Estimated Reading Time 8 Minutes
Hey You! Welcome back to the Vibrant Life Podcast. I’m Emily Romrell and I think we need to take a moment and make a wish or something. It’s a special day because episode 18 is coming out on the 18th. I always heard it called your magic birthday when your age falls on your birthdate. So I turned 29 on the 29th for example. This is like a mini magic birthday for the podcast and I love it.
Thanks for hanging in here with me. We’re really on a roll now. Each week I feel so inspired as I create content for ya and it’s really been a positive boost in my life. There are only bigger and better things coming, my friends. Episode 20 is two weeks away and I have a treat planned for you guys, so stay tuned. I’m super excited about that. In the meantime, please tell your friends and family about the podcast so they can enjoy it too. And if you have a quick minute, I would be so grateful for a review on iTunes. Sharing your thoughts in the form of a review helps the show get noticed and out to more people.
So, how the heck have ya been? Good, I hope. I’ve had a good week. Things are starting to normalize here in Utah from Covid and I’ve actually been able to get out and socialize a bit. The things we take for granted, right? I’ve never been extremely outgoing but this last year I have felt more isolated than I can remember. I know I’m not the only one. So I’m so grateful for the chance to get out be around people again.
Also, Father’s day is coming up this weekend. So here’s a shoutout to all the amazing dads out there. There’s something truly special about the relationship between fathers and daughters. I mean, I know fathers and sons have special relationships too. But I can’t really put into words how grateful I am and how lucky I feel to have my dad in my life. My dad is the hardest working, most selfless, and loving person. Everything he does is for others, especially his family. He’s kind, compassionate, and very cheesy. So you know where my cheesy side comes from. I’d be lost without him and I want to dedicate this episode to him. This one is for you, Dad.
As I was thinking about my dad and what I wanted to share with y’all this week, I thought there couldn’t be a better topic than The Joy Of Service. This is perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve learned from my dad, and I’ve learned it from his example. Not only, did I learn from my father’s example though. It’s been a pattern coming down the line going several generations in our family. I don’t say this to brag. Our family is far from perfect. But I do feel so blessed by the legacy of faith and service that has come before me. I want to share a few personal stories with you.
The first story is about my great grandfather, Alfred Ervin Romrell. He and his wife were both school teachers together and I think that is the sweetest thing. I admire him because he started out as a farmer and then went back to school and didn’t start teaching until his later years like 50 or 60. I’m not exactly sure what age. So he’s a great example to me that it’s never too late to go after your dreams and ambitions in life. He died when I was only a few months old, so I never knew him but he was a great man.
Anyway, Alfred was a wiz at math and could do large sums in his head. He loved learning so I bet he was a great teacher. The way my dad tells this story, there were several kids that were labeled as trouble makers at the school and the other teachers really didn’t know how to handle them.
Alfred took the time and effort to know these kids and not only got them to learn math but also showed them that he cared about them personally. It goes to show the impact that a good teacher can have. And I know that teaching was his job, but the service that he provided to those kids was above and beyond. I think that maybe we can provide some of the best and heartfelt service when it falls in line with what we love to do and our vocation.
Well, years later. My dad was a teenager and he went to the store with his grandpa, Alfred. As they were getting ready to leave, a man stopped them and it turned out to be one of these former students that had been labeled a troublemaker. This man looked at my dad and told him that his life would have turned out a lot differently if it hadn’t been for Alfred and his investment in him at school. How cool is that?
The joy in this service example is threefold:
1. It must have been so rewarding for Alfred to see his student again and hear what a difference he made.
2. My dad felt a lot of joy and pride in the example of his grandfather.
3. The joy that this former student had was pretty immense. He apparently turned his life around in large part to the time and interest that Alfred put into him.
Actually, the joy is still echoing through time. Because I felt joy hearing this story and I’m sure I’m not the only descendant of Alfred who feels this way. It’s really impossible to know the effects of even small acts of kindness as they ripple outward through time and space.
The second person I want to tell you is about my own grandpa, Owen Alfred Romrell. He is someone I was close to and I’m so thankful to have him in my life. He just recently passed away in 2019, so I do feel a little tender thinking about him. Well, I guess that is almost 2 years now, but it still feels recent. Huh.
My Grandpa Romrell was mischievous and always had a twinkle in his eye. He loved a good joke and truly found joy in living the hard-working simple life of a farmer in Idaho. I have so many wonderful memories with him out on the farm.
I remember one time, we were visiting my grandparents and it was dinner time. Grandma was getting dinner ready and Grandpa came inside from working on the farm. Without saying anything, he washed his hands, grabbed a bowl of garden beans, and started snapping them. It was so natural and simple. But that small sweet act of service and love hit me powerfully. Just a glimpse into his everyday life.
I’m not sure why that moment stayed with me so strongly. I’d seen similar acts of service from him all the time. Maybe it was the quiet grace that he showed. I don’t know. But this is what I do know. My grandfather was a gentle man and he was kind. He lived his life quietly serving those around him and found joy in it. He lived to make my grandma’s life more joyful and he succeeded. Too many times we think service needs to be big or showy. But I know from experience and example that it’s the small things that we do in our lives all the time that makes the biggest difference.
So from these first two examples, you can probably guess that my dad is pretty dang awesome. You are right! I think my dad is inherently good. It’s in his nature to care for others and love them. But this is also a pattern that he’s learned from the example of people who came before.
I remember stories of my dad taking his sisters to dances when they were teenagers and how they would have a lot of fun together just as friends hanging out together. I love that. This is something that I think has carried on to my siblings and me as well. We don’t go to a lot of dances together but we hang out all the time and we’re all pretty close friends.
My dad is a computer programmer for our church, and I can’t count the number of times he has helped people in our neighborhood with computer problems. And he always helps with a smile.
Also, in The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, we believe in the power of priesthood blessings. Basically, a priesthood blessing is a special prayer given by someone who has special authority for healing, comfort, and encouragement. There have been many times in my life that I was able to get a blessing when I needed it from my dad. Also, he has been happy and willing to help give blessings to my friends when they felt they needed one. To be worthy of the priesthood you need to live in a way that is honorable and upright before God. I am so thankful that my dad is a man like that.
One recent example of service I can think of is when I took a quick trip to Idaho with my brother a few weeks ago. Right before we left, my brother’s car got a flat tire. So it took some extra time to get it all sorted. But my dad, being a dad, wanted to make sure everything was safe and sound before we left. I had used the spare tire from my car to get my brother’s car home, and my dad helped switch the tires back and make sure we were alright.
My dad is very much like my grandpa in that daily acts of service are just a way of life for him. And he also shows that in the way he shows love for my Mom. My father’s life is centered around doing everything he can for my mother and vice versa. She takes great care of him too. I once asked my dad how he got to be so selfless and he replied very matter of factly, “I learned a long time ago the joy that comes from serving others.” I’ll be forever grateful for that lesson that he continues to teach me all the time.
It’s amazing how rewarding heartfelt and genuine service is. I know that when I’m down and depressed, one of the things that can bring me out of it is by thinking of others and what I might do for them.
There’s a great quote by Rabindranath Tagor:
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
This is one of the great lessons of life, My Friends. So my challenge to you this week is to keep an open mind and an open heart. Try to think of something you can do to serve someone in your life. It doesn’t have to be anything big. But I promise it will make you feel good. Have a fabulous Father’s Day and Live the Vibrant Life!
Hey You! Don’t forget to tell your friends about the Vibrant Life Podcast and if you haven’t already done so, please leave me a quick review on iTunes. I wouldn’t really call it an act of service but it means a lot. Thanks!
