I'm sharing this story with permission.
When my visiting teacher was a teenager, she was struggling and feeling a little lost. She was the second child in a family of eight children. One week, for Family Home Evening, the family had a lesson on serving and loving each other. It was decided that they'd draw names out of a bowl and during the next week, they would perform "warm fuzzies" or acts of service for their secret family member.
During the week, my VT decided that her secret family member was probably growing pretty tired with all the extra service they were performing. Her chores were being done, clothes were being put away, her bed was being made and thoughtful notes were being left. She wondered who in her family was wearing themselves out in her service. She felt very loved and blessed.
At the end of the week, she discovered that her mother, knowing of the struggles she was having, had rigged the game and every member of the family had drawn my VT's name. The entire family had spent a week loving and serving her. She had a change in her heart and was grateful to her mother for recognizing that she needed that extra love and attention.
This story touched my heart. As Moms, we have the privilege and the blessing of receiving inspiration about what our children need. It's up to us to pray for that guidance and then act on it. Sometimes we may worry that our children need us to move mountains to help them through a hard time, but really all they need is for us to watch for those opportunities to love and guide them.
I want to do better at seeing the needs in my children and allowing myself to be guided to give them what they need. Bravo to my VT's mom, who knew what she needed and rallied an entire family to meet that need.
When my visiting teacher was a teenager, she was struggling and feeling a little lost. She was the second child in a family of eight children. One week, for Family Home Evening, the family had a lesson on serving and loving each other. It was decided that they'd draw names out of a bowl and during the next week, they would perform "warm fuzzies" or acts of service for their secret family member.
During the week, my VT decided that her secret family member was probably growing pretty tired with all the extra service they were performing. Her chores were being done, clothes were being put away, her bed was being made and thoughtful notes were being left. She wondered who in her family was wearing themselves out in her service. She felt very loved and blessed.
At the end of the week, she discovered that her mother, knowing of the struggles she was having, had rigged the game and every member of the family had drawn my VT's name. The entire family had spent a week loving and serving her. She had a change in her heart and was grateful to her mother for recognizing that she needed that extra love and attention.
This story touched my heart. As Moms, we have the privilege and the blessing of receiving inspiration about what our children need. It's up to us to pray for that guidance and then act on it. Sometimes we may worry that our children need us to move mountains to help them through a hard time, but really all they need is for us to watch for those opportunities to love and guide them.
I want to do better at seeing the needs in my children and allowing myself to be guided to give them what they need. Bravo to my VT's mom, who knew what she needed and rallied an entire family to meet that need.
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