Service- A Gift to Others

Spring is upon us with the beauty of the green grass starting to show, the colorful flowers are starting to bloom, and the cool rain showers are leaving the familiar scent in the air that reminds us why we love springtime so much. It is a time of renewal, a time of new life, and it also a time to serve others. Easter has been a time for us to think of our Savior and the gifts that he freely gave us of resurrection and of the atonement. These gifts Jesus gave us are eternal and will last forever. We too must give and freely serve those around us especially during this time of year.

In the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 2:17 we read: And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.


And in Matthew 25:40 in the Bible we read: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have adone it unto one of the bleast of these my cbrethren, ye have done it unto me.

As we serve others, we are not only serving them, but we are also serving God. If we are to truly be happy and want to show our gratitude for the gifts he has given us, we need to serve others.

Here are some ideas of service that we could do for our neighbors, our family, and anyone around us:

Clean the House: A lot of service can be done in our own homes. Too often we think of a service project as being a large project or one done away from our homes. We need to take time to help those in our own homes and serve them and show them that we truly care about them. A great way to serve is to pick a few extra things to do each week cleaning the house that you normally do not do. Try vacuuming the floors, sweeping the floors, wiping the counters, doing the dishes, dusting the furniture. Get in the habit of doing these extra things each week and enjoy the feelings of the spirit of love and giving while helping your mother or wife. This will make a huge difference in your own life and in the ones you are helping.

Help your neighbor with yard work: We all have neighbors and many of us have neighbors that may have various reasons why they may not be able to keep their yard up during the spring and summer. Take the opportunity to help them right now to prepare their yard for the summer. Help them pull weeds, till their soil, rake debris from their flowerbeds and lawn, prune trees, and anything that they might need. Let them know that you love them and that you want to lend a hand once a month or however often you are able. Your relationship with this neighbor will increase and the joy you gain from serving will motivate you to serve others.

Clean a local park or empty lot area: In each city we live in, we may notice areas that are overgrown with weeds and bushes. Old houses or empty lots, or even parks may suffer due to lack of city funds to support grounds keeping or many places or just abandoned. Call your local city office and ask them regarding a particular place if you have something in mind, or ask them if there is a place that they are aware of that could use some yard cleaning. Get your local church group together or your scout group or even just your family and spend a Saturday afternoon pulling weeds, trimming bushes, painting, digging, moving and making a place that once was an “eye sore” become a place of beauty. You will enjoy the time working with each other knowing that you are making a difference and are serving your community. You will find that your love of where you live will increase in knowing that you are an important part of your town.

Conduct a service auction: Hold an activity in your church group or club and invite members of your church, neighbors, and relatives, and have a service auction. Each person in your group or club will have an idea or 2 in mind for service to give to others. Everyone writes down on a slip of paper the service they would like to donate such as babysitting, a hair cute, pulling weeds, making dinner, etc. Then everyone plays a game to earn points—the games can vary from getting to know you to trivia etc. Each person uses their points to “purchase” a service item from the auction. The service auction is lots of fun because everyone is able to give and get something.

Service is important for our individual growth. Even calling someone on the phone or sending a card could brighten someone’s day. Look for acts of service you can do each day to bring Springtime to your soul.

Gardening- More than just a Hobby

I remember as a young man working alongside my father each and every spring in the garden behind my house. My dad had a large garden that extended across the whole backyard behind the lawn area. I could see the excitement in his eyes and in his face as soon as springtime arrived. He would pull out his rusty old tiller, covered in cobwebs, and pull the cord to fire it up. Inevitably, it would take multiple pulls on the cord until it would finally sputter and smoke, and start up.

I still remember watching my dad push that roto-tiller back and forth through the garden while the soil turned from a dusty light, brown color, to a deep rich, dark, moist soil. I remember my dad letting me stand in front of him to help push the tiller while he stood behind me doing most of the work. I am glad my dad let me be part of the gardening experience every year. For me it wasn’t getting the garden prepared as much as it was being with my dad, working hard together and accomplishing something worthwhile. My dad instilled this love of gardening and hard work into me at an early age and it is still there.

