Thoughts upon returning from the Holy Land
I spent one summer a few years ago river guiding on the Provo River above Vivian Park. The river was mild, but the scenery is beautiful. There's a little porch a ways down the run where, when I first started, another guide told me that President Monson grew up and still spends as much time as possible. I've floated that section of river upwards of 50 times and every time, despite never actually seeing him there, I am reminded of him. When I read President Monson's biography, "To the Rescue" my knowledge of the area added a new dimension to his numerous stories that take place there. When he told about the time he accidentally started a forest fire I was able to visualize little Tommy running up the cliff sides I know, panicking at the fast burning brown underbrush that's always there in the summer of a drought year. It makes the story feel more real to me, it adds to the immersion and that, in turn helps me internalize the lessons his stories teach. ...