giving back

Tonight as I was chatting with a million people, I got a phone call through my uncle's phone. It was the RS 1st counselor, with a mission for me.

There's a chick in the ward who's got a daughter with CP, who needs a babysitter. I volunteered weeks ago to help. They finally called me in for training just now.

It was so funny. The lady was all like, "My daughter doesn't have normal muscle tone. Carrying her is like carrying a sack of potatoes. She's 36 pounds! I'm not sure if you can do it!"

And I was like, "You mean she has muscular dystrophy? And psh, I've carried dystrophic people twice that weight." Bazam. Actually more than twice that weight.

And so now we are best friends and I have a new stewardship. Named Chenille. I take care of her on Tuesday and potentially Thursday mornings from 7:30-9 am. Cool. She even has my brother's wheelchair. And she has a feeding tube! This is like 100% my element, guys.

You know, I'm not a super huge fan of caring for the handicapped. Like, I'm a fan of other people doing it, but I've never just woken up and been like, geez, I really wish I could go lighten the load for some handicapped guy. You know? Honestly, as a younger sibling of one, I've been a little bit scarred. But I love my brother, and I'm excited to work with Chenille. I figure, what good would it have done to take care of James my whole life and then not use that knowledge to help someone else?

Or: some people ask, what is the meaning of life? But the truly wise ask, how can I make my life more meaningful? Where is the meaning when you don't use your past trials to benefit those around you?

Plus, I realized that I don't really mind SUPER handicapped people, it's just the sort of handicapped ones that bug me. Yeah, I'm a terrible person. Every day I give thanks that James can't really walk or talk.

But anyway. It feels good to be giving back.

And now I need to make FLASHCARDS!