The Gift of a Friend -- In Honor of My Parents

Twelve was a hard age for me.  I think it might be a hard age for many girls.  I had my own room that year, right next to my older sister's room.  I have been blessed with wonderful siblings, and I had always been good friends with them, and maybe up to this point, with my older sister particularly;  but she was fifteen, and discovering the wonderful world of boys and beauty.  I was young, and felt left out and lonely.  I felt like nobody understood what I was going through.  Woe was me.

Thankfully, I had parents who encouraged me to read the scriptures.  I can still remember reading at night, and my excitement to find out what would happen next as I discovered my hero, Captain Moroni.  I can remember thrilling to the words of the prophet Alma as he wished that he was an angel, and trying to understand why he felt he had sinned in that wish.  But it was while working my way through The Doctrine and Covenants that I discovered that the scriptures answered questions that I had.  It was through these scriptures that I really came to know that Heavenly Father knows me, and what I am going through, and that He is really there -- ready to help.

When I was twelve, the scriptures became my friend.  They were there anytime I needed them, and they reminded me that I am a child of God who has a purpose, who is understood, and who is loved.  By encouraging me to read the scriptures, my parents had given me the gift of a friend -- and so much more.  I honor them, and thank them for that encouragement.  My life has been so much better because of the heroic, faithful, stalwart people I met in the scriptures, and the answers to life's important questions that are found there.

*Pictures from Google Images