These are The RULES

A few weeks ago I got released from  a GREAT calling and and I miss rubbing shoulders with great young adults.....But right now I have two callings in my ward.  I am the Primary Chorister (Yeah!) and I get to teach the 5th Sunday lesson to the Combined Priesthood and Relief Society class.  (Double Yeah!)  It has been a DELIGHTFUL calling and today did not prove to be any different.

The Subject = Bearing one anothers burdens!

In preparation for this lesson, I studied our baptismal covenants (Mosiah 18:8-9) and I saw it a little differently.  In verse 9 it asks if we are ready to make the promises that go along with baptism.  One of those promises is that we will BEAR ONE ANOTHER'S BURDENS.  I always thought that verse 9 was a nice little side note on the subject, but I realized that it was actually a carefully packaged definition of what it means to Bear One Another's Burdens.  As Follows:

Bear One Another's Burdens - willing to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, stand as a witness of God at all times.

So, as a class, we very carefully went through each part of the definition...starting with this request, "Please give me some unnoficial rules to mourning and comforting correctly." To say that my ward is on the older side may be a slight understatement.  Let's just say that there was plenty of experience in death, divorce, sickness, and just about anything else within those four walls. 

So the List of Rules went as Follows:
Just BE THERE.
Never Say "Let me know if you need anything."  Just do something.
Love them
Listen
Puffs Plus Kleenex with lotion is a great gift.
Never underestimate the power of a casserole
and the two we concentrated on the most.
Never use a person's time of need to TELL YOUR STORY!  ("I know just how you feel" is not the right path to go down.)
Never say "Isn't it great that we have the Gospel, this isn't a loss...." (Remember from the Bible Dictionary, The law of love deals with the ACTUAL FACTS of LIFE.)

The list went on.....but what happened AFTER the lesson was the funny part.  In our ward we have several people that "winter" down here but live in Utah and Idaho during the summer (can't say that I blame them).
After the lesson one of these winter couples approached my mom and I and we made several connections.  They are from Tetonia and the man coached at Teton high school.  He knew my dad well and pointing to my jaw said, "you look just like him." 

Well, we chatted for several minutes and then in parting, this brother said to my mom, "Well tell Joe Hello."  My mom quickly said, "he died two years ago." and thought to herself, We NEED TO ADD TO THE LIST OF RULES.