this year for christmas, i had an incredible and extremely spiritual experience participating in an act of service. christmas morning/day has always been about family, presents, and the story of Christ's birth. my family shared stories that teach inspirational messages and talk about remembering the reason for the season, but honestly, that's as far as it went. that's good, it's better than some families get. but this year, i realized how it isn't enough- not for me, not anymore.
my mother-in-law sarah's brother, bill mckee, is a remarkable man with an amazing story. his wife, renee, is even more remarkable and amazing. while serving in tennessee as the mission president, renee got hit with some horrifying health problems including a heart attack and stroke (with further complications) within a few days. view their blog here. she was hospitalized for many, many months. in a self-induced coma for a while, and then much longer while recovering. one of their christmases spent in the hospital changed their lives, which changed my life. while their mother was in the hospital bed, unable to move, they walked the hallways and sang carols to the other patients. such a simple thing to do on christmas day, yet hardly anyone thinks of doing this. everyone is too enthralled with their own families and time together, that they don't think of taking the time.
even i didn't really want to go, at first. i'd have to get out of my pajamas, do something with my hair, and go out in public? the roads were snowy and dangerous to be on, which could have been another excuse. i couldn't convince drake to come with me, which could have been another reason not to go too. but i'm so glad i went with sarah, dassia, and kali. we picked up another cousin, then met up with bill and renee and some of their children who have chosen to make this a christmas tradition. i'm forever grateful that i went to spend less than an hour strolling through the hospital hallways, singing simple christmas carols.
that's all we did. nothing special or rehearsed. we just got permission from the nurses station on a few floors, including the ICU, and slowly just walked down the halls singing. patient's doors were open, but we didn't go inside, we just stood outside. mostly, these patients were hooked up to various machines and couldn't move too much. hardly any of them had visitors. my heart was absolutely shattered in a million pieces as i thought of these sick people, alone on christmas day. obviously, i was hormonal and had to try extremely hard to keep my emotions in check. but i failed. i cried. i didn't want to be seen crying because they had a lot more to be sad about than me. i'm young and healthy spending christmas break with my family. but i cried. some of the patients couldn't even look at us, some of them did and i saw tears rolling down their cheeks. some of the patients smiled and nodded to a beat, or tapped their fingers, or waved. it struck me so powerfully the REAL reason for the season: Jesus Christ and spreading that spirit to others.
i was overcome with the spirit in that hospital. how would jesus have spent his christmas day? opening presents? no- even if it was with family. i believe he absolutely would have been serving the sick, needy, or poor on christmas day - as he did every day. he is the true example. i want to emulate him and we talk about how we can do that a lot, but this was one of those days where we really, truly did what jesus would have done. and it felt incredible. i honestly felt like Jesus Christ and his Father were standing next to us as we spread some christmas spirit to those less fortunate to us. i felt so grateful for my own blessings in that hospital, and it felt so good to give something as pure as that to others. that christmas day mattered. it strengthened my testimony and brought me nearer to the Savior of the world.
that christmas changed my life. and my family will never, ever miss a christmas day serving others like that.
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