“The Ice Cream Will Keep,” Ensign, June 2020
Digital Only: Latter-day Saint Voices
The Ice Cream Will Keep
As I hurried out of the grocery store after a long day at work, I overheard a woman talking on her phone about how her car wouldn’t start. Despite my hurry to get home, I stopped and asked if she needed jumper cables.
She explained that her car had a different problem, and she was calling her sister-in-law, who was babysitting her children, to let her know she would be late picking them up.
I left the store with my groceries feeling that I had done my good deed for the day. As I loaded the groceries into the back of my car, I had the thought, “Go offer her a ride.”
I quickly brushed it away. I had been away from my family all day, I was tired, and I had ice cream and other items that I needed to get into the freezer. “Besides,” I thought, “her car has broken down right across the street from a mechanic shop. She couldn’t be in a more ideal spot!”
Then memories of times I had been stranded and unable to get help came to my mind. I had this firm impression: “The ice cream will keep. Go offer her a ride.”
I quickly loaded the rest of my groceries into the car and went back to find the woman. I told her that I had room for her and four other people, if she was interested. She readily accepted and even apologized for making me go out of my way. She said that she had been calling everyone she knew, and no one was able to help her.
As it turned out, her destination was only a mile or two from my house. I was able to help her reunite with her children and still had plenty of time to get home and put my ice cream in the freezer.
I am grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who knows our needs and our abilities and who loves us enough to help us grow by giving us opportunities to serve others.