Wondrous Memories
October 2025 - Bruce Fairbairn, Elder
Watching our 6-month old grandson Noah develop and experience life with fresh eyes naturally brings to mind wonderful family memories of our two children growing up. Among the hundreds of warm, funny and challenging moments that Barb and I have been blessed with, these are a few of my more indelible memories. One summer we drove to Yellowstone and the Teton mountains. Along the way we stopped at a western ghost town in South Dakota with many interesting buildings and memorabilia to investigate. Grazing in the pasture was the white stallion (so they claimed) that Kevin Costner rode in Dances with Wolves. We were walking across a meadow on the outskirts of town when, all of a sudden and like a Biblical plague, thousands of locusts swarmed up from the grass buzzing all around us. Sarah took off screaming with her arms flailing wildly to ward off the bugs. Younger brother Neal just laughed hysterically at his sister’s predicament. Another time, we were coming out of Walmart’s. Five-year old Neal grabbed my hand and looked up at me with a rather impish grin. I asked him what was the matter and he slowly pulled out a candy bar from his pocket that he had taken off the shelf. I turned us right around and went back to the store where we were met by the Walmart greeter. Neal handed the pilfered candy bar to this kindly elderly man who immediately adopted a very stern but faux attitude saying “Now young man, this is VERY serious. We better NEVER find you doing THIS again!” One year we went to a farm to cut down our own Christmas tree. We trudged through the snow evaluating many possibilities before selecting the perfect tree. As we carried it back to the stand, Sarah suddenly stopped by a very small and bedraggled pine. Playing a consummate actress and faking a trembling lower lip and cracking voice, Sarah pointed at the tree saying “Piney”. Now, you need to understand that this pine made Charley Brown’s tree look magnificent by comparison. I said “let’s give that little tree a few more years to grow and maybe we’ll come back for it.” Another Christmas, we brought home a live tree complete with a large burlap ball. In mid-January I went to plant it in our backyard. I grew cold, tired, and frustrated as I dug a large hole in frozen ground as an icy snow fell, the wind howled and the temperature was much below freezing. I heard a tapping noise and saw Barbara and the kids smiling and waving at me from the window of our brightly lit (and warm!) family room. I immediately felt a marvelous warmth spread through my body and resumed my labor with cheerfulness and enthusiasm. We often enjoyed outside activities together and one day we hiked to a very isolated and picturesque spot. I had found this area years ago as I bushwhacked off path and I said something to the effect that “this is a very special place that few people have had the privilege to see” (mostly true I believe). Sarah squeezed my hand and Neal, on my shoulders, hugged my neck tightly as both thanked me for taking them to this special place. Crestview youth often put on plays and musicals while Sarah was young and she was invariably in the cast. My fondest memory was her portrayal of Mary in a Christmas pageant. I think she was 9 or 10 at the time and she sang a beautiful song holding a plastic Jesus. My eyes brimmed with tears and I don’t think I was the only one! We were not in that Upper Room when Jesus shared the new covenant in His body and blood with the disciples, but the Gospels place us right there as if we were. Almost like our individual memories, we can envision that beautiful moment long ago. We also remember the many times we have shared that same Sacrament with family and friends. Let’s gather round the Lord’s Table again and create more wondrous memories! Bruce Fairbairn   |
