Author Archives: Rebekah Richards

About Rebekah Richards

Born before the internet age, I recall reading my way through the set of encyclopedias in my parents home. In addition to non fiction, I also enjoy a good novel and love the written word. Music was a staple in my childhood home, I love to sing and often sing too loud. When I was 11 years old I went with my grandma and dad to visit Grandma's family in West Virginia where they had lived for generations. I fell in love with "my" people and have spent a lifetime learning their stories. I graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in History and am passionate about people and their stories, those who have paved the way for the life we live, those who impact our lives daily and those whose lives our decisions will affect. I am the sister to six wonderful siblings, the wife of my best friend and the mother to four very above average children. Most of all I find deep hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ and want to follow Him.

Lady Liberty

Following the Civil War and the end of slavery in the United States of America, a French anti-slavery activist proposed a statue representing liberty be built for the United States to honor their centennial of independence and their friendship with France.  This idea grew and in 1875 the Franco-American Union was established.  The French would pay for and create the statue, the Americans would create and pay for the pedestal.  The money was not pledged by the government or a large corporation but was raised primarily from the small contributions of individuals in both countries.

I recently visited New York harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty up close. As the ferry circled the statue the first thing I noticed was the back foot of Lady Liberty. It wasn’t firmly planted on the ground, rather the foot stood on its’ toes as though walking forward, inviting us to follow. Liberty isn’t perfect in our country or any other, yet there she stands, urging people everywhere to make their own donation to liberty, hold up its light and law in every dark corner and keep moving forward until liberty reigns everywhere.

 

As we seek to move liberty forward, we can look to the author of agency, Jesus Christ, who rescues us from bondage, mends our broken hearts, and provides the light that penetrates every kind of darkness.  Like those who donated to the building of the Statue of Liberty, we can also contribute to liberty with our daily efforts to walk in His law, His gentleness, His faith, His longsuffering, His truth, His meekness and His love. Though small and imperfect, our contributions will invite the Spirit of the Lord “…and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Sing Redeeming Love

On Easter Sunday as I listened to my sister sing in church, a memory came of holding her crying child.  Unable to calm the tears, I turned the baby away from me and began to sing.  Her mother and I do not sound the same when we talk, but when we sing, there are so many similarities in our voices that her child stopped crying to listen.  The sound of mother’s voice brought safety and peace.

We live in a world with many voices and endless noise competing for our attention.  The cacophony can cause confusion and tears.  As His children, we may not all sound and look the same, but when we “sing the song of redeeming love” we sound like the Father of us all.  Whether that song is sung in the power of His word, in our witness of His Son, in an act of kindness, with patience or long suffering, rejoicing in forgiveness and truth our voice can echo the familiar notes of our heavenly home resonating in our hearts and the hearts of our brothers and sisters.  “We are…children of the living God who loves us, who is always ready to forgive us, and who will never, ever forsake us….We have so much to be glad about.  We have each other and we have Him.” (Elder Jeffry R. Holland, April 2022)

He is Risen

Ezekiel recorded being shown a vision of a valley full of bones.  “…Behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost:”  I’m not sure how long a body must be dead for its bones to be dry, but it seems that it would be a very long time, so long, their “hope [was] lost.”  Mary and Martha wept at the death of their brother, Lazarus, and stated, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died,” and others questioned, “Could not this man…have caused that even this man should not have died?” (John 11:21,37)   

In this world we all experience the pain of separation, spiritual and physical, from those that we love. We feel pain and sorrow from too many sources to be listed and yet, as Lazarus rose from the tomb, so did Christ.

