Loving and Serving Others

One of the main reasons we came back to Indiana after twenty-seven years in Illinois was to help out our parents. And we have been needed by them all at various times through illnesses and accidents.We are glad we can be there for them when they need help.

Caring for Dad in his final years with Alzheimer's Disease was a real blessing, and some of my fondest, most poignant memories of him were made during that time. At times it was hard to see his mental faculties decline - he was such an intelligent, well read man - but at the same time, I am glad I could be there for him when he needed me most. (And, to the end, his sense of humor was intact. Oh, the laughs we had together!!)

And now it is Mom's turn to need some help from us. Thursday she fell and badly broke her wrist and arm in multiple places. If she were younger and (more importantly), did not have COPD as badly as she does, they would have repaired the breaks surgically with pins, plates, and screws.  But it is too risky, and so she is in a cast and recovering here in our home because she is unable to be independent.

Today as I helped her bathe in a basin on the couch and then change into fresh clothes, I thought of how lucky I was to be able to do this for her. For years she took care of me; now it's my turn to give back to her. And, as I did with my father, we are spending time together laughing and talking, and making memories.

Serving her has caused me to reflect on the teachings of the Savior and how He told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. The example He set of caring for others, be it healing the sick and the lame, raising the dead, or showing compassion for a woman taken in adultery. The ways He taught us to serve others as part of following Him and living the gospel. All have been on my mind.

I realized that, no matter how much I serve, I still end up being blessed far more than my actions blessed another. One way or another, I seem to benefit more as a result. The principle of service and love "boomerangs" back on the giver.

And that is a humbling thought.