After Ninety Four Years , a letter to my descendants

 May 7, 2021

My Dearest Posterity, consisting of Children, grandchildren and great grandchildren:

I’m beginning this essay a few days before my 94th birthday and I hope I will be able to conclude it by my birthday (May 7, 1927).

I don’t want to bore you with events that have recently taken place, but I do want to express some of my feelings that I'm having right now.

I don’t know how much longer the Lord will permit me to live, but I do know that I don’t have control over when that event, called death, will take place.  However, I am comfortable with that knowledge.   I don’t look forward to that event, not that I am frightened by it.   I love the world that God created for us to live in and help in building the kingdom. I love the family He has given me to help me in these remaining years or days of my life.  The fact exists that as I get older, I become more dependent upon the family around me. When you were young, mother’s and father’s were required to help you become independent.  Now, the roles have reversed.  This situation of role reversal has become difficult to adjust to, but not unpleasant.  Be that as it is.  

I want to express some deep heartfelt feelings that are far more meaningful than those above.

Many of you are members of the Lord’s kingdom on the earth through your baptism by me or your father.  That baptism for the remission of sins has become more important to me now than any other time in my life.  I am grateful for the extra time that I have been given to repent of my sins and try to come unto Jesus Christ that I may, at some time, merit forgiveness.  Many leave this world before having a chance of receiving such merit.  Their lives are cut short for one reason or another.  In the past few years I have had the honor and privilege of giving to some of my cousins, who are in the spirit world, the ordinance of baptism for the remission of their sins.  My testimony of that sacred ordinance is so wonderful to me.  Through faith I know that the Lord means exactly what he says.  I don’t know how repentance works in the spirit world but I know that it is much easier here while we live.

I know the process that we go through to receive a remission of our sins is long because we can't live in this world without sinning, even though we find instances in scripture where the Lord grants forgiveness  immediately.  We repent and overcome one sin after another, but low and behold another sin needs to be repented of.  I have a testimony that this problem is fixed by partaking of the Sacrament each week.  The Lord says “ok, now, that you have promised to keep my commandments, sin no more”  And so we go forward each week with a determination to do just that.  But, in spite of that determination we fail.  My testimony is that the Lord continues to stretch forth his arm to forgive us as long as we continue to try.  The importance of that promise each week cannot be overlooked.

I pray that each of you may learn to receive the Holy Ghost and follow its promptings and be led to Eternal Life.  Of these things I testify and know that they are true in His Holy Name, even Jesus Christ.