Long before He was born, He promised Ezekiel “…And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live…then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it,“ (Ezekiel 37:11-14)

Easter morning Stephen and I spent some time among the graves of our ancestors who settled Windsor and Hartford, Connecticut in the early 1600’s.  As we explored the graves of the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford, Connecticut, I smiled at the plastic Easter eggs “hidden” among the tombstones, evidence of faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ to bring resurrection, hope, healing and new life.  We celebrate the hope of that resurrection morning when bodies and spirits will be reunited, healed and made whole.  Likewise, this outward healing is a shadow of what He is doing and can do for our hearts and minds, changing, renewing and reuniting our desires and will with His.  And as He changes us individually, He will also fulfill the “promises made to the fathers” that the hearts of the children will turn to their fathers and the hearts of the fathers will turn to their children and families will be united in a never ending chain of love and priesthood power.  He is risen with healing in His wings, healing for us, healing for our family, healing for the world.

 

Dark Nights

Albert Merrill and Margaret Richison, my husband’s fourth great grandparents, married in 1836 in New York City.  Settling in Connecticut, where his family had lived for generations, they met missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were baptized and several years later with their family of four young children they headed west. 

Arriving in Nauvoo, Illinois on May 18, 1844 they bought a lot for their new home. Margaret joined the Nauvoo choir and gave birth to a son, Austin, who they buried eight months later.  One month after their arrival, the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were martyred at Carthage.  Albert joined the Nauvoo Legion to protect the city and in the summer of 1846, Albert and Margaret left Nauvoo, traveling west across Iowa.  

During a terrible rainstorm on the plains, Margaret gave birth to their son, Alfred.  Attempting to move on after his birth, Margaret could not endure the jolts of the wagon and they remained alone on the trail to give her time to heal.  Albert and then Margaret became sick with chills and fever.  Men sent to rescue them, took them to a few log cabins called “Lost Camp” where Margaret continued to grow worse.  The children became ill and their seven year old son, Alonzo, died.  He was followed a month later by their baby, Alfred, and their nine year old daughter, Amanda.  In his grief, Albert buried them, building a miniature log cabin over their graves to keep the wolves from their bodies.  Their food had run out and Margaret remained so ill she could not turn over in bed for seven months.  Their situation was beyond bleak and it would be hard to hope, but this was not the end.  Margaret recovered and would live to see her numerous posterity of grandchildren and even great grandchildren grow in the Salt Lake Valley and she and Albert bore witness of the miracles that accompanied them in their struggles.


This week we give thanks for a night darker than any night faced by Albert and Margaret when the Savior of the world bore our sins and sorrows, making it possible for Him to know every corner of our dark nights, giving Him the capacity to succor, sustain, redeem, heal and sanctify us.  His sacrifice makes it possible for us to call upon His power and testify, “…And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!…And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions, yea God has delivered me…and He will still deliver me….and I will praise Him forever.” (Alma 36). In every dark night, because of Jesus Christ, there can be hope and light.

Relief

Nineteen years ago, our only daughter made her entrance into the world.  She was a 7 lb 12 ounce delight and we were smitten.  While we revelled in her perfection, my healing did not progress as anticipated.   A team of doctors with varying specialties was assembled.  A procedure to place a filter for a large blood clot forming right beneath my heart was recommended and the doctor who was the most skilled walked off the plane at the end of a family vacation and came straight to the hospital.    Along with the blood clot, I was also bleeding internally.  As healthy as I had been just days before and as much as I wanted to live, it became clear that I was unable to sustain life on my own. Like the Savior who gave His blood to redeem us, someone else’s blood was introduced into my body and it did for me what I could not do for myself, it gave me life.  For the doctors and nurses who spent years and years honing their skills and for the people who sat in a chair donating blood, I may not even be a memory, but their efforts, their gifts brought relief to me and my family, sustaining my life until I could again sustain it on my own.

While my husband remained with me, my mother, who was dealing with health challenges of her own, took our newly discharged baby home for the remaining weeks I would spend in the hospital.  Mom was soon joined by my eighty year old grandma who volunteered for the night shift sleeping in the same room with our daughter, rocking, feeding and talking to her when everyone else was asleep.  Our young adult neighbor cared for our boys during the day, Relief Society sisters brought meals and signed up to come cuddle and nurture our baby and each night my dad slept at our house so our three boys could stay in their own beds.  This army of angels, acting in similitude of our Savior, brought not only physical relief but relief to the heart of a young mother unable to care for her family.

