Day 70: Violins and Obedience

When I was six years old, Santa gave Tommy and me the choice between violins and a Nintendo. Santa learned an expensive lesson that year, as Tommy and I wisely chose violins. Mom and Dad and Pat Brown would take turns practicing with me and Tommy during the week and then on Wednesdays we would head out to Sandy for our lessons with Aunt Janet. I still remember one day in particular, when Dad took me and Tommy to our lesson. After our lesson, as we were driving home, Dad pulled over to the side of the road and told me and Tommy to give us all the money we had with us. We reluctantly agreed, but it seemed pretty cheap of Dad at the time. I mean, I could see Billy Bizilik robbing us, but not Dad. Once Dad had commandeered our cash, he drove back to Aunt Janet's house and went inside for a minute and then came back to the car. He told me and Tommy that he had felt impressed to give Aunt Janet $100. Dad's act taught me a great deal about the importance of heeding the promptings of the Spirit.

On another occasion, Dad taught me and Tommy the importance of home teaching. He asked if Tommy and I would take our violin and viola and go play for Sister McLaren, whose father had recently passed away. We pretended like it was a hard thing Dad had asked us to do, but we eventually went with him. As we played for Sister McLaren, she started crying and she explained to us how difficult it had been to lose a parent. The spirit was very strong that day, and that experience has served as a reminder to me of how important it is to love and serve others.