Helping Others

Whenever I am in a funk, I take a page out of my husband's book and do something for somebody else. He is never in a foul mood. He is always happy. I always thought this was a gift he had been blessed with, but over the years I've found the common denominator. He's too busy helping others to be in a bad mood. And when you are serving others, it's pretty tough to be grumpy. He is always helping someone move, driving someone to the doctor, shovelling snow, helping my grandparents, running to the church,  replacing toilets, building a fence, home teaching, helping a friend, helping me! He rarely does anything for just himself. And he likes it that way.

This is something I love about him It's also something he learned from a very young age from his dad. My father-in-law taught his boys from a young age to serve others freely. He was a bishop for the better part of Darryl's childhood and he got to see first hand what it mean's to be of service to others. He was always (and still is) looking for a way to help someone in need. A few times when Darryl and I were dating I would spend the night in Orangeville and I got to witness many quiet acts of service my father-in-law performed. I remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night many times and Moe leaving to give a sick baby a blessing, cut firewood for a family with no heat, or going to the hospital to comfort a family who had lost a loved one.

I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago when our phone rang at 2:30am and Darryl jumped out of bed to drive someone who was just released from the hospital home to Shelburne. It makes me so grateful that our children will have that same wonderful example my husband had to look up to in our own home.

As much as I love my father-in-law's for teaching his boys to serve others, I'm even more grateful I get to reap the benefits of him also teaching his boys to serve within the walls of their own home. Moe always does the dishes after every meal no matter who's home we are in. He even cleans my microwave every time he comes over. Every Saturday from April to November, if you park your car in front of his house, you can be sure he will wash it for you. He will shovel your snow when your on vacation, he'll baby-sitt your for hours and he does it all with a smile. So grateful my husband has learned so much from his wonderful dad to pass on to our son. I hope Carter is watching.