“What is relief? It is the removal or lightening of something painful, troubling, or burdensome, or the strength to endure it….

“We ‘succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.’ ‘bear … one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.’  As we do, we come to know Him, become like Him, and find His relief.” (President Camille N. Johnson, April 2023). As we walk together, sharing the relief of Jesus Christ, we come to know His deep love for each of His children and for us.

#JesusChristisRelief

Water Everywhere

This week I attended a service event highlighting a group that among other things seeks to bring clean water to the people of Kenya.  During the event, a Kenyan woman, Anita, delineated some of the conditions in her native country.  She described the hours women walk to the springs that supply them and their families with water.  She told how often those springs are unprotected and used by both people and animals creating a muddy mess and disseminating disease.  She recounted that in some areas of Kenya, it is not uncommon for a person to go 2 or 3 days without water.  
 
With that introduction, she expressed her confusion when she was kindly offered a water bottle to take with her on the drive to the event.  “Why would I carry water when it is everywhere?” she asked.  As she pointed to the row of glass water dispensers lined up near the refreshment table, I could also see the sink in the kitchen just off the serving area and the sign for the bathroom down the hall.  I have a water bottle on the nightstand by my bed, next to my computer, and in my car.  Water cleans, removes waste and pours from multiple faucets throughout my house. We are surrounded by water. 
 
Likewise, the Savior offers us the refreshing water of His presence.  “…The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14). We can carry His word, in scripture and from the mouths of His prophets, with us.  We can access His peace that passeth understanding and be cleansed through the sanctifying power of His atonement.  We can seek refuge in His holy house and join ourselves to Him and His strength through covenants.  We can emulate Him with our every good desire and effort and spread His love.  “Come,…everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters…For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring…therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” (2 Nephi 9:50, Isaiah 44:3, 2 Nephi 22:3) His water is everywhere.

Wait with Me

At the funeral of his father, my cousin’s husband shared a story.  “When I was four or five, I remember a night when I found breathing to be difficult and Dad and I went outside to breathe the cold air.  It was pitch black, I felt my dad’s hand gently resting on my shoulder and whispering that I was going to be ok.  He was right, the brisk air did help and I was able to relax … I learned early in my life…[Dad] will wait with me, no matter the concern, no matter the question, he waits with me.  His hand will be gentle and his support will be felt.” (Lon Stone, February 2, 2024)  
 
He continued, “Of all the waiting I have seen my dad demonstrate, it’s his dedication and desire to wait on the Lord that impresses me the most.  I’ve only known Dad to pursue or surrender to the Lord’s will.  As a result I’ve witnessed a disciple of Christ become a friend unto the Lord. 
 
My dad waited on the Lord and as a result, knew how to wait with me…” (Ibid)
 
We all have days where we feel like we are in the dark, struggling to breathe, but we aren’t there alone.  There is the gentle hand of our Father resting on our shoulder and a quiet voice whispering that we will be ok.  As we trust the Lord and wait with Him, we can trust His care for those we wait with, knowing that no matter the concern, no matter the question, He will be there with us.

His Work

Recently, we were assigned to help clean our ward building.  Our team included a family with an older Primary child who was enthusiastic to help.  As I worked my way around the building disinfecting countertops, I found this child in the kitchen happily wielding a large mop and bucket.  It was a lot to manage but the child didn’t seem to mind and was pleased with the job.  As the child left the kitchen, it was easy for me to mop up a little of the extra water on the floor and quickly wipe up any spots that had been missed.  As I finished, I thought about all the ways the Lord lets us help long before we have any expertise.  Though our early efforts can be messy, He is not discouraged.  He is completely capable of doing all the work but delights in our desire and efforts to work beside Him.  
 
