What Have I Done for Someone Today?

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

What Have I Done for Someone Today?, by President Thomas S. Monson


I loved the accounting of birthday gifts that President Monson received from children around the world. Their gifts were acts of service, rendered in response to his statement that an ideal birthday gift would be to "find someone who is having a hard time or is ill or lonely, and do something for him or her."

We all loved the image shown representing "warm fuzzies," where each fuzzy represented a child's act of service.


Occasionally I notice discrepancies between what is recorded in the Ensign and what was said during conference. Regarding the warm fuzzies, there was a nugget that was, for some reason, omitted from the printed account; imagine President Monson, the King of Warm Fuzzies, saying upon hearing of the service and its effects, "I wouldn't have known what a warm fuzzy was!"

Despite either not being familiar with the phrase, or not making the connection to its physical representation, President Monson inspires warm fuzzies in my heart each time I hear him, read his messages, or try to be like him. For example, often at the dinner table, we take turns saying something that we did to help someone during the day. When one child cannot remember, someone seems always ready to offer an observed act of service to refresh their memory (when Rebecca forgets, David will say something like, "Remember, Becca; you helped me find my shoes this morning!").

Each time we do this, I feel warm fuzzies in my heart.

I'm ashamed to admit that we've been falling out of practice—even with the associated warm fuzzies! I've loved when we've recounted our service, and I want to continue to. In fact, President Monson asked me to (I guess he asked you to, too):

May we ask ourselves the question . . . each evening at dinnertime: “What have I done for someone today?”

While I didn't hear of his birthday wish (until this conference), and I wouldn't have been creative enough to send in a jar of warm fuzzies if I had, I know that I can help my family lift, love, and serve—everyday!

Warm Fuzzies!