I spent my Junior High and High School years in Davis County, Utah. I lived in a small town named Syracuse. In our ward was a family that I paid almost no attention to.
They lived in an extremely old home. I never went in their home but my mother told me that when she visited there she noticed that their couch was so dated it was considered old when she was a girl.
They had children somewhat older and somewhat younger than me. Being pretty selfish and self-centered, as most teens are, I never thought about them much.
The family was all very active in Church, obviously strong testimonies and all the kids were good kids – not outstanding in anything in particular, but they did well in school, church, and seemingly everything else.
They never caused anybody any problems. They always had callings, were reliable, and really didn’t draw attention to themselves in any way.
I saw the father bicycle to work carrying a lunch pail and he looked like something out of the 1930s most of the time. The mother was non-descript and forgettable. I think she was always a stay-at-home wife and mother.
Not What I Thought
With the benefit of hindsight, I now see this woman, and her family, differently.
I have discovered that all the children, both the ones that I interacted with and the ones who were out of the nest are all doing well – strong in the gospel, strong homes, good kids – model Americans and model Latter-Day Saints.
Their son that was a year older than me had motor control problems and had some other physical and intellectual challenges. However, he grew up well-adjusted and was able to hold down a job, marry and raise a family. On reflection, I told my mother. “I don’t think he would have been able to thrive like he had if he had grown up in any other family.”
That family was the perfect environment for him – and probably for anybody.
This woman quietly went about the business of life being diligent, reliable, dependable, and every other good thing. I don’t remember her or her family ever being a recipient of service. They were always providers of service and could be depended on to take on any responsibility asked of them. She served well in any calling she had. No one ever had to cover for her or pinch hit for her.
She never caused anyone any problems – never had issues with other sisters. She was almost invisible in that she never called attention to herself or what she was doing. She was so turned out and focused on the needs of others that everyone seemed to forget she was there.
A Christ-like Woman
On reflection, I can now see her for what she is – the most Christ-like woman I’ve ever known. Her priorities were what they should be. Her time and resources were devoted to the most important things.
She lived an exemplary life right in front of my face and I couldn’t see her for what she was until recently. Nothing I know about her would cause her to stand out in this life. She would be considered average and ordinary by the world.
In conversations with my husband, we have identified a handful of people like her that we have known – people who live Christ-like lives and operate quietly and diligently, without fanfare, usually behind the scenes.
The world tends to value people who do one significant momentous act or accomplishment to great acclaim. But, the scriptures teach us that our whole lives should be devoted to goodness. One act is not enough, especially when it is done for the world to see.
When young, I dismissed this woman as provincial and gauche. She had none of the traits I admired then.
The Woman I Admire Most
This simple woman, through diligence and daily living of gospel principles, has emerged as the woman I most admire. Instead of considering her ordinary, I now consider her extraordinary.
At the end of her life, she stood on a mountain of good works. Her everyday acts were compounded into something truly enormous. Out of small things has proceeded that which is great.
After her children were raised and her husband had retired from his ordinary job they served over three missions before he died.
I will never see her again in this life but I will never forget her. She is the woman I admire most.
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