Melissa: You're listening to the do something more podcast, and this is episode number 40, how a simple act of service on Christmas Day lifted me during a hard time and helped me to see my worthy welcome to the Do Something more podcast, a service oriented show where we highlight the helpers who inspire us all to do something more. I'm your host, Melissa Draper. Thank you so much for being here. Hello. It's great to be with you here on another episode of the podcast. And I wanted to use this episode the week before Christmas to share a special story of an experience I had on Christmas Day with a simple act of service many years ago. But first, I wanted to point out that this is episode number 40. That's a big deal for me. I've had 40 weeks in a row of putting out this podcast, putting out a new episode each week. So I kind of feel proud of myself. I wanted to take a second to recognize that, pat myself on the back for a minute and thank all of you for listening all along the way. And also to let you know that with Christmas and the holidays coming up, that I will be taking a break with the podcast for a couple of weeks. So there won't be any new episodes the next couple of weeks, but I will be back on January 9, Tuesday, January 9 with a new episode. And we've got some great episodes coming up. Awesome people and organizations that I am featuring that are doing great things in their communities. So come back in a couple of weeks and hear more of the awesome features that we will have here on the show. But today I'm sharing this story again of a simple act of service that helped me the opportunity I had to perform a very simple, in the moment act of service. And to give it a little context, this particular Christmas season, I had three young children, five and under, and a year before, I had delivered my third baby, my little boy. And I felt at the time, and in some ways it seemed so true, that quite literally my body fell apart after having him. Had a lot of different physical things that popped up. And along with those physical things came a very intense and almost crushing, at times struggle with depression and anxiety. And this particular Christmas that I'm sharing this story from, I knew I was struggling. I knew things weren't right. I hadn't quite figured out what was going on physically or mentally, but I was honestly just trying to make it through each day and just felt like this slog I was kind of slogging through. Part of it was my thyroid had gone kaput and I hadn't figured that out quite yet, but a lot of other things as well. And it was Christmas time, so I'd been struggling for a few months, but when Christmas hit, it just especially hit me hard because I felt like I should be happy. It's Christmas time, and I felt like I had young children. And everybody's telling you to soak up those moments when your kids are little, especially at the magical time of Christmas time. And I just wasn't feeling any of that. I was just trying so hard to get up and take care of my kids and make it through each day, and it was hard. And I did not feel the joy and the happiness and the excitement that I felt I should be feeling. And I didn't feel the just ecstatic joy of young motherhood that I felt everyone else was telling me I should be feeling. And as I struggled through this time, I just did what I could to make it through each day. And as I look back on it now, I just want to go back and hug that young mother of myself and tell her that she was doing okay. She was doing the best she could, and she was doing a good job, despite the struggles she had. But this particular story, on Christmas Day, we had gone to spend Christmas at my parents home. And so we'd been up there for a few days, and again, I'd woken up Christmas morning wanting to be excited. My kids were excited and just struggling and slogging through the day. It was like any other day that I had walked through and just feeling bad that I wasn't absolutely just soaking up the season or feeling the joy or the peace that I had other times. And luckily, I had my wonderful parents. I was there with. I had family that was showing me that loving care and a good husband. But what I was experiencing was very real. And so that was my experience. And I remember, particularly as the evening approached, I had started my period. Not to be TMI, but this is kind of part of the story. So I had started my period. We were there at my parents, and I didn't have anything. They didn't have anything there, and I needed to go get some pads and other things. And so I ended up going to Walgreens. I think they were the only place that was open on Christmas night. So it was Christmas evening, and I walked into Walgreens, and as I came upon the row with all the feminine supplies there, I saw a man sitting there, and he was holding a note paper out in front of him and just kind of looking there at the aisle, and I kind of walked past him and was going to get what I needed, found it and grabbed it, and then looked and saw him still sitting there. And he gave out kind of a big sigh. And so instead of just going on my way, I walked up to him and I said, you look like you need some help. Can I help you? Is there