Dying for Happiness: The Younger Days

In 1991 there was a young couple who were about to have their fifth child. There were some complications and the child decided to be stubborn and want to be different. He would not turn in order to come out of his mom in the proper natural way. The father of the child laid hands on his wife and by the Priesthood of God which he held, gave her a blessing. There were many people who told this man to bless that the child would turn in order to come out properly, however, in the blessing the father was inspired to say that the child would do what was best for him and his mother. On the morning of January 18 a beautiful baby boy was born, by cesarean section. At the time of birth the mother lost a lot of blood due to the bursting of a vein. Doctors said that if it had not been for that stubborn baby boy, the mother's life would have been in great danger, and could have easily died. Due to the power of priesthood that the young father held, the boy and mother were both alright. Today that boy is 20, still stubborn, and by the same Priesthood that his father held on a mission to preach the gospel to all he can.

Yes, that stubborn little boy was me!

As you can tell from that account, I have always had the gospel in my life, and the priesthood has always been close to my heart! I was raised in the church, and taught often by my parents of the truthfulness of the gospel, and the blessings that come from keeping the commandments of God. Growing up, the gospel was always a big part of my life. We took time to be together and teach each other of the importance of the Gospel. Yes we did it at specific times likes family prayer and family home evening, but we also did it every day. In everything we did we taught each other! Living the gospel was a joy for me, I loved the spirit and happiness that I felt and how close I was with my family!

Another way I learned of the gospel was at course at church! I loved primary and particulary loved singing the songs! I learned many valuable lessons from those simple songs. One of my favorite is A Child's Prayer, which teaches that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

When I turned eight, I was baptized by my father who holds the Priesthood of God. I don't remember much about that day, but I know that I was happy and peaceful! I also received the gift of the Holy Ghost, which was a huge help in my life.

Even from a young age, I knew that God was there, and I knew that the Gospel brought me happiness!

Next Post in the Series: "The Priesthood"

My Dad!

My Dad is the greatest! As I think about the things that he does and the amazing example he is, there is no other way to describe him then amazing! Well, I guess incredible, wonderful, great, outstanding, fantastic, marvelous... I think you get the point! I love my dad!!!

He loves people more than almost anyone else I know. Growing up my mom and I would sing in the choir, which practiced before church every Sunday, my Dad did not sing, because we wanted to have the time to go and talk to everyone that was at church that day, to hug them and tell them that he loved them! And he was ALWAYS sincere! With that love, he would do anything for anyone. I still remember going with him and my brothers to help people move. I am sure that my Dad has helped hundreds of people move, he was busy, but there was always time to serve! What an example of service he is. I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have had to serve, and the lessons of service I have learned from my Dad.

My brother Richard says this about my Father, "I have a lot of great memories of Dad, especially on camp-outs and family outings. One thing I really always loved though was that he would always be willing to shoot hoops, kick a soccer ball or catch a baseball after a long day of work and sore wrists. It meant a lot to me that he'd do that for us and spend time with us whenever possible."

We always did things together as a family, and it was almost always outside. My Dad taught me how to shoot a basketball, swing a bat, hike, load a backpack, repel, start a fire, and so many other things that have to do with nature and being out in it. He taught me to have a great appreciation for God's creations and find joy in them!

My dad taught me how to change the oil, brakes, alternators, fuel pumps and water pumps on our cars, since it seemed like they would always go out!

My dad taught me lots of things, but most of all he taught me the things that matter most. How to love others, the Lord and the Gospel. When my brothers and I were younger he would sing us to sleep. He would always sing the primary song, "I Wonder When He Comes Again." I love this song so much, and get emotional almost every time I hear it now!

My Dad just had such a sweet way to share the gospel even with us! He taught us how to share the gospel with others, and the importance of missionary work. My Dad was always involved in missionary work, serving his own mission then constantly supporting the missionaries and sharing the gospel with those around him. He also taught us consistency and the importance of reading the scriptures. Here is Richard again, "I would have to say though there is one memory of Dad that always stands out, that is of Dad's Book of Mormon that he takes to work to read for lunch each day. I've heard him tell stories about being mocked and ridiculed and having to eat alone. I still feel a great sense of pride and love for Dad when I picture the dirty, worn pages of his Book of Mormon by his lunch pale when he comes home. I think of his dedication to the Church, his love of God and our family.... priceless memories of someone standing up for what is right and good. Love you DAD!"

My Dad has taught me everything I need to know and do to help me return to my Heavenly Father.

I love you Dad!

Only A Father

I love my father! I remember hearing stories from my mother, that when I was younger and Dad had to fix the car or something,
I would always be right next to him with my little plastic tools, because I wanted to help, and I wanted to be near my father. It was always a great experience and we grew together. I remember doing things with my dad and having a pretty good relationship with him. But, when I was a teenager, things began to change. In my eyes the words to one of my favorite songs at the time fit me perfectly. It was "Perfect" by Simple Plan:

"Hey dad look at me

Think back and talk to me

Did I grow up according to plan?

And do you think I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?

But it hurts when you disapprove all along

And now I try hard to make it

I just want to make you proud

I'm never gonna be good enough for you

I'm sorry

I can't be perfect"

That was how I felt, like no matter what I did it wasn't good enough for my father. It seemed as though we disagreed on almost everything!

Looking back, it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be, but it wasn't the best it could be. After high school I went to School in Utah at BYU, 700 miles away from my father. I attended Priesthood Session of General Conference and listened to the talk "Father's and Sons: A Remarkable Relationship" by Elder M. Russell Ballard. As he talked, the guilt and remorse came into my heart. I knew that I had not been the son I should have been, and this whole time I had blamed it on my dad! As soon as I got back to my apartment I called my dad. Come to find out we both had thought the same things during that talk. We talked and cried on the phone that night and I committed myself to improve my relationship with my father. It is true "I can't be perfect," I messed up and still do, but our relationship grew. I love my dad so much, and still think about the things that I missed out on in my teenage years. I have realized how much I took that special bond between a father and a son for granted. But I truly know that my dad loves me, and I love him so much! I do have great childhood memories with my father. You can read some of them in my post tomorrow!

I know that I am not the only youth who took my relationship with my father for granted. If you are one of those youth, or know one, plead with them to strengthen their relationship with their father, it will be one of the best things they will do. Here is a video about a young man, striving to strengthen his relationship with his father in response to Elder Ballard's same talk that touched me!



I think often this same type of thing happens between us and our Heavenly Father. We disagree, grow anger and begin to turn away. Sometimes we feel like he doesn't love us anymore or that we can never live up to who he wants us to be. We take that deep relationship we can and should have with him for granted. But I testify with every fiber of my being that we can live up to who he wants us to be, we can please him, and we can have a deep rooted relationship with him. Just as I repaired my relationship with my father, so can all of us repair our relationship with our Eternal Father. Our elder brother suffered for us that we can repair relationships, both here and in the eternities! Access the atonement and heal wounds!

There is no time like the present to build and strength relationships with our fathers, both the one here and the one above!!