Victory Day

Dear Friends,

Today I had the best day I've had in a long long time!

I'm not kidding.  It was fantastic and unexpected.

Today was the day my daughter delivered her homecoming talk in my ward. I posted a picture on FB. She's the one standing next to me in the picture with glasses and a red blouse.   Standing next to us of course, are all the rest of my children.  That's three beautiful girls and three handsome boys.  I have always been a very proud father and I knew it would be a special day today, but I could not have expected how beautiful it would be.  I asked the kids to pose with me with the universal sign of peace. Only for me it's not the peace sign.  To me it spells "V".  That's "V" for victory.

Today was a victory never to be forgotten.

You see, today I spoke on the program with my daughter.  I have the luxury of having my father as my Bishop.  We live in a very small ward.  Sarah did not speak in our old ward because of all the rumors floating around there.  You see, my ex is engaged to my former neighbor, someone I knew for years. I haven't even been divorced a year yet and she is engaged and taking my children to live in another city with him. I'll spare you the details.

So I got up on the stand at sacrament meeting and sat next to my beautiful daughter.  I looked down into the congregation and who do you think I see?  You got it. There they are.  My ex sitting right next to the aforementioned neighbor.

You have to understand, I'm a man and I've been dreading the day I see the two of them together. How would you feel if you had to let your kids, who you love with your life, go off and live with the man that was supposed to be your friend, and your ex wife ?

The funny thing is that when I looked down at them, it was like I was surrounded by a force field. Anything negative I could have felt just didn't materialize.  It was like they're being there was irrelevant and inconsequential.  It was like nothing could have mattered to me less.  I focused my gaze away from them and looked around the chapel.  Little by little I recognized all kinds of wonderful people I love. First I see my ex's sister and her family, people that I have loved for over 20 years.  I run down to them and embrace each one of them including all my nieces and nephews.  I see my father in law and his wife.  Little by little beautiful people from my former ward show up.  I catch their eyes as they walk into the little chapel.  I see a couple that I've known since we lived in Chicago back in the 90's, who have been my dear friends for all these years, sit down behind my family.  My former Bishop and his wife show up.  An uncle and his wife show up and sit next to my Mom. Wonderful people!

By now, my ex and her fiance don't even exist.  They've disappeared into nothingness and all I see are beautiful, loving people who have contributed to our lives in wonderful ways at many different critical points.  I find myself filling up with laughter inside.  I feel my soul smiling and I can't stop.  I don't even hear any of the announcements.  I just can't stop smiling.  My heart is filling up.  I lock eyes with all these people who mean the world to me.  They are smiling back at me and soon it's my turn to take the stand and speak.

I place my notes on the pulpit and I pause for a second to collect my thoughts.  I begin speaking and I don't even look down at my notes again.  They also disappear.  I don't need to look or think about them.  I talk about missionary work.  I share a story about when I shared the gospel with my best friend when I was 9 years old.  I don't pause.  I don't cry. I just let my spirit flow.  I prepare the way for my daughter.  I bear my witness, then I sit down.  My soul is still radiating.

My daughter speaks and the congregation loves her.  Like me, she doesn't use her notes.  She just flows with the spirit and shares her beautiful stories of conversion and love.  She is vibrant and beautiful.  She bears her witness in Spanish and sits down.

After the meeting I run to all my friends, the people who have meant so much to me.  I hug them all and thank them for their kindness and support.  It's a reunion and I'm loving every minute of it.  They are my brothers and sisters, fellow spirit children, people who have been sent to earth at the same time as me to fulfill great purposes.

After the meeting there is a party at my parents home.  More time to bask in fellowship and love.  I reconnect with my sisters in law.  They tell me how much they love and miss me.  I tell them I love and miss them too.  "You will always be our brother, Brett.  Nothing will ever change that."  My father in law tells me in his wonderful Spanish accent.  "You'll always be my number one.  Siempre!"  Their words carry love and healing to me.  I will never forget them.  They will stay with me.

Later, after things die down and all the guests have left, I call my children into my parents family room. They all will be going back to school very soon.  It's my privilege to offer them a father's blessing.  It's time for me to utilize the priesthood that has been conferred upon me.  It's my time to ask for the spirit to speak through me on behalf of the Lord to my children.  I start by explaining to them the sacred nature of blessings, that they need to prepare themselves to receive what the Lord is willing to share with them.  I tell them that the fulfillment of a blessing depends on their faithfulness and the will and timing of the Lord.  We start with a family prayer, then I call them all up one by one starting with the youngest first.  I place my hands upon their heads.  I can feel the words coming, flowing out naturally. There is spirit speaking to spirit.  There is no hesitation, and truth to each of them spills out like a cool waterfall and soaks them with love and spiritual truth.

When the blessings are finished, my parents, my children's grandparents, speak to them in kind and loving words.  They tell my children that they love their father, me.  My mother's voice shakes as she tells them how how proud she is of me and how I honor my priesthood and how righteous I am to be able to give those blessings.  She doesn't remember how blessed I am to be her son and how she's been there for me all these years through all my trials. How I wouldn't be anything without her.

My children linger at my parents house for another hour well past the time they usually leave to go back with their mother on Sunday night.

It's a special time, a time of love and peace.  It's a day of grace and tender mercies.  And for me, it's a day of victory.

Hope you have your victories too.  Take care my friends.