Hammond Family

Moving forward, one day at a time.

Monday, June 22, 2009

This Made Me Think of Miss Em


I was just looking for something for girl's camp in The Friend ( a church magazine for children) and saw a picture of a little girl in a wheelchair, and had to read the story. When I read it, it made me smile and cry a little, because it reminded me of Emily. During church she loved music, and would get so excited during singing time. I just thought it was short and uplifting, so I thought I'd share it.


C. J. Gudmundson, “Smiles to Share,” Liahona, Jun 2009, F8–F9
Based on a true story“Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you” (D&C 68:6).

“What did you learn in Primary today, Sasha?” Mom asked as they drove home from church.
“Sister Duffy taught us about special gifts called talents,” Sasha said. “She said Heavenly Father gave us all talents so we can help others. She said when we share our talents, it makes people happy.”
“That’s right,” Mom said. “Jesus taught that we should use our talents to serve others.”
Sasha sat quietly for a moment, staring out the window. “But, Mom, what about Lauren?” she asked.
“What about her?” Mom asked.
“Well, she can’t talk, and she’s in a wheelchair. What kinds of talents does she have that can help others?”
“What is the first thing you notice about Lauren when you see her?” Mom asked.
Sasha thought for a minute and then said, “Her smile. Lauren is always smiling.”
“That’s right,” Mom said. “What else?”
“She’s always laughing. Especially when we sing or she hears the piano. She always gets so excited. And she loves to blow kisses to people.”
“How do you feel when you are with Lauren?” Mom asked.
“Happy. I always feel happy when I’m around Lauren,” Sasha said.
“Me too,” Mom said. “That is one of Lauren’s talents. She shares love and happiness with everyone around her. That is one of the most special talents of all.”
“We are here to accomplish something, to bless society with our talents and our learning.”

8 comments:

Janalyn said...

That's sweet, I liked that story as well.

Rich said...

I really enjoyed that! And I think that that was one of Emily's talents too. Thanks for sharing.
- Cynthia

Alisa said...

Great story! Congrats on finishing the marathon...HOLY COW! I can't believe you did that! Way to go! Looks like it was a fun trip :-)

jill said...

so true about Emily. And I would add, she made a person feel peaceful as well as happy.

Beckie said...

I think that is amazing how music touches our young ones. My Maggie loves music and often can turn her moods around.

Tyler & Michelle said...

Thanks for sharing!

Katherine said...

I'm glad you shared that story. Happiness is definitely Timothy's talent as it sounds like it was Emily's. He loves music so much and has a toy piano, but I had never thought of wheeling him up to our real piano. He would LOVE it. I'm going to give it a try!

cornter said...

Amen! she did bring us so much! Thanks for making me cry!