Humble Pie

Humble
1: not proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive
2: reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission
3: ranking low in a hierarchy or scale

Being humble is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. The opposite of humility is pride.

Finishing up the biggest month of my business I am beaming with pride for what my boys and I have achieved. I found it quite humbling to end month by helping the "Andersons" move their uncle from an assisted living apartment to a skilled nursing facility. Uncle "John's" dementia had progressed rapidly caring for himself and his 20+ year old cat was lost.

As his sister, niece and myself walked into Uncle John's room, he had no idea we were going to tell him of this move. The family spoke to me about the poor state of his room, though I had no idea the extend until his door swung open.

Like a thick brick wall, I was stopped in my steps. Whew! The smell and clutter of the room was quite bad. Quickly I was introduced and began to mention to Uncle John about moving to a new home. Not knowing how he would react, we were relieved when he thought the idea was wonderful.

The plan was to come back the next day while Uncle John was out for medical treatment. Armed with masks, gloves, bags and boxes, we gathered up all John's personal items. His clothing was bagged to be washed prior to bringing to his new home. Sadly, his cat was taken to be put down.

At Uncle John's new room, all his belongings were set into place. Freshing cleaned clothing ready for his arrival. The family was amazed at how quickly the move went and incredibly thankful for my assistance in making this difficult task easy for them.

"Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all." ~William Temple

I am so thankful the Anderson's turned to me to help them with their uncle. Projects like this one remind me of the importance of helping people every day.

How have you been humbled?