Words From the Heart (Final)

   "... and make sure you make yourself useful," my mom said as she drops me off at my friends house. My mom always wants me and my sister to make ourselves useful when we are someones guest. She said that she does not want us to just sit around and let everyone else do all the work. Although this may sound like an ordinary phrase that anyone would say in their house, "Make yourself useful" is an important phrase to me, my mom, and her mom (my grandma). "Make yourself useful" is what my grandma used to tell my mom and her sisters when they were growing up. Being useful shows that you are not rude or lazy by making everyone do all the work for you. Sometimes when my mom thought I was not making myself useful she would say, "Who do you think you are? Cinderella?" Meaning that I am not a princess who has people to do my work for me and I should help her or other people to do what needs to be done.
   This phrase is important to my mom and my grandma because what I do reflects on our family. They both want people to think that we are a helpful family. When I help people with what they need to do, it shows that my parents raised my well. My mom told me that if you were a good and useful guest, they will probably invite you over again. But if you were rude and lazy while you were their guest, they probably won't want you to come back.
   The phrase "Make yourself useful" helped shape me into the person I am today. I think that if I had not grown up all these years hearing the same phrase over and over again, I would be lazy and rude to the people around me. Making myself useful taught me that the world does not revolve around me and that I do not have people to do my work for me. Before, helping other people do their work seemed like a drag and unnecessary. But now, helping other people is something that I enjoy doing because it makes them happy and less stressed.
   This past summer I went on a mission trip with some of my friends to New Mexico. There, I helped people who needed help with yard work, painting, and construction. When my group and I finished helping at the end of the day, I was so happy that they were smiling and that they were very greatful that we came to help them. I felt like I made myself useful by helping them out even if it was little things like washing the windows or pulling out a few weeds here and there. When I thought about this, it reminded me of what my mom tells me all the time. Except this time, I did it without her having to tell me.
   Sometimes hearing the same thing all the time can be a pain. I've heard it so much that now I say, "Yeah okay," whenever my mom tells me to make myself useful. Having been told to make myself useful so many times made being useful something I always do when I go somewhere. Wherever I go, I help with what needs to be done.
   I think that this phrase is a phrase that everyone should hear or know. Being useful can make someone else's life so much easier. I know my mom is a very busy person because she does everything. From driving me to school, dance classes, music lessons, her own job, cooking for us, and so much more. She does a lot for me so the least I can do is make myself useful and help her out sometimes.