Share The Light

Thank you for your question.  If I was sitting in my office with you, your son, his girlfriend(I don’t know what else to call her), her parents and Warren, I would tell you all the same thing that I am going to tell you now. Any marriage, or vow, or association to be legal in the sight of God must be between two virtuous people who are under no vows with anyone else. The two marrying parties are the only ones that can keep their vows sacred, that can make their marriage work, that can keep their virtue intact.

I can just hear the gasps of revelation, what about revelation. We all know the drill don’t we. What about those covenants before we came here? Blah, blah, blah, blah!  If Mormons would just stop quoting each other and pay attention to what is Fundamental to our faith, they would certainly be less confused. It is legal and lawful before God, for men and woman to get married! Once they are married they have a responsibility to protect that vow they made, be honorable with each other and leave everyone else alone. This question is not about plural marriage so we will leave that topic for another day. If these people are single, virtuous, old enough, and if the only thing that stands in their path is some mental guilt that they are displeasing God in some way, I would say they should get over it! And so should you dad (father, patriarch, god, grinch, king, lord, ruler, master).  We have quoted everyone in Mormon history from Ohio to Utah, until for the most part as a people no one is more confused than a Mormon, unless of course it is a break away Mormon who is trying to please every old grunter, estranged revelator, or modern day prophet who ever said anything on the topic of marriage.  Our Savior said that marriage was legal and right, and He gave guide lines for married people to follow that would lead them back into the presence of God. Go read the Ten Commandments for a quick reference on a couple of those guide lines.

This is what to tell your son. Tell him that he should go with the young woman and talk to her parents. They will probably be disowned but that doesn’t matter so much right now. Being honest with your future inlaws won’t hurt a thing. It will grow you up some. Give them an invitation to attend the wedding.  Go get a marriage license and then find a judge, jp or marriage commissioner to oversee their promise with each other. Now stay faithful all the rest of your life to that promise and you will be blest of God and bound to each other until death overtakes either one of you.

I see no good reason to waste away your life under these circumstances. Jumping Jupiter! I forgot to mention the Priesthood! A word of advice for all you Priesthood guys that are so full of Priesthood juice that you have misplaced the fundamentals of our faith: grab a brain, mind your business, go to work, and try reading the Bible or Book of Mormon for awhile.

Joy McPhail said it best on election night. She said something like this: If Wally Oppal would have spent more time going and talking to his people, and less time looking for photo ops, the outcome may have been different. Carole James, in her excellent speech on election night said, “there is no better measure of a citizen than standing up for what you believe in.” Maybe Wally believed in what he was doing, but, I think that he just forgot to look in the mirror. And for sure, if I was a resident of Delta South, I wouldn’t have voted for him either!

I get asked that question lots. I am and have been working on my book for several years. I would think that I know more about my story than anyone else does. My life has been filled with interesting events, experiences, sweethearts and children. There is so much to tell about when we were growing up, our rich culture, our heritage. I have great memories of my siblings, classmates, our economy and the evolution of our community. I am sure someone would be interested.

I don’t think that I could tell my life in one book. I don’t even know if anyone would read it. I haven’t read or even been mildly interested in the smut books already written about us. Any thinking person must know that there is a rich good side of a thriving community like ours, and it has not been captured yet. I hope that one of my “book worm” children will be a writer and if they do then I will give them lots of things to write about. It seems to me that a story for children would be just as interesting as anything.

I have been asked why I don’t read what others have written about us. Since I am writing my story I surely do not want it to be driven down the road of rebutting what someone else has said. No one will ever win a stinking fight with a skunk, and though amusing as it would be to watch one, the smell is very tiresome.  So, I am writing the experiences as they come to mind and I have decided to use the real names of the people involved.  I have a great chapter coming up about the RCMP, complete with my arrest. I think it will be quite interesting to many people. Also, I could write a book just about Bishop experiences. I have had 25 years worth of those.

When I get all finished I will see if Oprah will help me promote it! Ha! Ha!