I love the picture below of my older brother Clayton and his sons when he lost his hair shortly after he started his can cancer treatments a few years ago. It's actually a miracle he survived that cancer, and he still has to have periodic treatments to keep it in remission. While his health issues have not ended with that Cancer, the Dr. told him it's not what he would die from. To his sons and grandson of the time, it meant a lot to support him, even to the point of shaving their own heads. They aren't the first family to take that step, nor do I anticipate it being the last. However they are family to me, and it shows a great reverence to their father.
A few years ago, I wrote an entry to the Deseret News for the Christmas I Remember Best. It understandably didn't meet the expectations of their editors and while your own personal story is just that, personal, it might not be for someone else. However in the 41 years since my last Christmas with my own father, what I have grown to appreciate so much, is the compassion my father had for me. He was the individual who was sick and likely to die, but it was his interest in seeing my Christmas was as good as can be, that makes me realize how unselfish he was in his life. I will be forever grateful to him.
We likewise are faced with numerous opportunities to extend a hand of love and genuine actions toward others. It's not uncommon for us to see it, even in the simplest of ways. I hope that I do it on a daily basis, but I need to make sure I do. I am grateful for the kind acts of compassion I feel every day with just being part of my family and grateful that God has given me an opportunity to be with them on Earth with the expectation that I will show similar compassion to others.
No comments:
Post a Comment