Serving Mrs. Burrows

From an interview with Elder Michael T. Ringwood of the Seventy

When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God (Mosiah 2:17).

Growing up, I was the third of seven very active children in my family. We lived next door to an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Burrows. As a young boy, I always felt like they weren’t very happy with us. We were loud and rambunctious. Sometimes we would run across their lawn, throw balls over their fence, or make a lot of noise. This often upset them.

My mother went grocery shopping on Saturdays. She often took Mrs. Burrows with her because Mrs. Burrows couldn’t drive. Mom decided that I would go along every Saturday to help push Mrs. Burrows’s cart and lift the bags of groceries into our car.

When I look back, I’m grateful for that opportunity. Mr. and Mrs. Burrows were older and had no children to help them. My mom could have shopped any day of the week, but she chose to do it on Saturday so she could take Mrs. Burrows. I could have been playing with my friends on those Saturdays, but I’m so glad I saw my mom serving Mrs. Burrows and that I had the chance to serve Mrs. Burrows too.

My mother showed me that serving others is a part of who we are as Latter-day Saints. She taught me that we should strive to help others while we take care of ourselves.

Over time, I found that I didn’t hop over the fence as much or make as much noise. I came to love Mr. and Mrs. Burrows as I served them.

Illustrations by Dani Jones