Examples To Follow

I have always felt like when dads or parents for that matter were handed out I won the lottery. What a blessing it is to know that you have parents that will always be there for you. Even better, I had parents that taught me the best values and taught them by example. My parents are both amazing but today I want to talk specifically about my dad. I recently had the opportunity to attend General Conference and watch my Father be sustained as the First Counselor in the Young Men’s General Presidency. It was an amazing experience. We had great tickets to the session. I knew my ticket was good when I handed it to the young man taking tickets at the door of the conference center and he said “Hmm…I’ve never seen a pink ticket before”. I was right down in front and I felt like I was literally sitting at the feet of the prophets and apostles. It was an amazing experience to watch my father the man that I have always looked to as an example take his seat on the stand with the great men of the church. This is the man that always made me feel like a princess. This is the man that took me on daddy daughter dates. This is the man that I always knew I could ask for a blessing at a moment’s notice. As the only daughter among his five sons I was always Daddy’s Little Girl. I was proud of that place and I still am.

I looked down our row after my dad took his seat on the stand. I saw six worthy priesthood holders that I love with all my heart looking up at my father on the stand. They were my five brothers and my husband. I was so grateful that these men in my life have had and will continue to have such a great example to follow.

My dad has two twelve year old grandsons my son Russ and my brother Tony’s son T.J. They were able to go to the Priesthood session in the conference center that evening. Russ came home from the priesthood session so excited. He and T.J. along with my brothers and husband had once again been up front (yes, they had pink tickets for that session too) these two boys were standing up right by the front barricade as the Prophet walked out of the session. They said “Hi President Monson” and he turned and said “Hi, boys”. This is an experience that I know my son will never forget. As he has talked about it in the days and weeks since, I know that through the prophet turning and saying those simple words to them he helped build Russ’s testimony of a living prophet. He has always loved his grandpa and wanted to be like him. But, I’m so grateful that his grandpa’s life put him in a situation where he could hear the prophet’s voice speaking to him.

The following week I was sitting in Sacrament as Russ was passing the sacrament. Caleb sat up straight and said, “There’s Russ!” He watched so carefully everything Russ did and I could see him moving around in his seat to get a better view of his big brother. But, it was the look in his eyes that got me. It was the same look I saw in Russ’s eyes the first day he was passing the sacrament as he watched everything his dad did. It was the same look Russ had in his eyes when he talked to me about what it was like to see his grandpa up on the stand in the conference center and have the prophet speak to him. It was the same look that my brother’s and husband had in their eyes as they looked up at my dad on the stand. How can little Caleb go wrong if he follows the example of these great men of the priesthood in his life as they strive to follow the example of the Savior?