LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

When I was growing up my Dad would often give me chores to do to help out around the house. Some were easy but the three I remember the most were the three toughest of all. The first was helping to weed the four gardens we had. It was tedious work. I would much rather have been riding my bike than crawling in the dirt on my hands and knees pulling the thousands of weeds that choked our gardens. The second was stacking firewood for Winter. It was tough work and I got more than my share of splinters. I would much rather have been walking in the woods than stacking it in rows. The third was hauling water from a mountain spring to our house, because our well water had too much iron in it to drink. It was a long trip carrying five gallon jugs. I would much rather have been playing basketball than carrying them.

Over the years, though, I learned to see the rewards in all the things Dad made me do. Having fresh vegetables for dinner was a delicious delight. Enjoying a cold glass of iced tea made from the mountain spring water was a pure pleasure. Standing by the wood stove on a snowy December day was a wonderful way to warm up. I saw as well that all this work Dad had given me had gradually made me a better, stronger, and more caring man. Most of all, I realized that when I did my work with a happy heart it didn't feel like work at all.

Over the years I have learned something else too. When we do the work of our Heavenly Father with a loving spirit it doesn't feel like work either. It feels like joy. Every act of kindness, word of encouragement, and gift of love we share will only make our lives better, make our hearts happier, and bring our souls closer to Heaven.

I am so grateful then to both my Dad and my Father in Heaven. They showed me the value of work and more importantly they showed me the pricelessness of love.