I did take time out this morning to go the the DUP convention from 10-noon. I don't like to waste money on raffle tickets no matter how cute the quilt, so I purchased some things from the gift table instead: 2 coloring books, a pioneer sunbonnet, and a tiny doll.
The best part for me was listening to the stories. My favorite story this year happened to an Ogden man. He was taking his lunch break when he noticed that someone had left a crumpled up newspaper on the table that had been used to wrap a sandwich in. Having nothing else to do, he decided to smooth out the paper and read it while he ate his lunch. There was an article reprinted from 50 years ago. He read about how a boy had fallen off a cow and broken his arm. Gangrene had set in and there was nothing left to do but amputate the arm. As the man read the article he realized that the boy in the story was his dad. But his dad had both of his arms. After work, he went home to ask his dad about the story.
His father confirmed that he was the boy and everything had happened as the newspaper described. His father then rolled up the sleeve of his arm and said, "this is the arm and this is what happened."
The doctor had come to the house and said the only thing left to do was amputate the arm at the shoulder. in order to save the boy's life. He would be back the next morning to perform the operation - most likely on the kitchen table just cutting it off. The poor parents wept at the thought of what would happen to their son, but as they had already done all that they could do, there was nothing left but to head off to bed. The boy was sleeping on the couch to help with pain in his arm.
It was late when there came a knock at the door. Now this family was a kind and generous family. They never turned away anyone who needed a bite to eat or a place to sleep. So it was not unusual for someone to be at their door knocking. The little boy went to answer the door. There stood a man he had never seen before. The man asked if he could come in, and of course, the little boy let him enter.
The man explained that he was sent from God because of the great faith of his parents. He was going to heal the boy as a witness of the great love the Lord had for these good parents. The little boy should never forget what was about to happen. With that the man ran his fingers up and down the boy's arm three times. The little boy heard popping sounds as the broken bones went back into place. He looked down and his arm was healed. There was a little scarring left at the wrist which should serve as a reminder of how much the Lord loved him. The man said to the boy to be sure and tell his parents everything that had happened and then he left.
Surprisingly, the little boy went back to bed. The next time he heard knocking at the door it was the doctor. The boy went to go open the door using his formerly injured arm. The doctor was amazed as the little boy explained to his parents and the doctor what had happened. The little boy had never forgotten that moment. What he had forgotten to do was tell his children about that story after he grew up.
And so the father wrote the story down for his son. Three months later the father died, but that miracle was preserved in their family history thanks to a crumpled up newspaper found on a table at lunch time.
