39 cents worth of understanding - FHE for tomorrow night

39 Cents of Understanding

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the pups and set about nailing itto a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the lastnail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls.He looked down into the eyes of a little boy. "Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies.

""Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "these puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money. "The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?

""Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle,"Here, Dolly!" he called.Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence.His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up.

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would. "With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.

"~Author Unknown~


I have read this before but each time I re-read it I am touch more deeply. Each one of us needs that 39 cents of understanding. We each bare scares and are marked with battles of life's war wounds and pain in relationships. Each one of us fights a battle within our own hearts and souls, trying to live life with peace, happiness and Joy. Each one of us is capable of being there for someone with 39 cents worth of understanding. By this storie's standard that means, understanding with Integrity. Understanding that is Pure and without malice of forethought. Understanding that tells our dear ones and friends that "But for the Grace of God, Go I. It is understanding without any trace of judgement because we know that we haven't the right or the wisdom to know the whats and whys of someone else's battle. ONLY GOD KNOWS THOSE PRIVATE PAINS AND HEARTACHES. Understanding means we know very well to stay out of God's business and just give the Love He sent us here to give. The Pure Love that Our Savior showed us how to give.

I am very blessed to have a daughter in my life that has always shown me this kind of Understanding and Love. She is the one steady force for Purity and Goodness in my life. It is her example that keeps me fighting the good fight and striving after I have fallen, to pick myself up again. The Love I feel for her is beyond words. I don't think she even understands the depth of my love for her. I know that she is the greatest blessing I have ever been given to help me in mortality.

It seems to me that this world is turning more and more into a judging nation. When will we ever learn to leave the Judging to the Lord and that this time is a time for our Growth and Learning. It is our Mortal School. To our Heavenly Father sin is sin. It matters not the color of the sin except in the case of denying the Holy Ghost with willful and full knowledge of what we are doing. If I have learn nothing else I have learned that the person judging another is a far worse sinner that the person committing the sin. You can, by the way, find that Truth in the Scriptures.

I am trying to be patient. Because for me Time is growing shorter and shorter. We haven't time to give such leisure to passing judgment of another's weaknesses. We barely have time to get a handle our own. Repentance takes a good amount of time and each person's timing is different. It helps so much to have a daughter like mine who hasn't a judgemental bone in her body. Because of the Faith of, such a one as this, an atomsphere is created where it is so much easier to accept who you are and all that that entails. In her Purity I have learned to accept the many 'whys' in my life. Her words and actions radiate warmth and Love, and it is incredible to have someone who believes so much in you. There is a saying, "Please tell me how much you care and be my Friend, before you try to teach me. " Knowing you love me, warts and all, opens the way of trust and gives us insight into what our Lord is really like.

Today is Father's Day and I just want to thank my Heavenly Father for being my dad. It was so hard to grow up without the blessing of a mortal dad in my life. I learned really early that I had a Father I just couldn't sit on his knee and hug Him. I look forward to the day when I can again bask in the warmth of His arms and have Him tell me how much He missed me. He is and has always been my Dad. I am so grateful for the work I had to do to overcome the pain of not having an earthly dad.

I wish all of my sons and married grandsons a very Happy Father's Day. Know that I love you and am so pleased at the kind of DAD's each one of you turned out to be. The most important and only important thing in this world is our families and what we say and do to one another. Please, each day to let each one in your immediate family know how much we love them and cherish the covenants that bind you for ETERNITY. The reality of Death is so Stunning and Painful. I wish I could just convey that thought. Once someone goes, life is so barren and painful for such a long, long time. It never really goes away.

As I took the Sacrament today I was overwhelmed with the privilege and blessing it is to participate in that ordinance. There are far too many around us that whisper and giggle and cannot be silent for that 10-15 in remembering what a great gift the Savior gave to us and how much we appreciate it by thinking about Him and our Father, who certified this plan that we will never be lost to Him or Him to us. It is, at this time of my life, very very hard not to cry through the Sacrament.

I hope you all had a wonderful Sabbath Day.