Paying it forward

I had a great day on Monday.

For the longest time, I have had so many wonderful people help me, console me, counsel me, make me feel good about so many different things. It's why I think I've been able to make it through a very difficult time.

It reminds me of a song by Tracy Lawrence, joined by Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw. The song is called "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" and it describes a guy who thinks he's down on his luck...when all he has to do is call up his friends, and he knows they will be right there for him. Those are the kinds of friends I have. We may not be together all the time, but the miracle of the telephone and the Internet, and yes, Facebook, we can easily find out just who our friends are.

On Sunday, my good friend Gordon was about as down in the dumps as I'd ever seen him. He was quiet at church, and I immediately knew something was wrong. I sent him a text message to let him know just how much he and his family had helped me through the most difficult part of my life. He and his family have been so special to me. I cannot ask for a better friend. I have spent literally hours talking to him and his wife Camille about my situation, and what I want to do, and how I want it to change. He and his family have done nothing but give me an ear to listen to. They do not judge and do their best to offer constructive criticism.

Anyway, I called Gordon and he told me of his unfortunate exchange with some individuals. And you know what? I did the best I could to listen to him. I told him that I knew him to be a man of great moral character and that I knew he would never do anything counter to that.
I hope I helped him, because I certainly felt good after talking to him. I hope he understands that I would do just about anything for him if he asked.

My friend Cowboy Jason has gone through a bit of a rough patch as of late with issues of his own. I pick Jason up for work each day and I drop him off to his house each night, when it is really late. We have often sat on his porch and talked for hours, or at his house, or even in my truck. I did the same thing for Jason on Monday that I did for Gordon, albeit in a different vein. We talked about relationships with people and how those can grow, and how to handle them. I mostly just listened, I offered some counsel, and then I helped Jason express his feelings to someone he cares about.

When I went home, I felt like my heart had grown about three sizes. I felt so good. I told Heavenly Father that I loved Him and that I thanked Him for giving me the opportunity to help others, after so many people had helped me. It felt so good to help people I care about.

So much of this has been about me and my feelings, that sometimes I forget others have feelings too. I just hope that I can continue to help anyone who might be in need, whenever they need it. It makes me feel good, and makes me feel worthy to be called a son of God.

There are times when I often feel like I haven't deserved that. Monday made me realize that I do.