Happy Holidays my lovely readers!! You probably thought I abandoned you! Not so! In fact I have missed you terribly! But as you have probably guessed by now, I had my sweet baby boy in June, and well, it has taken me quite a while to adjust! We were blessed with Lil Brother on June 24, 2014. He is a beautiful boy and we are enjoying every moment with him! Since I have become a mother of 2 it has been quite the adjustment, which has made for some great stories and future articles! 🙂 Baby girl is having a ball with her little brother. She is a great helper, and picks on him a little too 🙂
I decided to come back this month because I had a humble story to share that I thought was perfect with the holiday season upon us.
Today I saw a haggard-looking mom of 2 struggling. She had a baby about 5 months old, who she said had been crying and screaming all morning, and a toddler who, you could tell, had missed her nap and was in dire need of one. She had no make-up, and in fact, her eyes looked like she had been crying. Turns out she had spent an hour waiting at the doctor’s office in hopes the doctor could find out why her baby had been crying for hours that morning and was up every 1-2 hours the previous night. She was a bit relieved when the Dr. told her he had an ear infection. At least now, she could give him with some medicine and not feel like a failure.
She went to Wal-mart to pick up the prescription and waited 20 minutes in line. As her baby was crying and her toddler was running around, you could tell the mom was losing her patience, but was too exhausted to fight. 20 minutes in a line with 2 kids felt like an eternity, and the stares she was getting didn’t help. While waiting, she contemplated what to make for dinner and remembered a recipe her friend told her about that consisted of 3 cans for a delicious soup. She decided that’s what she would make, since it was all she had energy for. She went to look up the recipe in her email and her phone died. It was finally her turn and she picked up her prescription. She went to get the cans for the soup when she realized she couldn’t recall what the 3 cans were. Mentally exhausted, and in a desperate attempt she thought about calling her husband to look up the recipe but remembered her phone had died. She had the idea to go to customer service to use their phone, but they told her they couldn’t call long distance, and unfortunately her husband’s cell phone was not a local number. She felt defeated and helpless and wondered what she would do now. It was enough to bring her to tears. All day nothing seemed to go right. As she walked away, the employee said, “Ma’am! Ma’am!!” The young mom turned, and the employee said, “Here, use my cellphone.” With a grateful heart, the mom used her phone but her husband didn’t answer. She thanked the lady anyway, and decided to get the 2 cans and hoped that the 3rd can wouldn’t make a difference. She paid, and finally, after a long and exhausting day with a sick baby, she went home.
So, what’s the point of this story??
Well, I want to say thank you to the Wal-mart employee who looked at me with such compassion, and could see through my scraggly hair and tears that I needed this tender mercy. Offering her cell phone to me was such a small gesture, but made a world of difference to me. I really felt the Lord was watching out for me and inspired this woman to let me use her phone. It is kindness and charity like this that is what’s most important this holiday season.
This year instead of buying presents, be present and look for the opportunities to serve one another. If you see a mom in tears, or yelling at her children, or a grumpy old man, don’t judge; be kind. Tell them they look nice even if they don’t. Offer them a hand. A friend of mine recently posted a talk named “The Virtue of Kindness” given by Joseph B Wirthlin, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that fits well with my experience. He said,
 “Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes.
Jesus, our Savior, was the epitome of kindness and compassion. He healed the sick. He spent much of His time ministering to the one or many. He spoke compassionately to the Samaritan woman who was looked down upon by many. He instructed His disciples to allow the little children to come unto Him. He was kind to all who had sinned, condemning only the sin, not the sinner. He kindly allowed thousands of Nephites to come forward and feel the nail prints in His hands and feet. Yet His greatest act of kindness was found in His atoning sacrifice, thus freeing all from the effects of death, and all from the effects of sin, on conditions of repentance.
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What better way to honor and celebrate the birth of Christ than to follow in his example and be kind? I have had a lot of friends ask me how to keep the holiday season in perspective and remember the reason for the season. This year, Baby Girl and I are participating in what we refer to in our family as “Operation CHRISTmas.” Each week leading up to Christmas, we are participating in an act of service and learning about the spirit of giving. This past week we were feeling extra generous and did 2 things. We first donated a toy to “Toys for Tots.” Baby girl was so excited to pick out a toy for a little girl who might not receive very much this year. A couple days later, we made dog treats and took them to the local Animal Shelter. We had a lot of fun making the treats together and we especially enjoyed making some cute puppies happy! 🙂 I am finding that by participating in Operation CHRISTmas we are not only enjoying the spirit of giving by blessing the lives of others, but Baby Girl and I are spending some much needed time together that has been a challenge since Lil Brother came into the picture.
I challenge you all to find ways to serve one another and enjoy this beautiful holiday season, all the while remembering the CHRIST in Christmas. I leave you with some wise words I just heard as I am watching Mickey’s Christmas with my family.
“A gift from the heart is cherished and true, a present is best when love’s given too. So in the end it’s love that’s the reason that Christmas is more than a gift-giving season. It’s a time with our loved ones to show them we care with families and neighbors who come together to share. So this Christmas season let us all do our parts to keep Christmas spirit alive in our hearts. ” ~Mickey Mouse
Krystal is a latter-day mom and Holy Homemaker to 3 beautiful kiddos who is striving to find joy in the everyday trenches of motherhood and life! Her passion is sharing her experience of decluttering with a purpose to help others create a Holy Home where the messes subside and the Spirit resides. She is a lover of books, nature, music, food, the gospel, and all things Texas! Follow her at her website,
Latter-day Mom!
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