He sat down at his desk and turned when he saw me enter the room behind him. “I thought you were headed up to bed, sweetheart.” After one look at my face, he asked, “Is something the matter?”
“Yeah, kind of.” I paused. Talking to my dad about boys was not a comfortable topic, but for the sake of my future dating life, I knew I had to say something, so I plunged in. “Dad, the way you treated Jason tonight was totally embarrassing! You’ve got to back down a little or word will get out that you’re a nutcase and no one will dare ask me out!” I’d meant to sound calm and mature, but that flew out the window as soon as my emotions took the reins.
Dad smiled as he thoughtfully placed his hand under his chin. “Hmm, you mean all I have to do is act scary, and I don’t have to worry about you dating anymore? I had no idea it was that simple!”
“Da-ad!” I wailed in frustration.
“Okay, okay.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t think I was that bad”—I rolled my eyes in exasperation—“but I promise I’ll try to be a little more civil with your friends that are boys.”
I smiled and gave him a hug. “Thank you! That’s all I ask.”
“Notice that I did not say boyfriend. If you get a boyfriend, that’s a whole other story.” He rubbed his hands together fiendishly.
I sighed. “You’re impossible. If I die an old maid, I hope you know that I’m holding you personally responsible.”
Dad laughed, and I turned around with every intention of walking haughtily out of the room when something on his bookshelf caught my eye. The light glinted off a piece of glass wedged slightly behind one of his books. I moved closer and had to stifle a gasp when I realized what the object was—the hourglass! With trembling fingers I moved the book aside and carefully picked up the small token.
“What have you got there?” Dad asked, and I turned around to face him, keeping my expression composed.
“Oh, it’s just a cute little hourglass. I’d never noticed it before.” I held the item up for his inspection. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it!
“Oh, yeah. I’d forgotten all about that. I think your mom put it in here when she was decorating the office.” He came to stand beside me so he could observe the object more closely, and it took every bit of my willpower to hand it over when he reached for it. “It’s kind of a neat little thing, isn’t it? There’s something fascinating about an hourglass.”
“Mm-hmm, it’s really cool.” My fingers itched to snatch it back from him, but I knew that would be rude . . . and suspicious. I had to go about this in a diplomatic way. After Dad replaced the hourglass on the shelf, I continued to admire it.
“Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, hon?” he asked as he sat back down in his chair.
“No, not really. I was just sort of wondering . . .”
He looked at me expectantly.
“Well, I wondered if—since you’d forgotten about this hourglass—would you mind if I kept it for awhile?”
“Sure, go right ahead,” Dad said, turning his attention to the papers on his desk. I quickly picked up the hourglass and started for the door.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“No problem.”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I made my way into the hall, but then Dad’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Oh, wait a second, Eliza.”
I swallowed as I poked my head around the doorframe, my heart in my throat.
“Make sure you take good care of that. I think it belonged to your great-grandma.”
• • •
I smiled as I brushed my teeth—another token found! This one had practically jumped out at me, and it was a good thing! I’d been afraid I was going to have to spend hours looking for it, and I was already worn out from all the studying I’d done tonight.
I was thinking about Jason and the kiss he’d given me on the cheek when my cell phone buzzed. I wondered if it was Jason, but my heart skipped a beat when I saw that the text was from Jill. Maybe she’d decided to start talking to me again! I quickly scrolled through the message, which didn’t take long because it was only a dozen words long.
Jill: Don’t worry about picking me up tomorrow. Nick’s driving me to school.
Tears stung my eyes as I read the words over again. Why was Jill acting like this? We’d had fights before, but they’d never carried on this long, and certainly not after one of us apologized. It had hurt when I’d taken second place to Nick, but now it was as if she was trying to cut me out of her life completely.
I looked down at the charm bracelet on my wrist. We’d given each other these bracelets when we were eleven years old as a symbol of our friendship, promising that we’d wear them every day. My little bracelet was something I cherished, and wearing it felt as natural as my own skin. Now, it felt like nothing more than a silly, meaningless trinket.
I unclasped the bracelet and stuffed it in the back of my sock drawer, where it would remain out of sight. After wiping the tears from my eyes, I went through the motions of prayer and scripture study, but my heart wasn’t in it.
I heard Mom open the door to wish me good night, but my lamp was already off, so she quietly closed it again, leaving me alone to wallow in my sorrow.
Good Works
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
—Matthew 5:16
Chapter Seventeen
My eyelids felt puffy, and my eyes burned as I struggled to open them.
Grandma sat on my bed and smiled at me, just as she had the very first time she’d visited me in my dreams.
“You’ve been crying. Is everything all right?” She looked at me in concern.
I nodded and smiled sadly. “It’s funny—earlier tonight I felt completely happy. I knew I’d done the right thing by being honest about the test, and everything seemed to be going so well. I felt as light as a feather—like I could do anything! But then something happened right before I went to bed and everything changed like that.” I snapped my fingers. “It’s crazy how fast things can change.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly.
