Happy New Year

A car hit a motorcyclist trapping him under the car, which was burning. A group of passerby’s rushed to his rescue, tipping the car up while others pulled him out.

A driver lost control and went into a river. Many observers jumped into the icy river in Logan Utah to rescue the children trapped inside.

Just before Christmas there was a woman in West Jordan, Utah, who was pinned under a Utah transit bus. There was a news item about a young police officer that crawled under the bus to comfort her while rescue workers were trying to extract her. He held her hand, giving what comfort he could.

The reporter, in the Salt Lake tribune, wrote:
“We love such stories, because they reinforce that we are possessed of better angels who may be summoned in times of crisis. They offer a portrait of human nature that is not cynical. In short, they remind us that we are capable of great acts of charity.
The story of Officer Peck resonated in part because it occurred during this season of charity; a timely reminder that all of us — at any time — may find ourselves dependent upon the rest of us.
If there is single lesson to be embraced in the story of Officer Peck, it is this: Acts of charity need not be reserved to cases of emergency, or to a season of the year. Whenever we offer help to those in need, in the form of actions large or small, by donating money or needed items, when we give of our time to assist or volunteer, when we choose to help instead of walk away, we have summoned the same angels that led a police officer, on a cold December morning, to reach into the darkness to hold the hand of a stranger.”

Have you ever had the opportunity to offer that small comfort? I remember sitting on an airplane reading, waiting to take off on a flight to New Mexico. The woman sitting in the window seat (the center seat was vacant) was taking her first trip on an airplane. Without saying a word I reached over and took her hand and held it till we landed. Another time a sister, recently widowed, sitting next to me in church started weeping when a hymn touched her. We wept together holding hands through the whole hymn.
In the January 2012 Ensign, President Thomas S. Monson challenged us to undertake a “personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life—a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness and blessings. Just as we learned the ABC’in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life.” He goes on to say,
“A refers to attitude The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. (William James A Toolbox for Humanity, 2003)”
B is for Believe—in yourself. “Don’t limit yourself and don’t let others convince you that you are limited in what you can do. Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your potential.
C is for Challenges with Courage. “Have the determination to make the effort, the single-mindedness to work toward a worthy goal, and the courage not only to face the challenge that inevitably come but also to make a second effort, should such be required. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’”
Happy New Year! Let’s make it a Great One!