Robert writes home #92 11 May 1997 Essay on Elder Maxwell's "Enduring Well."

1 May 1997

Dear Mother,

                I hope you had a nice mother’s day.

                I went to our ward today for Mother's day. The bishop does the reverence interlude at the start of sacrament meeting the best I’ve ever seen. It really lends a spirit to the meeting. It was a great meeting. They were all great talks and all from a different angle.

                Then there was a little mother-daughter singing group led by Amy Hixon (an eleven year old girl). I had tears in my eyes most of the meeting.

                Megan and Travis came for Mother’s day. We all met at Cory Nielsen’s reception last night in Merced, then they came home with us and stayed til this afternoon.

                They are planning a trip to New York City (his old mission) at the end of May.

                Did I tell you that the girl that Cory Nielsen (son of a counselor in the Stake presidency and friend of the twins, his dad used to be our bishop in Los Banos. He remembers you and Pop. They moved here just before you left from SLC to work for Wolfsen’s). He married Daddy’s brother, La Rue’s grand daughter, Robin? I had never seen her since she was grown. I guess I met her once when she was a little girl when her parents and grandparents came to visit. She is a returned missionary (Brazil).

                I didn’t write last week because I was in Lawrence, Kansas last Sunday, visiting Laurie and her family. I had good trip. I got to see some grandkid events and visit. It was good.

                Charlie went to the valley individual tennis tournament last Friday in Fresno. We went watch him. He got eliminated in the first round, so I’m glad that we weren’t too late getting there. It was a very hot place…lots of asphalt and little shade. It was held at the new high school in Clovis (Buchanan). He had a good year through. He won the men’s singles division in his league. But the competition gets a lot tougher at  the next level.

                My letters to Per came back with no forwarding address. Is he done with his mission?

Love,

Robert, Janet, Charlie, and Sam

PS Here’s another essay: While I was at my daughters house this last weekend, she drew my attention to an article in the April Ensign by Neal A Maxwell, entitled, Enduring Well.

                The opening caption says”Rather than simply passing through trial, we must allow trials to pass through us in ways that sanctify us.”

                “So often a deserved blessing, in life, is quickly followed by a needed stretching, spiritual exhilaration may be quickly followed by a vexation or temptation. The sharp side by side contrast of the sweet and bitter is essential until the very end of this brief, mortal experience.”

                I think that is so profound. I have know many people who viewed themselves as impoverished, wallow in self pity about their supposed misfortune and the unfair fortune of the rich, thinking they could solve all of their problems with money if they had it, and totally overlook the opportunities for growth and development offered them by their circumstance. While other people (far fewer of them) who had been taught to appreciate the really important things in life and to trust God’s wisdom in their circumstance allowed their poverty to impact them in such way as to motivate them and use it as a spring board to excellence. Opposition is essential to righteousness and righteous progress, when you appreciate it it becomes a blessing and opportunity.