and a beautiful little 7 month old baby, Stori.
It was delightful to have them visit as they live in California and we see them rarely. We spent time showing the kids the house, our spooky crawl space in the basement, our garden. They played on the piano, ate cookies, and picked out some hand made earrings. Sixti, at 6 years old does not have her ears pierced yet, but I still let her pick our a pair to wear when she does. Mom also took a pair as well, totaling 2 pairs for both Mom and Sixti.
At the end of their visit I decided to show Sixti how to make a pair, as I thought she would find it entertaining. I didn't have the intention of giving her the pair since she didn't yet have pierced ears, and had already received a pair to wear in the future. As it got time to go, she sat there realizing she could only take two pairs of earrings, one for mom, and one for her. She seemed to have grown very attached to the pair we had just made, with the stones she had hand picked. I told her she could swap them if she wanted. As we sat there for several minutes I could tell there was a feeling of worry and sadness on her face. She switched the pair but then held on to the original pair she had picked for herself. She knew she had to give one up and it seemed the most painful decision ever. As I observed her sadness I asked her mom if she could take them both, as I didn't want to be the one to break a little girls heart. Sixti had clearly exhibited with minutes of sincerely agonizing over the right pair to choose that it was more than just getting her way.
My sister and myself both influenced her to go with the original pair she had chosen, the ones for her. As we took the other pair of earrings back, everyone had left the house, and I noticed again the notable sadness in her face. I gave her an extra cookie, apple, and necklace to make up for the lack of earrings. As she went outside she let dad sweep her up and help her sadness. I asked my sister once again if I could let her have the other pair. Again mom said "Sixti, you don't have pierced ears yet, you don't need another pair." Sixti replied with tears in her eyes, "I didn't want to other pair for myself, I wanted to give them to Solei." At that moment it all became clear. It wasn't about getting two pairs of earrings for herself. She simply wanted to give this gift to Solei, her 7 yr old cousin, that she happens to just adore. I realized that the minutes of agonizing over which pair to take meant giving up either her own pair or a gift for her beloved cousin and friend. The thought of leaving without that gift was heart-wrenching. And what was more touching was that all the extra cookies and treats in the world for her, wouldn't make up for missing out on the gift she wanted to give to another. It wasn't a tantrum or an act of wanting, rather, a selfless loving heart that wants to give.
It made me think how the Savior must have felt, when he had to make the decision to be our Savior. I am sure it must have been agonizing to know that he would have to give up all his own desires and will. But at some point, he realized that everything that he could gain in the world for himself, would never match up to the priceless gift he could give another. He knew that according to God's plan, he couldn't have both. He realized that the happiness from giving far exceeded his own will, and he must have clung on to this when Satan tempted him by offering the whole world to him. Christ understood that any suffering or sacrifice he made would have far more eternal weight than gratifying his own immediate needs. He was the perfect example of giving. Christ gave the matchless gift, the gift that heals, the gift that lightens our burdens, the gift that is infinite, and the gift that gives us hope to overcome this world. I am so grateful for my sweet niece, Sixti, to remind me of this matchless gift, with her innocent, selfless, sacrificing nature. Greater love hath no man.
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
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