936. Miracles this last weekend, and a most inspirational Sacrament meeting!

On Friday I left with my daughter Anita and her husband Reed Lunnen, to go down to Cedar City and hear her son Ben and his wife Ashlee Lieske in a Choir concert at SUU (Southern Utah University), where they are both music majors.
It was really great, and after spending the night with my sister Vina and going to a family baptism and wedding shower, we were headed back to Cedar for Ashlee's Senior Vocal Recital, Saturday at 6 p.m.


This is Ashlee and Ben after her recital, which Reed and I missed!

This is where the fun began!  (Not really fun!)  We wanted to be there by 5 p.m. to help set up a refreshment table after the recital, which was Ashlee's private recital as she will graduate next Spring, with her Bachelor's degree in Music Education.  Soon after we left St. George on the freeway, we saw a sign that said there would be delays in the traffic about 15 miles up the freeway.  We were hoping that it was an old sign, but sure enough as we got there the traffic came to a stop!  We weren't even moving for about 10 minutes, and began to get a bit nervous.  We had  planned to buy flowers for her after we got to Cedar, so they would be fresh, etc.  We barely had enough time to get there, if all went well.  But it didn't!  (That is what it seemed to be, but read on!)

The traffic had begun to move, slowly, and we were moving along, and Reed, who was driving, said "I think we have a flat tire!"  Well!  That was another snag!  Sure enough it was flat, and quickly they began to unload the trunk into the back seat, to get the spare small donut tire, jack, and wrenches.  Everything was there but the wrenches!  We quickly called Sam, Anita's son who hadn't left St. George yet.  He had wrenches, so we waited abt 25 minutes in quite a strong wind, etc., for him to come.  Finally, the small tire was on, but in order to get to Cedar City, on a Saturday night, and buy new tires for the front, Anita left with Sam and his wife Becca, for the recital. 

This was Anita and her husband Reed, and Ben and Ashlee after the Choir concert on Friday night.

 I went with Reed, slowly on the donut, and we made it to Wal-Mart in Cedar about 20 minutes to 7, barely in time for them to put 2 new tires on before they were to close at 7.  

After that, we went to SUU and got in on the end of the reception for Ashlee, the recital long finished.  Anita, Sam and Becca had been about 10 minutes late, but got to enjoy most of the recital, which they said was beautiful.  In fact, Ben came on and sang the last number with her.  We were able to leave by 8 p.m. and drive clear back home -- arriving here in West Bountiful about 11:30, and they got to Ogden by soon after 12 midnight.  

Here are the miracles!  We were going slow on the freeway, and didn't have a flat tire going fast!  Sam hadn't passed us, and we were able to use his wrenches.  Wal-Mart was closing at 7, and no other places would have been open in Cedar after that on Saturday night!  If it had happened a few miles north of Cedar after having all gone to the recital, we would have been stuck in the dark!  Reed had a very important meeting he had to be to at 7 a.m. this morning, (Sunday) and he was scheduled to give his High Counsel talk at 9 a.m. in a meeting.  Our daughter Pam and her husband had a serious accident many years ago by getting a flat tire suddenly, traveling fast on a freeway.  WE WERE SO BLESSED, AND THANKFUL, EVEN THOUGH REED AND I MISSED THE RECITAL!    We can listen to a recording in the future.



Ben and Ashlee were married last year in July.

Now for the beautiful Sacrament Meeting we went to at 1:00 p.m. in Layton.  To back up, there is a sweet Downs Syndrome man, Zack, in his 30's who absolutely loves the Tabernacle Choir.  He comes to most of their Thursday night practices and sits and leads them in the audience.  His ward choir director arranged for many members (and former members -- one of which is my son Wayne) to come and sing a song with their ward choir.  And Zack led them, fulfilling his dream of "directing the Tabernacle Choir."  The member of the Bishopric who announced this would happen told of how Zack's pure spirit had uplifted many in their ward, etc. 

 Ryan Murphy, one of the leaders of the Tabernacle Choir, actually came and accompanied them on the very difficult piano accompaniment.  It brought tears to my eyes.  One speaker, in addition to 2 youth speakers, was Hunter Burnett, leaving this Wednesday on his mission to the Republic of Congo, in Africa.  The other speaker, Elder Geoffrey Seamons,  was a fine young man who returned from a Hmong (Vietnamese) speaking mission in California.  He sang with the Tabernacle Choir group before he spoke, and was wiping tears from his eyes as he sang.  He had sung the same number in a choir before his mission, and they all had it memorized. 

A sweet young mother sitting on the front row just in front of us had 4 small children, the oldest of which was 7 years old.  One boy, around 3 years old, had a birth defect, and his little right arm ended just below his elbow.  and a sweet baby girl I believe, was Downs Syndrome.  It touched my heart that she was there with 4 beautiful children, without her husband with her.  We don't know just why he wasn't -- ?  

So those two situations, the miracles on the trip home, and also the beautiful Sacrament Meeting today are both making me so grateful and happy tonight! 

 I KNOW WE WERE BLESSED AND PROTECTED, AND THAT THE MEETING WE WERE IN Today WAS SO FULL OF THE BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT OF THE GOSPEL!   Heavenly Father truly watches over us!  


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