You may also be asking yourself, is it based stylish dressing? Certainly no one pulls off Hawaiian Shirt Day like Richard does. But alas, that wasn't this month's criteria either.
It can safely be said that few people think outside the box like Captain RRRRRRichard does. I don't know many people who, in a corporate environment, would think to send out e-mails framed as a dialog between Batman and Robin just to get his co-workers to read the newsletters AND get away with it. It isn't everyday you make a friend who will show up, unannounced at your door step, to invite you to go fly kites simply because it is a perfect day to fly them. Most people would wouldn't ever think of bringing their own plate to a social gathering because they decided to be more aware of the environment. Though he certainly dominates the department of original thought, that was not a criteria either.
Indeed, none of those things are what made Richard Stud of the Month. I recently got a phone call from a friend of mine, one I really care about but I rarely have the time for. In the course of our conversation she couldn't help but mention how great Richard is; how many times he has helped her. As she explained all he had done for her, I realized that she probably has no idea just how far Richard lives from her, or how incredibly busy he is, or how many things he keeps balanced on his plate. I am sure she has no idea what it took for him to be so helpful to her.
You see, this is not an isolated event for Richard. He was my home teacher for a long time. I grew to really appreciate his friendship and his help. My old Elders Quorum President asked for feedback from all of the sisters about their home teachers a few months ago. This is a slightly edited portion of what I wrote about him:
And funny you should ask because just Sunday I was thinking of how great my home teacher is....He has been a huge help over the years. A year and a half ago he was my home teacher when I needed to register my car. It may seem stupid but I was stressed about it. He had just registered his and walked me through where I should go, how to get the emissions tests and everything else done. I really appreciated that. Recently my car was having issues and I was really concerned. I told him and he came over and identified the problem. Again, a really small thing, but it was a stressor in my life and his help was most appreciated....I guess that I appreciate that they is able to help me with the concrete problems I am having. I love that I don't feel dumb asking them for what I need.
In comparison to past experiences, I love that I don't have to go find them and convince them to come visit me. I am a little proactive about getting taught sometimes. Furthermore, I am totally fine with getting visited at church or with others. My home teachers insist on coming to my house and dressed up....I don't think about it much, but I do think those subtle things sort of take the lead in getting me to realize the importance of being visited. But really, it isn't the spiritual lesson that I appreciate or even need the most, it is practical help and the friendship that comes with the visit.
All of this may be compounded by the fact that I have no idea who my new home teachers are, or if I have any (and I don't mean that as a criticism because I am well aware of how much work it is to organize these things.) But, not to worry, even after I changed wards he called just to make sure things were going o'k. He and his girlfriend stopped by the other week just to say hi. I only wish I had been home to visit with them.
No comments:
Post a Comment