me she was going to put it up on the wall.

We just need to recognize once in a while, that sometimes, just being ourselves brings light to others.  We don't even need to go out of our way, even though sometimes we should, to share the light we have in our lives from the gospel of Jesus Christ!!

I really love our Susie neighbor!

Take a few moments today and thank those who bring that light to you, just by being themselves!