Happy Father's Day!

 This was a day among days. Sundays are always lovely, but today was even better. Oddly enough, we attended on Zoom. We go to church in person every other week. On the odd weeks the 2nd Ward meets. We would very much love to attend both wards, but they are always at the same time, and we would have to miss one or the other. Since nearly all of our young adults attend the First Ward, that is where we are on Sundays.

One of our young adults spoke in Sacrament meeting. She is on the last lap of her PhD, and she has been swamped. She grew up in Haiti and went to school in the States, specifically Harvard as I recall. I love her dearly.

Today, she spoke about her conversion, which happened about six or seven years ago. She wove the story of her search for a relationship with God seamlessly into the knowledge we have of God our Father in Heaven. She went back and forth from her desire to know more, to why our Father loves us so much. She showed a clip of a bible video from the Church. It is the Garden of Gethsemane scene where Jesus - so heavily burdened with our sins, our infirmities, our sicknesses and our pains is praying. An angel comes to give comfort. 

Sid related that beautiful scene to how our Father will send comfort to us, that He is aware of us, that He loves us. It was magnificent. Even over the computer, we felt the spirit so strongly.

The second speaker was a forty-something year old man. When he first came on the screen, I was a little taken aback. He is tall and gaunt with unruly dark eyebrows punctuating his face. He was wearing a Superman t-shirt. I guess "taken aback" is mild. I was kind of shocked. He was sustained a few weeks ago as the new ward clerk. I wondered at his strange apparel.

He began speaking in a rugged sort of Northern-England-Wales kind of an accent. He explained that the t-shirt was a gift from his children for Father's Day. He went on the describe his father - who passed away a year ago. He was poetic in his expressions of his memories. He spoke about three specific ways his father had impacted him throughout his childhood.

Music was the first. His father was always playing music, all kinds of music. In fact, at one point recently he heard Johnny Mathis singing "Wonderful Wonderful," and bingo! - he was suddenly back in his childhood home with his father nearby. On Sundays however, the house was filled with beautiful and reverent music.

He went on to say that in Wales, everyone has two names: the name their parents gave them, and then a name the community gives them which relates to them personally - who they are. His father was David, but his large circle of friends gave him the name Dav-run, because he couldn't sit still. He was the branch president in their little branch of the church and spent his life in service. He served people and loved them wherever he was, and he taught his children how important that is.

When he finished his talk, our bishop came on camera and with tears in his eyes, said "We have been taught the gospel in its purest form today." I knew exactly what he meant. I wished I could have known his father, but seeing the look on this man's face, (who struggled to control his emotions) I know that this man would be remembered and spoken of with love for many years to come.

In the afternoon we went to a lady's home in the ward, around to the back to her "garden" -backyard in the States, and enjoyed the company of around 50 other people in wishing well to our past Bishop and his wife. They will leave within the week for Logan Utah where he will be heading up a department in the Business College at Utah State. 

It was marvelous to be with everyone. I think everyone here is hungry for in-person interaction. We are looking forward to more and more of that as the time goes by. It seems that the lockdown restrictions are winding down, even though the end has been delayed. We read the news every day hoping for more promising news. 

SK heard from all of our children, and uncharacteristically stayed up very late to visit with each one. He will usually settle down by 10 p.m. but I know that tonight meant a lot to him.