“Oh, Jill and I had a fight a few days ago, and she doesn’t seem to want to forgive me. I feel like we’re growing apart, and I don’t know what to do about it.” My lower lip began to tremble. It was painful to talk about my feelings, and I felt a fresh wave of tears coming on.
Grandma smiled sympathetically. “Life is full of ups and downs. I know this may sound cliché, but it really is like a roller coaster. Making good choices doesn’t ensure that your life will be easy, but if you try your best to live righteously, you will have those precious glimpses of perfect happiness—times when you know you’re on the right track. You got a taste of that tonight. Those are the moments you must remember and hold close when things get tough.
“You and Jill have been best friends for several years, and I can understand how upsetting it must be to have something like this come between you. It may not provide much comfort now, but I’m sure things will work out very soon, and you’ll be as close as ever.” She winked at me reassuringly. “In the meantime, I have the perfect remedy for dispelling the blues, as they say. I realize that our lessons have been coming at a rather whirlwind pace, but are you ready for another adventure?”
I sniffed and nodded. I was ready for anything that would keep me from crying again. My head ached, and my throat scratched like I’d swallowed a bucket of sand. Overall, I felt like a soggy, wrung-out mess! Sometimes crying was satisfying, but the aftereffects were always unpleasant.
I stood up with Grandma as the room transformed around us. Noises of all kinds immediately began assaulting my ears: car horns, people yelling, and the general ruckus of what I could only imagine to be hundreds of voices all clamoring around me. Even before the scene unfolded, I knew we were going somewhere extremely crowded.
As things started coming into focus, I saw that w
e were standing on a dirt street teeming with people. They all had dark skin and hair, and many wore clothes that were somewhat tattered and filthy. I’d never seen so many people on one street before. I was happy that this was a dream, because I was sure if I’d been here in reality, I’d have been crushed by the constant flow of humanity.
The few cars scattered along the street told me that this was the most modern time period we’d visited yet, but somehow everything still seemed old. Well, old wasn’t the right word exactly—more like, extremely shabby.
I was, however, still acutely aware of the smells around me, and they were none too pleasant: strong spices intermingled with the overpowering stench of body odor. The combination caused my stomach to roll in protest.
A group of women passed by us wearing long dresses and veils over their hair. I noticed that each woman had a red dot in the center of her forehead, which ignited the figurative lightbulb above my head.
“Grandma, I know where we are—this is India!” I was delighted to have guessed our location before Grandma had said a word.
“Right you are, my dear! This is Calcutta, India, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and, sadly, there are large portions of the city suffering from extreme poverty. The year is 1986, and we are here to observe a woman whose life was truly remarkable. Follow me.”
We entered a building on the side of the street, and once inside, I realized it was a hospital of some sort. Cots lined every conceivable space, and each cot was occupied by someone suffering in one manner or another. The sights, sounds, and smells were completely overwhelming. I’d been in hospitals before, but this was totally different. It was obvious to me that the number of people who needed care far surpassed the number of staff on hand.
The staff consisted mostly of women, tirelessly moving from cot to cot to offer assistance. They wore white dresses and white shawls over their heads, with a border of blue stripes edging the material.
“Those are Catholic nuns rendering service to help these poor souls. The task seems insurmountable, doesn’t it?” Grandma asked.
I nodded my head. “Yes, it does! I can’t imagine how they can look after this many people. Even while we’ve been standing here, more people have come in for help. How do they keep going? I’m exhausted just thinking about it. They need a bigger staff.”
“Indeed that would be helpful, but these women are volunteers, and finding additional help is much harder than you think.” She signaled for me to follow her. “Come with me, and I’ll show you what motivates many of these women to keep going, despite the challenges.”
I walked behind Grandma into another wing of the hospital. This room was filled with children, many in cribs, and some babies were so tiny they couldn’t have been more than a few weeks old. My heart broke at the sight of them and tears overflowed onto my cheeks. The babies were so small and helpless; I wanted to gather them all up and bring them home with me.
“It’s so hard to watch this and not be able to do anything about it,” I complained to Grandma.
“The fact that you have the desire to do something is wonderful; it shows that you have charity in your heart. Fortunately for these little ones, they had someone very special watching over them, a woman whose entire life was devoted to charity and good works.” She gestured to a tiny, hunched figure standing beside a child’s bed a few rows from us. If not for her nun’s garb, I might have mistaken her for one of the children because of her size, but one look at her kind, wrinkled face told me she was quite old.
Grandma smiled. “Eliza, meet Mother Teresa.”
“Oh, wow! I’ve heard of her before. She’s pretty famous, right?”
“Was. She passed away in 1997. And yes, she was known worldwide for her incredible dedication in caring for the poor and needy. Let me give you a brief summary of her life.
