What can I do?

I've been holding back on blogging one aspect of my life, service. Partly because I like to keep it to myself, and partly because I'm not so great, and I don't want to come off looking better than I am, or whatever. But I want this blog to be all about me, so I'm coming out of the service closet.

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Here are three stories, all non-random acts of kindness:

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A couple of months ago Ken called me one morning from work to tell me about some misfortunes that had befallen his boss's family. I just deleted the long story, I was having trouble telling it. The short story is that I said, "That's terrible, I wish there was something we could do - it's not like they need a casserole." After I hung up the phone my words were still ringing in my ears. Yep, I was pretty sure that fabulously successful young couples living in downtown lofts don't eat casseroles. But that fabulous loft was all packed up to move, they'd just returned to town so their fridge was probably empty, and their extended family wasn't around. It seems that I managed to get and dismiss inspiration in a split second: a meal was exactly what they needed. I whipped up some Tuscan Chicken Wraps (Kelly's recipe, there was still no way I was bringing them a casserole), loaded up the food, started driving downtown, and then called Darren (Ken's boss). Naturally, Darren appreciated the thought, so sweet of me, but declined. I said, "Gee, Darren, the thing is I've already made the meal and I'm half way to your place." He cussed me out (to express that he didn't believe me) but gratefully accepted the food. I wouldn't normally be that brave, but I trusted I was inspired and didn't let a little cussing stop me.

Everyone can use a meal.

But not everyone needs another dinner. When the daughter of my Relief Society president went into the hospital, the compassionate service leader set up a long calendar of dinners. I thought of another way that I could help: I made sack lunches for the rest of the kids to take to school. I felt really good about that - I knew I was meeting a need and that when the mom returned late in the evening from the hospital she would be relieved to have lunches for the next day taken care of.

Which brings me to yesterday. I was on fire. I washed and folded 7 loads of laundry, I ran (confession: some walking) 5K, I took one of my laurels out for a personal progress lunch, and I made a home cooked dinner. All that and I spent an hour sitting in the orthodontist's reception room. I have felt before that days like that come along to clear my head of all of life's minutia, breaking my preoccupation for someone who could use my help. So dinner was actually prepared early, and I had some time before I needed to go to my evening continuing education class. I thought, 'Great! I'll be there early!' But my friend and her hospitalized little baby daughter have been on my mind all week, and I recognized this was a chance for me to go visit them at the hospital. I showed up completely empty handed, which I tried not to worry about, and I had a nice chat with my friend. I'm glad to know first hand how she's doing living at the hospital while the Grandma's watch her other two children. We talked a little about the way her 'normal life' has been suspended.

. . Today when I made 5 batches of strawberry jam, the first batch was for her. I wrote her a note about how I thought maybe if she were leading her 'normal life' she might have made strawberry jam this week. I explained that the jam was really a *small batch of normal life* - I even wrote those words on the top of each jar. I told her that I hope her baby recovers quickly and that she soon enjoys a return to normal home life.