From Dad April 17, 2016

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Re:  Letter 69 of 3

Dear Riley:

Wow! Can’t believe another week has passed. In retrospect I think it was pretty fruitful, though I still didn’t accomplish everything I hoped I would. The weather has been beautiful with a few nights that deposited frost on my truck windshield. It made me a little nervous but so far it looks like we’ll have a pile of apricots. Just a few more weeks and we’re out of the woods. Yesterday we took the greater part of the day to go up to Layton and help Grandma and Grandpa with their flood cleanup. The crew that came a few months ago had neglected to remove carpet and wall board from one affected room and it developed mold.  Your mom left immediately to go and buy some quality dust masks, which I believe saved the day. We boxed and hauled hundreds of pounds books and moved a good deal of property to other unaffected areas of the basement. We put in about 3 hours of work and put a good dent in things. We were happy to assist. The whole mess was caused by Utopia drilling to lay cable through the yard. They’ll pay for the restoration, but nothing is compensating for the upheaval or the potential health effects from the ordeal. I’m a little horrified that Grandma and Grandpa are being exposed to this.

I've had an amazing experience with revelation through the Spirit. I can’t give specifics without breaking a sacred confidence, but something was revealed to me in my heart and mind through the Spirit that couldn’t possibly be known any other way.  I have since been praying for the way to use this knowledge for its intended purpose but was unsure how to proceed. It was a delicate matter and I was afraid of blowing it. (It certainly wouldn’t be the first time I stepped in it and I didn’t want to make a muck of things.) A portion of my prayers was devoted to this dilemma and the nature of my prayers was adjusted to be more in line with the knowledge I’d received. Quite unexpectedly, the way forward opened up beautifully in a manner that was a direct answer to a specific request in my prayers. Is this not real? I wish everyone could experience this, or was willing to acknowledge it when it was manifest. Anyway, it leaves me wanting more of experiences like this and fills me with gratitude for the blessings of the calling of Bishop.

DH turns 100 years old tomorrow. What a remarkable man with remarkable legacy. Just consider all he has seen in world progress. Consider what he’s witnessed in the growth of the Church. Consider the blessings and miracles he’s seen. He is a true man of God; always steadfast and faithful; an example to us all. If there was a better way to live a life, I suspect he would have found it by now. He’s so happy and upbeat and speaks openly of how many ways God has blessed him. His mind is sharp and can quickly recall facts, figures, events, names, and places that people considerably younger than him would be challenged to commit to memory... If only his body wasn’t so run down. We celebrate with him tomorrow at an open house held in his honor. His family arranged for a large number of people to send him birthday cards, with the hope that we could reach at least 100 by his birthday. Today he had received in excess of 70.

It’s getting late so I better get this into your inbox. Love you tons!

Dad