the one about the Sabbath

I'll be honest, when I was younger the Sabbath meant I could catch up on homework, take a nap, and watch movies, all without having to feel guilty about it. Yes, my parents taught me there were a lot of options for our Sabbath day observance, but I always chose the easy and lazy ones. As I have made personal decisions to realign my will, and my day, with those that the Savior teaches, I have seen such a change in my life.
"And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath." Mark 2:27 As I read that scripture I can only see God's mercy and compassion on us. He knew exactly how we would live our lives, especially in today's society. He understands and recognizes we have so much going on. We burden ourselves with to do lists and think we have to be doing something at every moment. He blessed us with one day that we could "rest from our labors." And on top of that, He gave us a commandment to honor that day! He wants us to take a break from the things we do every single day, as well as the stress that comes with it. When we take a break from work (or making others work), from school, and our to do lists; it is to help us draw closer to Him.
"...Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you..." Exodus 31:13 Our actions on the Sabbath are signs unto God of how we are willing to use the blessings He offers us. A few years ago I committed to no longer do homework on Sunday. Of course, there is no text or rule that says we cannot, it was a personal choice. To me, it wasn't the sign I wanted to give Him. I noticed such a difference that it made on my Sundays. I wasn't suddenly burdened thinking, "Oh I have to do this assignment before tomorrow." My Sundays were filled with the Spirit, which strengthened me throughout the week. Not to mention, I performed and felt better about my classes and my homework.
Recently, I have made other alterations on my Sabbath day observances and cannot believe how real the commandment and the blessings are! Simple changes like choosing to do family history, baking for friends, or visiting nursing homes have made Sundays so special and much more enjoyable, because they are now sacred.
Most importantly though, the Sabbath is His day for us to specifically remember His Son. As we enter the dedicated chapels all around the world, we prepare for the most important 15 minutes of our entire 168 hour week. The sacrament is one of our Heavenly Father's greatest gifts to us. It is there, that we contemplate our week and set goals to become better. It is there, that we partake of the bread and water which renew our covenants with Him. It is during those 15 minutes when we hear what must be the sweetest of prayers to remind us of our commitments to the Father, the love of our Savior, and the gift of the Spirit to be with us always. How significant those moments are that we let pass by without even a thought at times. Each sacrament meeting has become so important to me with these precious reminders of how loved I am, how loved we all are. Nothing has affected me more each week than having time to specifically ponder Jesus Christ's Atonement.
I am eternally grateful that Heavenly Father knows us better than we know ourselves. He knew that I needed a day to come closer to Him, to serve, to study, and to be touched by the Spirit. It is a renovation on my soul and prepares me to face my week with hope as well as a positive outlook. Our living Prophets and Apostles are inspired. We all can improve our Sabbath day observances. I'm thankful we have their counsel and their direction from the Lord, I doubt I would've ever identified it as an area to improve on. Their examples and their words inspire me to do more, to be better, and to try harder. Heavenly Father deserves our effort and our willingness to obey all of His commandments. I hope we each can do our part to give Him back His day and to make the Sabbath a delight.

the one about the stories that bind us

An important principle in my home was to always remember our name. As I think about that now I'm touched by how my parents showed their love and taught my siblings and I. My dad would remind us our last name was our heritage and a part of us. Our actions spoke for who we were and who our ancestors were. We were to always live worthy of that last name. As I think about it now I'm sure my dad meant more than just our family name. We are disciples of Christ, and as such, should always live worthy of His name as well. At baptism we covenanted to take upon us His name (Mosiah 18) with that, we covenanted to always remember Him. Our actions spoke not only of our family but also of our dear Savior. How would I reflect Him this day? Having that as one of our family themes made it easier to make choices and overcome challenges because I knew to whom I belong to, my earthly family as well as my Heavenly one.
In a research done and summarized in an article in the New York Times, called Stories That Bind Us, the study discussed how children who knew more about their family and who had a family theme of some sort performed better through difficulties and astronomical troubles. Perhaps, one of the greatest gifts we can give our families is the knowledge of unity. Through whatever may come, we are not alone. I recognize how pivotal those educational moments with my family were. We always gathered together around the table and discussed our days. We were taught how to handle adversities. We discussed important topics that I'm sure were not fun to bring up, but were necessary to learn. I'm grateful for loving parents who tried again and again to help my siblings and I know that despite any actions we would still belong to our family and to Heavenly Father's. We were to do our very best and remember who we were. I hope to be that kind of teacher to my children someday as well.

the one about my Grandma Gloria

I was only six years old when Grandma Gloria passed away, but her legacy continues to inspire me. Some of my fondest memories are walking hand in hand with my older sister to her house after school. We would climb the counter to peek into the candy cabinet and await the poached eggs with milk that would surely be our dinner. Her tiger lamp, famous spiral iron staircase, and the enchanting carousel horse are just the possessions that made grandma so unique to my cousins and me. Now I recognize the pivotal example she was to so many through her instant and permanent testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Gloria was born in a small town in central Nebraska in the year of 1928. She was an only child for most of her life. Her parents adopted her brother and sister after she was an adult. Her place of education was a one-room, country schoolhouse outside the town of Burwell. Her family was taught in the ways of the Methodist faith, but rarely attended.

