TRUE LOVE

 

Years ago, when I was on a layover for United Airlines in downtown Chicago, I went for a long walk far away to the outskirts of the city.  I passed Harpo Studios where Oprah Winfrey taped her television show, and then browsed some of the stores that were in nearby shopping areas. 

When I went into the Goodwill Store there, a beautiful piece of framed embroidery immediately caught my eye.  It bore a simple, but profound, statement that resonated with me.  

“Having a friend is a comfort that can never be taken away.”

In spite of the fact that the piece was 17x9 inches, I knew I wanted to display it in my home. So, I quickly paid $5.00 for my purchase and headed back to the hotel with my treasure tucked firmly under my arm because it didn’t fit into my backpack. For three days until that trip was over, I had to hand carry it through each airport and find a special place for it on each plane until I returned to Denver.  But it was worth the extra effort.  Every time I see that framed sampler, it is a happy memory of my day in Chicago AND of special friends who have enriched my life.   

I first met Rosalie in 1971 when she moved into my Arvada congregation at Church.  She was 11 years older than I was and we were in different phases of our lives, but there was something about our first encounter that sparked a solid friendship that has lasted over 50 years. 

In spite of the fact I had seven sisters, Rosalie became my “sister” and “aunt” to my children that my own sisters never were because of long distance and other circumstances.  Most importantly, she became my friend. My BFF. 

She was the one I called when I needed help and had no vehicle because my husband had our only car with him for his job.  She bandaged my toddler’s head when he split it open after a fall, picked up my elementary school-aged boy when he ran into a pole and knocked himself out, and when my little girl lost her stuffed bunny she found it. She bundled my children into her home when I went to the hospital to have a baby, and when we had to go to Wisconsin for my mother-in-law’s funeral Rosalie was there to make sure my children spent that time with her family.  When I had questions about dealing with my children, she counseled me with gospel principles.  She took care of our home while we were living on the East Coast and in Europe over a period of several years. She asked me to serve with her in the Stake Relief Society where I continued to learn so much more from her about ministering to others through her example. She catered my children’s wedding receptions when they got married.  And on and on….

Most importantly of all, she cared for me when my “mother heart” was grieving after my 10-year-old boy fell out of that old Cottonwood tree one beautiful summer morning and died the following afternoon.  Rosalie listened when I wept, held me when I cried, answered the phone in the middle of the night to comfort me when I felt like I couldn’t go on.  And she never once said any of those trite phrases like “He’s in a better place.”  Or “Time heals everything.” Or “You’re lucky you still have five more kids.” 

Instead, she would just tell me that she cared I was hurting.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in October 2007 General conference taught that “love is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the pathway of discipleship.  It comforts, counsels, cures, and consoles.  It leads us through valleys of darkness and through the veil of death.”

So, it is Rosalie that I think of most often when I glance at that beautiful piece of stitchery on my kitchen shelf.  Though she is now in her late 80’s and frail, she continues to reach out as a friend—at this time for over half a century—and continues that comfort for me which will never be taken away.

During this month of hearts and love, we probably think most often of romantic love.  But charity, the true love of Christ, broadens the spectrum to include the second half of the great commandment to love God, which is to love our neighbor as ourself.  (Matthew 22:37-39)

Obviously, we don’t need to do big things to show love to others.  The best expressions of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life. Like Rosalie did for me.  That is the charity Christ exemplified because as we bear one another’s burdens, as He did, we fulfill the law of Christ.

I invite you to think of your friends—the ones who have ministered to you and given you comfort—and pass that example forward with some simple expressions of love for people you meet along the way, your neighbors next door, at work, in the community, or in the world.  Give them loving friendship that will comfort them…  Doing so will make happy hearts.  Yours and theirs. I promise!

Happy Valentine’s Day !