“Mother Teresa was born in August of 1910, in Macedonia. She found her calling very early in life. At the tender age of twelve, she felt of God’s love and desired to become a missionary so she could share that love with others. When she turned eighteen, she joined with an Irish group of nuns who were training to go to India. She had a few months’ training and, once she arrived in India, she took her initial vows and became a nun.
“For several years, she was a teacher in a high school convent in Calcutta, but the extreme poverty she witnessed outside of the school compelled her to take action. She received permission from the Catholic church to leave teaching in the convent school and work among the poor. She began a school for the children who lived in the slums, and with no money to aid her, she relied entirely on the Lord for help. Soon volunteers joined in her cause, and eventually funds began to pour in, which enabled her to broaden her work.”
Grandma paused and her eyes twinkled. “What began in that tiny school was like a spark that gradually grew into a huge, flaming fire. Mother Teresa was tireless in her dedication to the poor and desolate. Despite the difficult tasks in front of her, she kept serving, one person at a time. Her Christlike service was an inspiration to hundreds—and then thousands.
“In 1950, she was granted approval from the Catholic church to start her own order called the Missionaries of Charity. The main goal of this organization was to love and care for those who had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. That order is still working today, and it has spread throughout the world. In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She has also been awarded numerous other awards throughout her life for her humanitarian efforts.
“The extent of people affected for good by this woman is no longer counted in thousands—but in millions. Her mission was one of love, and she devoted her life to spreading good works and lifting the downtrodden.”
I had been watching Mother Teresa in wonder as Grandma spoke. She sat beside a small boy and held a damp cloth to his forehead. She smiled at him with such love and compassion that it melted my heart. He looked into her face and smiled back, touching her arm and nodding at something she said. Her very presence seemed to bring him strength and peace, and I knew the smile on his face was something I’d never forget.
“Oh, Grandma, what a privilege to be able to see a moment in the life of such an incredible woman!” I looked down at my hands. “I have to confess though, it makes me feel sad when I think of all the things she did with her life, and how insignificant my life has been in comparison.”
“But that is the beauty of this lesson, Eliza. Mother Teresa taught us that the power of good works lies in our everyday actions. She said, ‘In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.’ Don’t you just love that statement? It reminds me of the scripture in Alma that states that ‘by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.’”
Grandma smiled. “So you see? There will be times in your life when you’ll have the opportunity to do great acts of service, and while those things are important, it’s the little, everyday things we do to help others that sometimes have the farthest reaching effects. Never underestimate the power of a simple smile or a listening ear. It may not always seem like it, but even serving your own family can have a great impact.”
I pondered this as Grandma continued. “When speaking of the Savior and His teachings, one word always comes to my mind, and that word is love. From the scriptures, we know that ‘charity is the pure love of Christ.’ It’s His desire for us to learn to serve each other and to be instruments in His hands to help others. Do you remember our visit to Eliza R. Snow and how we talked briefly about the Relief Society?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
“Well, in a few years you’ll be able to join that great organization, whose motto is ‘Charity Never Faileth.’ The Relief Society is an inspired institution, and it is truly amazing what women can accomplish when they work together. You’ll have many opportunities to serve others when you become a part of Relief Society—you’re going to love it!
“However, the Relief Society is just one part of the man
y programs our Church has to help those in need. There are welfare and humanitarian efforts going on throughout the world that are orchestrated by members of our faith. And don’t forget that when you pay fast offerings and contribute to things like the Perpetual Education Fund, you are also contributing to this great work.”
She sighed happily. “I must confess that good works is my favorite value to talk about. I can’t say enough about the importance of serving others; it brings you close to the Savior like nothing else can. When you serve others, you are truly serving Him. Imagine what this world would be like if we all understood that truth!”
I smiled at Grandma’s enthusiasm; her face positively glowed with excitement.
“Just talking about helping others makes you feel good inside,” Grandma said. “But it feels even better when you put the talk into action. Look—even the color for the value is cheerful.”
She handed me a small, unlit yellow candle. It was short and thin, the kind of candle that would fit perfectly in a tiny candlestick. I felt the smoothness of the wax as I twirled it between my fingers.
“This candle represents the light you spread when you participate in good works,” Grandma said. “Remember, even a tiny flame can dispel darkness. And no matter how small the spark, it’s still capable of starting a large fire.”
Her eyes were piercing as she looked at me. “Eliza, you have the potential to do great things in helping the Lord with His work. I noticed the way you looked at your hands when you felt like you had not accomplished much, but if you’re willing, those are the very hands which will be instruments of service. Pray often for guidance. The Spirit will direct you to those in need, and as you act on those promptings, you’ll bless not only the lives of others, but your own life as well.”
I took one last look at Mother Teresa and, silly as it was, blew her a kiss. It was an honor to have caught a glimpse of her amazing life—and it motivated me to want to help others as well.
Invaluable Page 18
