Petersen Family

Our world, our society, our faith, and family, even every individual person is under attack. The aggressor is that old serpent that beguiled our first parents, the father of all lies, the adversary to all unrighteousness, Lucifer. In order for us to survive, have a family, and as individuals we need help. As the evil one exists in another realm, he has greater knowledge than we do. Our salvation also must come from outside sources even supernal intelligence. The famous author C H Lewis stated “man’s solutions to the worlds problems is a little bit like running around with a fire extinguisher in the midst of a flood”. The help I am referring to is a family Temple night. It seems like we can make time for a softball game once a week, so we should be able to make time for a family temple night once a month. I am going to tell a story of one of the most difficult times in my life. It was the strike at Hexcel. I pray that you will believe me when I say that for me it was hell on earth. I’m not going to go into a lot of details about the strike, only to say I can’t remember anything that was more devastating to me. I’m going to focus on one individual. His nickname was Tickle me Elmo, because he was so fat, lazy and stupid. I watched this scab cross the picket line, go to my building, take my job, do my work, and get my money. The same money I would use to feed my family. The hatred in me was boiling over. At one point I wanted to confront him at the fence line and tell him in my bricklaying language, “what a lowlife pig #***!!! “ he was. After the strike ended he remained in my job. I was delegated to a lesser job with terrible hours and working conditions. All the while Elmo milked the job it took me 15 years to get. Now the rest of the story, as my job slowly improved I saw more of my nemesis. I found out he was LDS, which only confirmed in my mind the fact that evil people are everywhere. Then one day our paths crossed of all places, the Jordan River Temple. I was on the way up the escalator and he was on the way down. I felt fortunate that he didn’t see me. However questions of, what if, flooded my mind. What if he did see me? What if we had done a session together? What if Leslie and I were the witness couple and Elmo and his wife came to the prayer circle? Would I lie to the Lord? Would I fake it? Or would I have the courage to excuse myself and leave the prayer circle? As I pondered all the “what if’s” and “would I’s”, the most terrible and sobering thought of all came to me. What if he left the prayer circle because of ME. The time has come for our family, our whole family to forgive and forget. No good is going to come from rehashing who did what to whom. The facts are there was a lot of good done on every side. The Prophet Gordon B Hinckley expressed this thought. Said He, I am married to the most perfect woman on the face of the earth. Well, she does have a few faults and if I concentrated on them for 30 days straight I guess I could manage to hate her. That’s why I can say I’m married to the most perfect woman on the face of the earth. Any of us could say the same. I want to see all my family circling the alter in prayer. We are going to try to set aside the 2nd Friday of every month, the 6pm session as a family Temple night. Jordan River Temple. Dates, times, and places can be adjusted as needed, but to start out, we’ll try this to see how it works. Love Randy and Leslie.