This is an original painting of the St. George Tabernacle.

It was a summer afternoon in August and the rain had been intermittent throughout the day. In the hot desert the rain was a welcome break. As we walked down near the old tabernacle the sun broke through the clouds. The red brick of the tabernacle glowed against the grey storm clouds. It was a breathtaking moment in this beautiful city.

Here is the story:

This is Rosalind. She is the mother of six. Most of the children are old enough to live on their own; yet none of them are mature enough to do so. She wonders where she went wrong and how she could have missed giving them the motivating feelings of adventure and independence that come so readily to youth. Perhaps she had been too hard on them and they were afraid of being unable to succeed in the modern world. Perhaps she had been too soft and they lacked the skills and conviction required to carve out a life. Of one thing she was certain: she might not ever be privileged to know the answer to either question.

For now, she worked full-time downtown at a job she never quite chose. She dresses simply because affording much more was out of the question. The children seem to get any thing that is extra - and oftentimes that extra includes what she feels is the last shred of her sanity.

She often feels she is failing at everything. It is only through the quiet moments before bedtime when she can talk openly with her husband that she can wholly be herself. As they talk she discovers that he often has similar feelings and fears. Sometimes they laugh at their weakness; other times they cry through the bitter losses and disappointments. The one constant is, and has ever been, each other.

They lean on each other equally and completely. They confide in each other and trust each other with their deepest fears. In those quiet moments before bedtime she finds her paradise.

She may have a thirty-something problem still living at home; but, she has an eternity of solutions that lies down beside her every night.

For Rosalind, her “eternity” has always been more than enough to keep her striving through life.