I now have a wonderful wife and three kids of my own and often wonder how Dad had the patience and energy to work on that garden year in and year out. My wife grew up with parents who enjoyed gardening as well so we share our love of this hobby together. Over the years, I have felt that gardening has been more of a hobby than a way of necessity, but with the struggling economy, and the problems with produce being tainted with numerous pesticides, gardening has taken on a new importance in my life as well as for my family. Gardening is more than just a hobby, it is an enjoyable way to live healthy and enjoy the independence of growing your own food.

Not everyone grew up having the space or the time to grow a garden. Many people live in the city which can make it difficult to grow a large garden. As a child I couldn’t imagine not having a garden. For me it was a way of life and imbedded into the lifestyle of my family and where we lived. I grew up in Southern Utah County out in the country and enjoyed the vast openness of alfalfa fields and large cattle farms. Although I was in an area where we had the space for a large garden, those that do not, can still have smaller gardens of their own. Many people set up little garden boxes in their backyard and plant tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and other items. They can still enjoy the fresh vegetables and fruits that they have grown themselves. Be creative and find ways to grow your garden in big or small spaces.

There is great satisfaction in growing a garden. It takes time and energy to prepare the soil, as I did with my father every spring, plant the seeds, water on a regular basis, remove the weeds, harvest the crop, and clean out the leftover dead vines and plants when the garden is done growing for the year. There is great joy in the knowledge that you have helped in growing this garden. You will enjoy the wonderful taste of homegrown vegetables and fruits year after year as you plant and care for your garden.

Nothing compares to the juicy taste of a sun-ripe tomato picked seconds ago off the vine or the crunch as you sink your teeth into a freshly shucked yellow sweet cob of corn slathered in butter. One of my daughters loves to eat fresh peas out of the garden. As I look down and watch her eating those peas and see the delight in her face, I remember why I love to plant a garden and why I love to have my children right beside me while I do it. Each year as I prepare my own garden, I reflect back on those sunny spring afternoons with my own dad and know that a garden is more than just a hobby, it’s a way of life.

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Spring Time Activities

Spring is right around the corner and day light savings is already here. After spending the last 4 winter months inside watching the TV and lounging around, it’s time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. If you live in Utah you might laugh at the idea of spring weather because many years it snows until May and I remember one time it snowed in June. Spring has a lot of variety in the weather patterns so you need to take advantage of the 60 and 70 degree days. They will come and go all through the next 3 months. We need to plan ahead what kind of work to do and also what kind of activities and fun we can have for this time of year.

As much I despise working, I know it is essential and spring is a great time to put on those work gloves and get outside and enjoy the weather while working.

Here are some jobs that you can work on during the spring:

Prune the fruit trees. I learned that this can be a big job, but it isn’t so bad when the weather is nice. Be sure to brush up on some pruning tips on the internet and sharpen your pruners. This will help your trees yield a bigger and better crop.

Prepare your garden soil. To help your garden grow better this year, try putting some turkey manure or new soil in and mix it into the existing soil. It is good to use a roto-tiller to churn up and soften the soil and get it all ready to plant your seeds. A good portion of how well your garden grows depends on the time and preparation you put into the soil.

Plant flowers. Late March and early April are the perfect time to start planting your flower beds. Check various websites on the internet for the best varieties to plant. You can also buy flowers at your local nurseries where they can also offer advice on flower planting. Flowers will brighten up your yard and house.

Life can’t be all work and no play. Here are a couple of ideas for activities that you can try this spring:

Fly a kite. Flying kits is a lot of fun for kids and adults. Go outside with your kids on a windy day and help them get the kite up in the air (It seems harder to do as you get older). Try buying some of the more fancy kites and have fun flying them. They have some pretty cool ones now days.

Go for a walk. This seems like a simple activity, but the fresh air and exercise will be very fun and give you more energy. Your children will like being outside and being together as a family. Walk around the block or to a local park to play. The main point is being outside together.

Play Sports. I put up a basketball hoop this past fall and my 5 year old daughter loves to play already. It is fun for the kids and adults. You can also try football, Frisbee, and baseball.

Spring time is a great time of year. Go outside and enjoy the warm days. Get some yard work done. Play some games with the kids. When it rains and snows stay inside and hunker down in the basement watching basketball or movies.

Do anything you can to avoid the dreaded spring cleaning in the house.

yourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood. And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.