When ye are in the Service of your Fellow beings ......

All my life I have always wanted to serve others.  For the longest time I always felt that if I served someone that at least they would say thank you or even better do something back in return.  I have sense realized that this type of thinking is not only self destructing but not a true act of service.  When I was a little girl my mother was going through a rough time in her life.  Her marriage of 7 years was ending and she was left with 5 very small children to raise on her own.  She was truly blessed with a loving family and for the summer was welcomed by her brother Dan and his wife Jenny.  A true act of service, they did not expect anything in return.  They gave my mom and us kids a home full of love and kept us safe.  After the summer, moms sister Linda and her husband Mike took us with them to Illinois.  Another act of true service.  Of this service I would like to talk about.  For it was from my Aunt Linda that I gained a love of service from.  While living with my Aunt I learned to feel the spirit and searched out ways to keep it with me.  There are a few things that I remember about living there in Philo Illinois.  Scriptures, prayer and music.  My all time favorite scripture is Moisah 2:17 ...when ye are in the service of your fellow men, ye are only in the service of your God.  I can still hear Aunt Linda teaching us this scripture, I can still see her teaching this scripture.  I remember how much I looked up to her.  I did not want to do anything that would upset her, why would I, she had taught me so many things about how to be like the Savior that I just wanted to try my hardest to do as she would do.  When Aunt Linda taught us this scripture she also bore her testimony to us about service and taught us that we should serve others with out question or thought of what we would get out of it.  It was not till recently that I have figured out that it does not matter what we do or who we are serving we should do it because that is what Heavenly Father wants us to do.  He loves us and wants what is best for us.  Life is not about what's in it for me but rather how can I make someones day lighter and brighter.  A song that I love "Have I done any Good?" reminds me that I must continue to seek out opportunities to serve others.  These opportunities will not always come to me so I must pray for them and look for them.  I have a friend that writes for another friends website and this being valentines week she wrote about how to show love to your spouse.  Even though at this time in my life I am struggling in my marriage and am separated she shared something that sparked this post  and made me think about life and service and how I should be doing everything I can for others and expect nothing in return.  As I go through my day I find myself thinking ..."well I picked up my kids toys and they did not say thanks mom.."  I then stop myself and change my thinking to either ....I could have asked them to but I did not... or I am lucky to be their mom I get see the smile on their face when they see a clean room and feel of the love they have for me when they wrap their arms around me and say I love you!!!    So service a small act yet such a large principle that we all will take a life time to master!  I am grateful to my Father in Heaven who knew that service would be a super food to the spirit, that he gave His Son a perfect example to teach us this principle of Service.