I Am the Big Sister! I Am the Big Brother! by Kirstin Udall

The past few weeks I have had the gift of being able to be with my daughter. I arrived in Louisiana just in time for the birth of her second little girl. A huge part of my visit, however, was to help take care my older granddaughter, Tycie, who just turned four, and take her to the hospital on the big day when her baby sister, Macie, came into the world. We arrived at the hospital and made our way toward the front desk with excitement. I stopped off to sign in and get a visitor badge. Tycie was beaming as she proudly announced to the nurse with great confidence, “I'm the big sister!” "Well, then I have something special for you,” the nurse answered as she presented her with her a BIG SISTER badge to wear in as she met her new baby sister. She pinned it on proudly and marched into the room like she owned the place! Her eyes sparkled as she held her for the very first time.

I loved observing this, as it made my heart swell with joy. What a bond of love existed between those two little spirits, and it was so immediate! Upon bringing the baby home, Tycie has been diligent in watching out for the baby. She is concerned with each cry or grunt her sister makes and immediately rushes to find something that will help the situation, be it a diaper, or a pacifier, or a blanket.

This caused me to ponder in my heart the idea of being a "sister", or a "brother" for that matter. My son, Levi, is serving a mission in Mongolia. It is a service mission, and he is not allowed to proselyte or approach people about the gospel. They call him by his last name, by “Udall” itself, instead of addressing him as "Elder." He said that it hasn't been a shock, however, because in the Mongolian language they all address each other as brother or sister whether you're a member of the church or not. So he gets called Brother Udall by a lot of people.  He also expressed how special it is that the Mongolian people treasure their little children and everyone, strangers included, make sure that they are always safe and taken care of when they see them out and about on the street.  He said he felt like he's learned a truer sense of the word of how to be a brother because his job is to teach and serve in ways that don't necessarily involve the discussions of gospel principles, but rather trying to be an example of those principles through action.

I can't help but see the parallel in this and the way that the Lord has set up his church. Our stakes, and our wards, are to be a family to each other, and we are to seek out those brothers and sisters that need us. Recently my ward, Little Colorado Ward, has lost some special brothers and sisters. It has caused me to reflect and pinpoint some lessons I learned from being around these individuals in our ward meetings, activities, and boundaries. Some of these lessons were said to me, some of them were done for me, and some were just a silent shining example for me to learn from.

I have watched and marveled at the brothers and sisters in our community and how they rally and work together to help out in situations where assistance is needed. Sometimes the help is asked for, but in most cases it is just offered because they just know or have learned how to be a “sister” or a “brother." I have heard several teach lessons that have helped my faith to grow! I have seen acts of service accomplished as well. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for being a big brother, or sister, to me through the years!

It is my prayer that we will all look within our new ward families, and within our community, and seek out those brothers and sisters that we might not know very well. Perhaps they're in need of a friend, or they might have welfare needs, or they might be in pain. It is my hope that we will strive to be better big sisters and big brothers to each other. Our elder brother, Jesus Christ, is our shining example of this, And we need only look to him in order to see how to be the perfect brother. He brought with him, and his earthly life demonstrated, the gospel of love. It is my testimony that love is the answer to all that ails us, and that it is up to us as brothers and sisters to not only believe there is good in the world, but to be the good in the world!