"That's All of 'Em"

In 1918 Brother George Goates was a farmer who raised sugar beets in Lehi, Utah.
Winter came early that year and froze much of his beet crop in the ground.
For George and his young son Francis, the harvest was slow and difficult.
Meanwhile, an influenza epidemic was raging.
The dreaded disease claimed the lives of George's son Charles and three of Charles's small children--two little girls, and a boy.
In the course of only six days, a grieving George Goates made three separate trips to Odgen, Utah, to bring the bodies home for burial.
At the end of this terrible interlude, George and Francis hitched up their wagon and headed back to the beet field.

"[On the way] they passed wagon after wagon-load of beets being hauled to the factory and driven by neighborhood farmers.
As they passed by, each driver would wave a greeting: 'Hi ya, Uncle George,' 'Sure sorry, George,' 'Tough break, George,' 'You've got a lot of friends, George.'

"On the last wagon was ... freckled-faced Jasper Rolfe.
He waved a cheery greeting and called out: 'That's all of 'em, Uncle George.'

"[Brother Goates] turned to Francis and said: 'I wish it was all ours.'

"When they arrived at the farm gate, Francis jumped down off the big red beet wagon and opened the gate as [his father] drove onto the field.
[George] pulled up, stopped the team, ... and scanned the field.
... There wasn't a sugar beet on the whole field.
Then it dawned upon him what Jasper Rolfe meant when he called out: 'That's all of 'em, Uncle George!'

"[George] got down off the wagon, picked up a handful of the rich, brown soil he loved so much, and then ... a beet top, and he looked for a moment at these symbols of his labor, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Then [he] sat down on a pile of beet tops--this man who brought four of his loved ones home for burial in the course of only six days; made caskets, dug graves, and even helped with the burial clothing--this amazing man who never faltered, nor flinched, nor wavered throughout this agonizing, ordeal--sat down on a pile of beet tops and sobbed like a little child.

"Then he arose, wiped his eyes, ... looked up at the sky, and said: 'Thanks, Father, for the elders of our ward.'"

-D. Todd Christofferson - The Priesthood Quorum -October 1998 General Conference

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

...Involved being annoyed at my grandmother, and reading the scriptures. But reading them wasn't helping, it was only making me angrier....

-S.N.D