Dear Mom & Dad,
When my sisters suggested we take a year off from the official Gates Family Season of Service, I didn't need much convincing that we might need a break. I enjoy the tradition that this has become and I support the mission of serving our fellow man, but in the past few years, I have felt more overwhelmed by the obligation to do something great and the duty to write about it. I had allowed something special, and even somewhat sacred, to become a chore that I resented just a little bit.
However... I feel like it has been on my mind quite a bit this year. It isn't like I have felt guilty or remorse for not supporting it this year. Indeed, I have felt relieved of the burden of stressing about it. But I have felt a sense that something is definitely missing; almost like a longing for some beloved past. Most of all, I kept picturing you two not having the chance to sit down and reading such beautiful reports of Christlike service from your posterity.
When I think of the service you are performing by embarking on your fourth full-time mission together, I have felt a desire to serve in my life. Then last Sunday, my Bishop spoke to our ward at the end of our Christmas worship service and spoke about how the spirit of service can help us engage with and learn to love our fellow children of Our Heavenly Father. As I pondered on his message with tears in my eyes, I realized that the calendar provided a special opportunity this year. I had five full days between my spiritual celebration of the birth of Christ and Christmas Day. Five! The same number of sisters and children with which I have been blessed.
So, in honor of my sister and my children, I resolved to engage in a gift to my Savior, which I would then document here as my gift to you. After church, I reached out to my Elders Quorum President and a few families with a request to help me make the week special.
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| Decorating and spreading cheer |
On Tuesday, I went to visit an 88-year-old widower in our ward who was baptized less than 10 years ago. He lives alone and hasn't been out in a few years and despite his declining health and physical abilities, he adamantly insists on living in the house in which he spent so many years with his wife. I went to visit him with his next-door neighbor who is a wonderful member of our ward that does a phenomenal job of looking after this elderly brother. When I tried to speak to the brother, the neighbor laughed and said, "He can't hear a word of what you are saying. You have to write it down and then he will respond." After visiting with him for quite some time, I had cramped muscles in my hand, but a warm feeling in my heart and an idea of a few ways that I could serve him. He was extremely grateful just to have somebody visit him.
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| My side of the conversation |
On Wednesday, I went back to this brother's house and repaired a rotting spot of wood on the exterior door frame of his house. It wasn't much work and I knew he probably would not ever even see it. However, it only cost me a tube of sealant, and it stopped the damage that was occurring every time it rained.
On Thursday, I took a load of trash to the dump for a family in our ward that is moving to Canada this week. They have been a great client for my handyman work, and while I have been doing some work on their deck this week, I left my trailer in their driveway and told them to fill it with trash. I have taken a few loads for them, but I had decided this would be my special service for them, since our local dump is closed on Thursday and I knew I would need to drive the extra distance to the other side of the county.
Friday was Christmas Eve and I was struggling to find a specific plan for service. But Ashley had decided to clean off our back porch and give away the three pieces of white, wicker furniture that we don't use. After she posted it online, she found a woman who had just moved into a new home and wanted the furniture for her deck. But the woman could not come pick it up and we are leaving today. So, I told Ashley that we could deliver the furniture as my service for the day. So, we pretended our truck was Santa's sleigh and we delivered it to their doorstep late on Christmas Eve.
None of these individual acts was life-altering or even a big deal. Except, they kind of were to me. I am grateful for the spirit I felt as I prayed each day to find opportunities to serve and acted to embrace them as they arose.
So, on this Christmas Day, I hope this message will help you feel a bit of the spirit I felt this week. I also hope this experience helps to brighten my approach to the Gates Family Season of Service in the future. Most of all, thank you for your lifelong examples of service!
I love you so much,
Chuck
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