Climbafamilytree123: A Little Child Shall Lead Them

Dear family and dear friends, 21 October 2012

Mid-September, our family had secured tickets to tour the new Brigham City temple. I had invited Kristen and Zach. Amber and Jake were on their month’s anniversary hike to Ensign Peak in Salt Lake, but Kristen and Zach and part of Steven’s family agreed to meet my parents and Val, who was bringing his mom. I was following Val north on I-15, but became concerned when he did not take exit 362 (one traditionally easy to miss) to go to Logan via Brigham City. Problem—I called him, and called him. I needed to tell him he had missed the exit. The problem became mine when I realized that it was not Val that I was following. Good thing there are off-ramps on these freeways. Good thing there are off-ramps for life in the event that we are following the wrong vehicle!

We finally found the K-Mart parking lot and a host of familiar faces, scooped them all up and loaded the waiting charter bus. I am unsure why I eventually got the prized position of being next to nearly two-year-old William.

What delight and freedom claimed his expression, when he could sit on a seat in a moving vehicle, something that goes “Vrrrroom,” without being soundly straight-jacketed into a toddler car seat! With a large looming window beside him and the world in his view, the little boy could not stop grinning.

Approaching the temple, we were shepherded into an underground parking garage film room where we learned of pioneers in the Brigham City area.

The children were content and swallowed up into the tour until my dad allowed Zach to do some wheelchair derby steering,

while Kristen took a toddler’s hand

and handed me a nearly six-month Savanna. Savanna seemed in her element. It seems she has slept for six months. But when carried into the first rooms of the temple, she came alive. She cooed and chattered. I was tempted to look at her little dress to find a “usher” or “tour guide” name tag attached. From the paintings of pioneers picking peaches to the hallowed halls leading to altars and sacred sealing places, this child in my arms looked and talked and told us where we were.

I thought about this a few weeks later when I had learned that all my belongings had gone missing at our local hospital. I had just wanted to call my daughters and let them know my procedure had gone successfully; I was recovering and well.

But as we share cell phone minutes, we had exceeded our allotment last month during Val and my 19^th anniversary trip to Glacier, then Cardston, Banff, and Lake Louise in Canada.

Thus, I hoped to phone cell to cell with the girls with no minutes charged—but I had no phone! I called Val to ask Kristen to ask little William to pray. He knows how to do this, with a little help. Kristen coached, and as soon she had, and just after I decided I could forgive the hospital for losing everything (how hard is it to procure a new telephone? I needed a new one anyway) the hospital found an envelope with a key to my locker that had slipped behind a drawer. There is a scripture in Matthew 18:10 “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” So William prayed, and my phone was found. The angels were working! Little Savanna gave us a tour of Brigham City’s new temple, and now it is our job to be angels with these children, to teach them things like taking off shoes, putting away silverware, avoiding glass, chemicals, outlets, and “fun” buttons that control computers or electronics. “Neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men…that [they] may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts.” (Moroni 7: 29-32) Can we be the angels? Are we not blessed to have the seedlings of goodness in our families and homes--if only via telephone or computer--to call us “Grandpa” even when we are “GrandMA!”) to help us become “alive” in Christ? Are we not blessed to get dimples and wavy smiles on demand?

Like watching green to yellow to crimson colors change outside our window with the seasons,

these little lives inside our windows are constant in their change and just as brilliant.

(above photo is from outside Cardston temple)

“And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? (Matthew 21:16) I am unsure if he was talking about Savanna’s gumby smile

or William’s hearty “amen” when a prayer is over…but “I sing and sing” when our little ones visit, and even when our neighbor Dylan watches from his front door to see if there is anything heavy to carry in. “And [Jesus]…said unto them: Behold your little ones.”

What a blessing—to send our children out, and have them come back bringing something better! May this changing of the seasons bring color, beauty, and joy! Blessings to you, Laurene and Val