A couple of days ago I sat in the Logan Temple with many of our family members attending the wedding of my stepson, the last of my stepchildren to be married.  As I sat there, I could not help but reflect on the fact that his mother was there in spirit, proud of him, and happy to see that he had married Rachel, a girl he had known since the 4 th grade and with whom she had been acquainted.  Then I wondered to myself, “What does she think when she sees me sitting here?”  Is she jealous because I am here with her husband?  Quickly I had a feeling come over me, like an invisible hug, and felt a confirmation that she loves me because I love her kids.

Likewise, when I see my husband spending time with my son and being an influence for good on him, my love for him increases.  He often expresses to me his appreciation for things I do and have done for his children.  As a grandmother, I find my relationship with my stepdaughter grows as she is able to see my love for her little one manifest through my actions.  As we sit on the floor and little Ellie takes her first faltering steps between us, she can see on my face the same joy she experiences in her daughter's new accomplishments. 

My little two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter received a package of glow-in-the-dark stars as a Christmas gift.  She was excited to see them in action, so I helped her spread them out on a low shelf in a closet, gave them a few minutes under the light, and then we piled some blankets and pillows in and sat in the dark closet enjoying the stars and singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”  At times like this I notice increased expressions of love and appreciation from her parents, perhaps partly because they're being given a reprieve from sitting in a cramped closet in the dark with a bunch of glowing pieces of green plastic, but more so because they are glad there is someone who loves their little one enough to do so. 

It was somewhere during the wedding and attendant family togetherness times that the light went on for me, and it wasn't from a glow-in-the-dark star.  This is what Jesus was trying to get across to his apostles, and to all of us.  Our love for him is manifest when we love those He cares about.

“Lovest thou me?”

“Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.”

“Feed my sheep.”

(John 21:17)

It is easy (well, maybe not always) to love your children and your grandchildren, but when Jesus asked us to feed his sheep, it becomes all inclusive.  One of my goals for the New Year is to be more kind to my fellow man.  The starving sheep are out there.  Some may need to be picked up and hand fed.  Some just need to be shown where the food is.  Some may be starving spiritually.  Others may be starving for a friend on which they can rely and in whom they can confide.  If we truly love the Lord, we won't let them go hungry.  If we truly love the Lord, we will feed his sheep.