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Show 5 73 I nodded dumbly. Why i s he t e l l i n g me a l l t h i s ? I wondered. "The f i r s t mistake^ the LeBaron brethren made was in forming their own church. There's only one true church on the face of the earth today - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." I looked up at him, marveling. How could he feel such certainty about an i n s t i t u t i o n that had spawned so much pain and confusion for so many people. And then I realized that the a Jhurch could not be blamed, any more thanAlight can be blamed for the shadows %ka4s ean bit JOTTItt at i t s periphery. I cleared my t h r o a t . "Daddy, I . . . I want you to know something. I...I know I've been d i f f i c u l t . I've made a lot of mistakes. But...I can see now what a fine thing you've given your children. So many of my students come from bc\r?ken homes - they don't see t h e i r fathers at a l l , and they don't have anyone to place expectations on them. It breeds a kind of . . . slothfulness of mind and soul." My father was shuffling the cards for s o l i t a i r e , but he nodded to signify his agreement. I wondered why he always played s o l i t a i r e at my mother's house. Some of the other mothers wouldn't l e t him play cards, i t was true, but he almost hid behind that deck of cards. Perhaps he was uJ&iftea lonely nere, for = my mother's children had mm* themselves into a l i f e independent of him. Could -jit be that he missed the relationship as much as I did? I struggled on, trying to express my feelings. " I . .. r 'a glad for the example of dedication you've given us. ^en though i t has kept you away from u s . . . " I choked. % am I speaking^for my brothers?! wondered. /Jhau ngnx |