 Annually, the quaint little school would bring in Catholic Nuns for a week to teach the students stories from the Bible. For days, they would read and discuss the lessons learned from Noah, Moses, David, and other prophets and people in the Old and New Testament. At the end of the week, they were each asked to stand in front of the class and recount their favorite story. At the age of seven, my grandma stood and shared her favorite story, “…when God lit the stones so the men could see in the boats.”  The teachers were puzzled. “Gloria, that’s a nice story but it is not one of the Bible stories.” With the closest LDS chapel and, likely, the closest Book of Mormon (what is the Book of Mormon? read here) as well, hundreds of miles away, her mother, the teachers, as well as herself, had no idea how she had heard this story. When asked, she had responded, “I don't know how I know it, but I know it’s true.” They asked every minister they came in contact with about the story but no one seemed to have ever heard such a tale. Gloria never forgot.

As years passed, that experience was always in the back of Gloria’s mind. But soon she met Norman Sillivan, the love of her life, and they were married in January of 1947. They had four children and adopted four, as well. Gloria and Norman raised their kids with the values of hard work, faith, and determination. They were also members of the Methodist church, although they didn’t attend but for special occasions. Still, they were known for their honesty, loyalty, values, and hard work.

In the summer of 1972, my grandparents decided to take the three kids that were still left at home on a trip to California to visit family. As fortune would have it, Salt Lake City was where they spent the night after a long day’s drive. After recognizing the tourist options within the city, they decided to at least walk around Temple Square. Not surprisingly, they were handed many brochures, as well as a Book of Mormon. After their planned 15-minute walk turned into three hours, they headed on their way.

As they drove, grandma read bits and pieces of her new literature out loud to her family.  They soon returned home and the book was placed on the shelf. Years passed and it collected dust. Finally, in the year of 1975, my grandma picked up the Book of Mormon once again. In the little village of Arcadia, Nebraska, Mormonism was hardly heard of.  And the few people, who had heard of it, knew very little about it. This included my grandma, other than the few hours spent in Salt Lake City.

My dad, the youngest of the eight children, only knows the story through his eyes. He was playing pool with his father in the basement of their little farmhouse. Suddenly, they heard a scream, along with tears, coming from just up the stairs. Upon reaching the top, they found Gloria sitting with the Book of Mormon in hand. With happiness and what must have also been shock and confusion, she shouted “I found my story!” Sure enough, out of curiosity, she had taken the book from the shelf and began reading where she had left off: Ether 3.

She was hungry for more; more knowledge about this book. She had so many questions. She did know one thing though, the story she had known all those years before as a small child, really did happen. Gloria wrote Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, asking for additional information about the church and the message of this Book of Mormon. For three years she waited, until one day two elders, missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, walked into her local business asking for a Gloria Sillivan.  She recognized who they must be immediately and responded, “What took you so long?”

Norman, Gloria, and the two youngest of the family, my aunt and my father, began meeting with these Mormon missionaries. The elders came, from the closest branch 100 miles away, to teach the family. Within just a few short months, the four were baptized on October 11, 1978 in the Middle Loup River. The recent converts were not always fortunate enough to make the drive to a newly formed branch only 70 miles away every Sunday. But members came for visits to strengthen and support their family.  Meetings were held in their home and as their testimonies increased, so did their church attendance. For years they continued to drive 140 miles round trip each Sunday and Wednesday as new callings came.

Now, 37 years later, I see the influence my courageous grandmother had on so many. Her leading example has brought dozens to the truth and to the knowledge of the gospel. She testified through the power of the Holy Ghost to all those who questioned and doubted her faith. The first daughter to be baptized brought her husband into the church and my father married a young lady from their first branch. Eventually, the church grew in our remote area and my dad was asked to help form a branch closer to home, this time only 30 miles away. The Broken Bow Branch was created in 1992.  My father was called as the first Branch President, fulfilling a statement from one of the missionaries that baptized them: “Someday this area will see a President Sillivan.”

On October 11, 2012, exactly 34 years from the day of her own baptism, two more of Gloria’s daughters were baptized. The gospel, and her example, continues to bless many of her grandchildren and great grandchildren to this day.

My grandma’s role in building the church in central Nebraska has been pivotal. My grandma’s role in building my family’s testimony has been without measure. Her unshakeable testimony of the gospel has taught me patience in learning, faith in God, and to believe that good things come to those who seek after truth. Her faith in a simple book, and even more so, within a short story, has testified to me that miracles do still occur. In Mormon 9:19 it says, “And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.”

Heavenly Father is aware of every individual. He knows their needs, their desires, and their heartaches and will always send assistance. He sent aid to my grandmother exactly when she needed it, to eventually bring her the eternal truths that would not only bless her life, but her family’s life for generations to come on both sides of the veil.

Although my testimony may have first started on the foundation of my parents, I too, now know firmly that my Heavenly Father lives and truly did send Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the World. The Book of Mormon will bring any honest seeker to truth and happiness. All the blessings He has in store for us in this life come through faithfulness to His commandments. I am so thankful for my testimony and the witness of my grandma, Gloria Sillivan. 

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