August 2006 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

pain she had suffered and how much
more she would have to endure.
Sara was thrilled that I had
brought my violin. For more than an
hour I played hymns, Primary songs,
classical music, and anything she
requested that I could play by ear. As
I played, Betsy stared at me, wideeyed.
Sara insisted it was the most
alert Betsy had been since her surgery
and was eager for me to keep
playing. Several patients—children
and their parents—stopped by the
room and listened for a while.
Time passed quickly without my
noticing. And as I stood at the foot of
the bed playing “I Am a Child of God”
(Hymns, no. 301), I was overwhelmed
with the intensity of Heavenly
Father’s love for this sick little girl. I
knew as I played that He loved Betsy
dearly and wanted her to find relief
from her pain through the music.
As I left the hospital in the dark
that night to complete my trip to
Louisville, I remembered the words
from my patriarchal blessing that I
had not thought about for some
time. I had been blessed with musical
talent and was expected to develop it
so I could bring joy to others.
Through Betsy I was reminded of
the Lord’s purpose in giving us gifts.
“All these gifts come from God, for
the benefit of the children of God”
(D&C 46:26). By listening to the
Spirit I was given the opportunity to
share my talent as the Lord intended
and to feel the tremendous compassion
He has for His children. ■
“I Was
Watching You”
By Lynn Jensen
It was summertime, right in the
middle of haying season. A lot
of hay was down, and my neighbor
Frank Rees waited eagerly for
the dew to come so he could get
started. It was a Saturday night
when the conditions were finally
right, so Frank drove to his field
and started baling his hay.
As he baled he noticed the
headlights of his friend and neighbor
across several fields. He too
was taking advantage of the favorable
conditions and was baling his
hay. Several years before, Frank
had made the decision not to
work on the Sabbath, and he knew
he would stop on this night just
before midnight to honor that
commitment. He wondered what
his neighbor would do. It would
be such a temptation to continue
baling under these favorable conditions
with so much hay down
and ready.
As the hours passed he continued
to notice his neighbor’s headlights
and knew he was still baling.
A few minutes before midnight
Frank shut off the baler and drove
the tractor to his truck. In the
quiet darkness he noticed that
his neighbor had also chosen to
honor the Sabbath and had quit
baling.
After telling this story in sacrament
meeting, Frank looked over
his shoulder to his neighbor, now
the bishop of their ward.
“Do you remember that?” he
asked.
Bishop Munns nodded and said,
“I didn’t have a watch. I was watching
you.” ■
ENSIGN AUGUST 2006 69