Blessings of Service

My mom and I went to a conference this morning in her stake. Gail Miller was the keynote speaker. The topic of the conference was "service." She was wonderful! She told so many stories about she and Larry H. Miller, her deceased husband. They were told my their temple sealer, and felt strongly that they would be stewards among men throughout their lives, and boy have they ever been. I learned, or was reminded, of several things during the conference. I wanted to share a few, mostly so that I can look back on this and remind myself of what I learned:

1. God notices us. He wants to help us, but it is usually through other people that He goes about doing that. So, if we are not in tune with what He needs US to do, then those are opportunities missed.

2. Pay it forward... always. Sister Miller told a story of when she and her husband were young, newly married and had a three month old baby. They had been to a softball tournament for the weekend in their old Ford Falcon convertable. On the way home, late at night, they ran out of gas. A gentleman stopped and helped and when asked how they could re-pay him, he simply said to pay it forward. The Miller's never stopped paying it forward from that point on.

3. Look for opportunities to serve. Do what you can. Be kind. Be helpful. Be happy. Lift another.

4. This life is not for the "fun" of it... it's for the "joy" of it.

5. In order to find yourself, you must lose yourself.

6. We need to teach our children the joy of serving.

7. Counsel with the Lord in all things and He will guide us.

It was a wonderful way to start my Saturday. It was a great lesson to be reminded of. My family has been the recipient of many, many acts of service. It's time for us to pay it forward.