Q&A: What was the inspiration for this story?
As a young teenager, I was challenged by my church leaders to share the gospel by giving away a copy of the Book of Mormon. I was instructed to write my testimony in the front cover of the book and present it to one of my nonmember friends. I remember writing my testimony out several times as I attempted to get the wording just right. In my neatest cursive handwriting I wrote out my simple, yet heartfelt testimony in the front of the book. Then came the hard part—finding someone to give it to.
I was living in Seattle surrounded by people who were not of my faith, so it should have been an easy task. It wasn't. I was terribly nervous about the whole idea, but soon came to the conclusion that my junior high Spanish teacher would be the recipient of the book. Mrs. Hardy was one of my favorite teachers. I carefully wrapped the book in paper and put it in my backpack before leaving the house. As the day progressed I became more and more nervous, worried about what she would think of the gift. At the end of Spanish class, I slipped to the front of the classroom and handed Mrs. Hardy the gift before rushing out into the hall.
School let out for the summer and I moved on to high school. I never talked to Mrs. Hardy about what she thought of my gift. A few years later, I heard from a friend that Mrs. Hardy had joined the church and her son had served a mission. Over the years I have wondered about the rest of the story. What were the ripple effects of that simple gesture? Giving the gift had changed my life, but what, if anything, had it done for my teacher and her family?
Quite often we don’t know the end of the story. We don’t know how our actions have affected other people. All we can do is show loving kindness to every person that crosses our path and hope for the best. The ripples we create will touch lives, but whether for good or ill is up to us.
I was living in Seattle surrounded by people who were not of my faith, so it should have been an easy task. It wasn't. I was terribly nervous about the whole idea, but soon came to the conclusion that my junior high Spanish teacher would be the recipient of the book. Mrs. Hardy was one of my favorite teachers. I carefully wrapped the book in paper and put it in my backpack before leaving the house. As the day progressed I became more and more nervous, worried about what she would think of the gift. At the end of Spanish class, I slipped to the front of the classroom and handed Mrs. Hardy the gift before rushing out into the hall.
School let out for the summer and I moved on to high school. I never talked to Mrs. Hardy about what she thought of my gift. A few years later, I heard from a friend that Mrs. Hardy had joined the church and her son had served a mission. Over the years I have wondered about the rest of the story. What were the ripple effects of that simple gesture? Giving the gift had changed my life, but what, if anything, had it done for my teacher and her family?
Quite often we don’t know the end of the story. We don’t know how our actions have affected other people. All we can do is show loving kindness to every person that crosses our path and hope for the best. The ripples we create will touch lives, but whether for good or ill is up to us.
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