The other night you called for me to come to your room. You were crying. This isn't unusual for you. You often turn into the wise old soul that must live inside of you when you get in your bed. I think you must use that quiet time to reflect on your life and your choices and things of importance. I'm grateful that you always call for me. That night I came in and like I always have I knelt down by your bed and said ,"Why are you crying my boy?" "Oh Mom, I'm just worried about when I grow up, what if I don't have a testimony any more and I don't make it to the Celestial Kingdom to live with you forever?" I asked you if you had a testimony now - I already knew you did but I asked anyway. You said you did and then I told you to just take it one day at a time and try every day to add to that testimony of your Savior and Father in Heaven. I told you that you could do that by praying, reading the scriptures, listening in church and family Home Evening. You didn't seem to be letting up with the tears and then you said the most precious thing, "Mom, I'm just going to follow in your footsteps and then I KNOW that I will make it to the Celestial Kingdom." WOW! , this parent thing is awfully weighty. I promise to do my very best Son - to lead you home to your Father in Heaven but you promise me to always work on your own testimony so that if I ever make a mistake I can follow you.
Have any of you been to temple square and to the Conference Center and seen this Bronze figurine of the First Vision? When I went to Youth Conference a couple of years ago I saw it for the first time. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I saw it. I've had a testimony of my Savior and Father in Heaven and the First Vision for that matter for as long as I can remember. It has grown over the years but that day it grew - in fact I would say that it doubled in size. I remember the tour guide showing us this statue and then he turned it around - it was on a base that swiveled. He ran his hand across the back of the figure over God's arm which was lovingly around his Son. I remember gasping - my friend Jimmy Edwards actually turned around to look at me because it was so loud. I saw tears in Jimmy's eyes and I knew that he was thinking what I was thinking. "We BELIEVE in God the Eternal Father and in His Son Jesus Christ." The spirit spoke to me that day and I knew that God my Father loves his Son Jesus Christ and he loves me because I too am his child. Son, you will learn things little by little , line upon line, precept upon precept and I know that You Will Guide others back to Our Father in Heaven one day when you serve a mission and when you Have children of your own. I hope you never forget that I have testimony and I know that WE Belong to the TRUE church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love you my boy - I'll always love you!
Momma
xoxoxo
3 comments:
Wow, I've never seen that statue...your story was wonderful.
felicity was my bot password, kind of serendipitous i think. i am so glad to read this, sometimes i feel like a failure at parenting, but you helped me to see i'm not done yet. sweet and also deeply gravitas story thanks
He's such a tender and insightful boy. I'd say if he follows in your footsteps he'll do just fine. After all, I did that all growing up! Love you sis. You are a wonderful Mother.
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