something I can help you with? And he turned and looked at me and he showed me the note paper he'd been looking at in his hand, and he said I needed to get something for my wife. And she even wrote me all these words and drew me pictures and a diagram. And he's like, and I still have no idea what I am supposed to get her. So I said, well, can I see? Can I look at it? So he handed me the paper, and within a moment, it was easy for me to see what she had written out. I thought she'd done a really good job explaining it to him. And I kind of smiled and looked at him and I said, did your wife just have a baby? And he smiled and said, yes, she did. And I was like, oh, that's what I thought. And I instantly picked out what I knew she needed and also what she wanted from her picture and diagrams and words. And I handed it to him and said, this is what she needs and this is what she wants. And congratulations on your new baby. And he just looked at me and said, oh, thank you. Thank you so much, and went and checked out. And I went and checked out, got my things. And as I was walking back to the car, I just suddenly felt lifted. I felt that peaceful feeling that I had been searching for all season long. It had been such a simple thing, but in that moment, I had felt useful. I had felt myself again. As I was able to help someone in a very simple way, I was able to help two someones. I was able to help the woman that was at home and needed those things after having a baby and to help her husband not feel so hopeless as he was trying to help her. And it just instantly lifted my spirits and helped me see my worth. And I am a religious woman, and so I very much believe that that was what I often call a tender mercy or a simple gift from a loving heavenly father to help me open up my eyes a little, to cut through the slog of depression I was feeling. It didn't really take it away, but it gave me a feeling and an experience to hold on to. And I very much thought that was a gift from him. And as I reflected, I had those thoughts that said, and that's not the only place that you're doing what you need to do. You're doing okay. You're doing what you can with your family. You are not going to feel this way forever. Just hold on. Just hold on and make it through each day. I know it's hard, but you'll be able to do it and show the love that you need to show and do the things you need to do along the way. So that experience has stuck with me for many years and I was so grateful for it. And it's amazing to me how it was a simple act of service that was kind of just dropped in my lap. Because at that time I couldn't have done much more beyond than taking care of myself and my family. I didn't have any more to give, but that experience, I could. It was just dropped in my lap and I was able to take a moment to pause and to help someone else that needed it. It lifted me. It helped me and I was able to keep moving forward. It didn't take the struggle away. I struggled with that and those things for a few years after that. It took some time to find a good therapist and to answers and the healing and the tools that I needed to keep moving forward with my anxiety. But it lifted me in that moment and it gave me something to hold on to. So I wanted to share that story today, because I know at Christmas time now that I am not the only one that has had some of those feelings and experiences. And I know that there are many that are going through their own hard time, whether it's family struggles, or financial or job struggles, or missing a loved one, especially at this time of year, or just trying to make it through each day, no matter what the challenge may be. I just want anyone that happens to hear this podcast and that is feeling those feelings, to know that you're not alone, that it won't be like this forever. And that I very much hope you get your own opportunities to see the worth that you have and to see the ways that you are lifting and helping those around you. Even though you may feel like you're struggling and that you feel that love and peace that you're searching for, even if it's just for a moment and it's enough to give you something to hold on to. It might be through the love and service that someone gives to you, or it might be like my experience, through a simple act of service that you have the opportunity to give someone else, or it might come in another way. But I sincerely hope that you can have your own experiences that will help open your eyes and lift you and help you to feel God's love. I really believe, no matter what your background or religious belief is, that service can do that in powerful ways. Whether we're receiving it or giving it, it can help us to feel that we have worth and to feel the love and the peace that we are searching for. So that's my little Christmas story. I wanted to leave with you this week on the podcast. Thank you so much for being here through all these 40 episodes. Whether you've listened to one or all 40, I'm so grateful for every listen and every download. Thank you so much. And I hope that all of you have a merry Christmas and a happy new year with your loved ones. Thank you so much for being here. I'll see you next time.