As an apprentice would bind themselves to a master to learn a trade, we bind ourselves to God ensuring our place in His classroom and workshop where we learn to become like Him.  “‘Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant.  Now we are bound together.  Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us.  Each of us has a special place in God’s heart…Jesus Christ is the guarantor of those covenants.’  If we will remember this, the Lord’s high hopes for us will inspire, not discourage, us.” (Elder D. Todd Christofferson quoting President Russell M. Nelson, October 2022)
 
Though the apprentices are learning and training, our Master is so powerful He brings quality to our clumsiest attempts. The Lord does His work with us “helping”, His work is us. In His care, we can  “cheerfully do all things that lie in our power;…then…stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. (D&C 123:17)  He is doing His work in us.
 
 

Love the Life You Have

Thirty four years ago today, Kelsi Craven was born.  I didn’t meet her until she was nine years old and my husband and I and our infant son moved into the house next door to the Cravens.  Kelsi’s body was afflicted with muscular dystrophy which stole bits of her movement and body throughout her life but with determination and courage, she changed her disease from an affliction into a pulpit.  

She graduated from Davis High School with honors, she graduated from seminary and in the evening I loved to hear the laughter and chatter of her teenage friends floating to our yard from the Craven’s back deck.  Her determination was supported by the incredible effort of her family and by a devoted neighbor who was Kelsi’s aide at school and who I often caught walking through the early morning dark past my window when extra help for Kelsi was needed.

Duplicating that care away from home seemed impossible but as her friends prepared to go to college, Kelsi voiced her steel.  “I would rather die than live with you and dad for the rest of my life,” she told her mother, and so her parents with deep love set aside their own fears and began to help her find a way.  Kelsi graduated cum laude in social work from Utah State University where she served on the student council advocating for changes to make conventional education more attainable for people with disabilities.  She was selected as the runner up for Miss Wheelchair Utah and had begun work on her Masters of Social Work at BYU when a car accident set in motion complications that took her life nine years ago. 

Kelsi shared her own view of her life.  “I used to stand, walk, ride horses and four wheelers and much more.  Those eventually got taken away from me.  Do I miss it?  Of course.  Do I dwell on the fact I can’t do some of the things I used to love?  No.  Why?  It is a depressing waste of time that gets me no where in life.  I am lucky to find much joy in what I can do….Go live and love the life you have.  It’s the only one you will ever get on this earth, don’t waste that gift.”

Some testimonies are shared in word and some testimonies are lived.  The power of God is made manifest not just through healing but through ordinary people whose faith and courage in their challenges allows goodness, hope, kindness, charity, and strength to radiate from them as well.  “Live and Love the life you have” and just like Kelsi, God will make Himself manifest in you. (John 9:3)

Better Nature

As the American Revolution wound to a close, the Continental Congress, reliant on the contributions of the states for income, had failed to follow through on promised payments to soldiers.  While Congress debated their financial fate, several high ranking officers began gathering support to use their skills and resources to force the hand of the government to receive their due.  Learning of their plans, General George Washington made the journey to Newburgh, New York to address the officers and soldiers.  He outlined the cause for which they they had fought and condemned “any who wishes, under any specious pretenses, to overturn the liberties of our Country, & who wickedly attempts to open the flood gates of civil discord, & deluge our rising empire in blood.”  He brought with him a letter from Senator Joseph Jones of Virginia, promising the good intentions of Congress.  Unable to read the letter, Washington reached for his pocket, ““Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in service of my country.”  Tempers were tamed, patience renewed and the fledgling United States of America did not turn on itself.  
 

In 1861, with several southern states seceding from the United States, the newly inaugurated President Abraham Lincoln encouraged, “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” While it is easy to speak the words, Lincoln also set an example, naming his political rivals, including an abolitionist from New York and a former slaveholder from Missouri, to his cabinet where he listened to disparate views and built bridges throughout his presidency.

On President’s Day, we celebrate in gratitude leaders who during dark days have set aside anger and hostility and encouraged us to listen, have faith in liberty, remember all that we share and give heed to “the better angels of our nature.”

George Washington Source
Abraham Lincoln Source