Put Others First

My Law of Life is to always put the concern for others first, show them that they’re cared about. In my life I’ve experienced times where someone put my needs before theirs; it felt really good knowing that people care about me. This leads me to the end of last year when I lost my grandpa; he had been unwell for a few weeks in the hospital. I remember my grandpa had finally been getting better, and my family and I had been sitting in the living room watching a Christmas movie together. Part way into the movie my grandma got a phone call from the hospital, my grandpa’s body stopped supporting his lungs, so the doctors were working on resuscitating him. My grandma and my dad rushed out of the house on their way to Wausau where my grandpa was. I was left home with my mom and my siblings, so I couldn’t help but start crying; we started to pray as we waited. That was one of the worst times of my life, waiting for another call from my dad just hoping he’d be okay. The time came sooner than expected, my dad called and told us that my grandpa had passed away on their way to the hospital. I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. I broke down in tears again, and I remember my mom coming over to hug and comfort me. The comfort certainly didn’t fix the way I felt, but it made me feel loved. It reminded me that the people around me cared about me and my mom showed her concern for me. Later that night when my grandma got home I realized she needed me. I could put my feelings aside for a moment and let her know that we cared about her. I sat with her and she told me how she appreciated the love and comfort from me because it was really hard for her. My grandma continued to stay with us for a while after that and I knew I was sad, but my grandma needed me, so I was there for her.

The way you can make people feel by putting them first and showing that you care could change the world. If everyone made just a small adjustment in their day to day life, the world could be a better place. It doesn’t have to be something big – giving a compliment, helping someone carry something, or even just saying good morning to someone is putting them before what you want, showing concern for their feelings. That could change their day or maybe more than that. Being selfless like this could change the world for the better by making people feel happier, loved, and safe, ultimately making the world we live in more peaceful and content.

In the end, I will now live by putting others first because I’ve experienced being loved and cared for by people who are putting my needs before theirs, and that feeling is amazing. Knowing that someone cares about you so much that they made you their first priority makes you feel great, so because of that I will put others before myself. Just like Father Keller wrote about the “candle losing nothing,” we too lose nothing by making someone's day a little better, for example, telling someone their hair looks nice isn’t a big ask, and I lose nothing by doing that.

“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” Father James Keller