Reflecting

I Just had an experience this weekend to remind me of the tender mercies of my Heavenly and how he has been there for me in my times of greatest sorrow & great trials.  Our Young women’s theme this year, “ learn of me, listen to my words, walk in the meekness of my spirit and you shall have peace in me.” D&C 19:23 - we have strived to teach the young women to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit in their lives and as we learn of our Savior we will have peace and happiness in our lives despite the challenges.... Craig my dear husband got a call Saturday morning for us to come play pickle ball with another couple in town for the weekend, they were staying at Worldmart by Habour Villiage and had found a website of those interested in playing pickle ball with Dale Brower’s name listed and his phone number.  They contacted Dale and schedule the time to play, Dale needed a partner and called us.  I told Craig I had to much to do to play so he went without me.  Later that day he told me the couple he played with was from Liberty, Utah and have recently bought the home of Dan Rhodes.  Craig told them , my wife use to live in that home as a teenager.  I was so surprised when Craig told me about their conversation and so sad I had not met them.  I was preparing my talk for sacrament Sunday morning and in my talk I was reading a quote from Elder Rasband talk in the October conference 2017 called “Divne Design,”   What a coincidence I thought at first!   As I thought about it,  there was a purpose for them coming into my life at this very moment in time.  It opened the pages of my life history that I have not thought much about in a very long time.  It was a very painful time that I have tried to block out.  I was 17 years old.  My family fell apart before by very eyes.  My step-Father the only father I knew was arrested and  serving time in jail.  I really didnt know why.  My mother was left alone with four children and no job to financially take care of.   We had recently moved back to our home town of Denton, Texas where my family was the most happy when we were baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I was 11 years old at the time.  I have such fond memories in my heart of this exciting time in my families life accepting our new faith and attending our new church.  We were all so happy!! Life does have it challenges especally when we committ sin and are paying the consequences of those sins. Our entire family deeply effective by the wrong doing of my father.  We had lived in Utah for 2 years previously.  I was attending my sophomore and junior year at Weber high school in Ogden Utah.  As a newly convert I was loving my experience in Utah and attending school there I had created many wonderful friends, I loved attending seminary and my membership in the church.  Things were not good in my family my Junior year. I knew my mother was barely hanging on emotionally.  The next thing I know we are moving back to Denton, Texas.  I was very sad to be leaving my friends and life we had created living in Utah.  But thought going back to the place my family was convert to the church would be ok.  I started school there my senior year.  We had left Denton when I finished my 8 grade yr.  we lived one year in Florida my 9th grade yr and then Utah the 2 yrs. The friends I knew in 8th grade had all greatly changed in three years.  I found myself alone with very few friends.  There were very few Latter Day Saints in the coummintiy.  Only about 5 of us in the entire high school.  I missed my friends in Utah and the school I had grown to love.  I cried lots of tears.  Living in an LDS coummunity does make a huge difference in the quality of my life.  I felt like I had been thrown in the lion dens of evil.  The drugs were bad with most of the kids They were not living the standards I wanted to live.  One day I had a terrible fight with my mother,.  I’m sure it was because I was so unhappy and afraid.  She had her challenges to caring for us kid with Charles my step father recently arrested.  Our family was falling apart and I couldn’t emotionally deal with all the problems.  I Remember walking several miles to my Past Bishop’s home, whom I loved very much the Ragsdale’s.  I was embarrassed showing up at their home crying so I hide in one of their cars in the garage.  They found me and brought me in the house.  I was just so distraught from all the chances in our lives and didn’t know what to do.  I felt their love and concern for me and a peace came over me that things are going to be ok.  They called my Bishop in Utah Dan Rhodes to see what they could do to get me back Utah  to finish my senior year.  The Rhodes family took me in.  Flew back to Utah in October, my First time to fly on an airplane in 1974.  It was a thrilling experience and exciting to be back in Zion for me.  The Rhodes family so lovingly welcome me back and treated me as one of their own kids.  I loved sister Rhodes with all my heart.  She would play the piano for me and teach me beautiful songs to sing.  Singing was a great comfort to me.... right after sacrament today I meet Corena & Brett Hansen that Craig had played in pickle ball.  They wanted to meet me after hearing a brief history of me living in the Rhodes Home and now they are the new owners.  I was so thankful they took the time to say hello,  we took a picture of us together so they could show to Brothet Rhodes.  He is now 88 years old and theyvhave added an addition to the family home for him to stay in until he passes away. He has lived in that home for over 60 years. I told the couple I had not been back for many many years.  I loved the Rhodes family so much they were with me when I got married and in all my wedding pictures at the Salt Lake temple, they helped me with college money my first semester at BYU. We even went to their home about 1981 to dig up Mountain Ash trees from their yard to plant in our newly landscape yard, living in Sandy Utah as newlyweds with two small children.  I don’t think I’ve been back since.  I have such found memories in my heart for this family they were a comfort to me in the mist of the storms of my life.  I told them I needed to come Thank brother Rhodes for his love and kindness given to me when it was so needed.   I promised to come for a visit very soon... in Sunday school another tender mercy , we were studying the Book of Pslams   when this scripture was read: Pslams 24: 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? Vs 4 -He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.... Lo and behold  these are words from a song that Sister Rhodes taught me to sing,  I sang serveral times as a solo in several sacramnents meetings over the years.  Another reminder of the blessing they were to me in my youth.  Today I text Corena thanking her for reaching out to me. She sent me this sweet note note:  It’s so beautiful the way the Lord micromanages the details of our lives. We enjoyed meeting you and are so excited to share this news with Dan! Please do come visit...any time! We’re updating and remodeling the home, you may not recognize it 😊 attached  pictures of the home that have flooded my memory with the many blessing afforded me in a season in my life that was Critical in the growth and well being of my progression as a young teen.  Truely a reminder of my Heavenly Fathers watchful care and love for me in my mortal life.