A grateful son knelt down to pray,

determined at the end of day

to bow himself beneath the rod

and consecrate his soul to God.

He offered up a willing heart

and asked for strength to do his part,

reviewing all that he had done

to honor Christ, the holy One.

At work, integrity he’d shown;

despite having to stand alone,

when faced with lies, he’d chosen truth,

obeyed the teachings of his youth.

Though others spoke in vulgar ways,

from his lips came no errant phrase.

He banished all unwholesome thought

and lived the lessons virtue taught.

Whenever evil raised its head,

he leaned on what the scriptures said,

embraced the gospel all the more,

and fervent testimony bore.

He honored parents, paid his debts,

shunned the vice of placing bets,

practiced thrift and moderation,

valued work and education.

His goal was clear: to do his best

and never shrink before the test.

Such stalwart strength few men have seen.

His heart was pure; his spirit clean.

And so that night, on bended knee,

he offered up an earnest plea.

“What lack I yet?” he humbly cried.

“In Thee, I would be justified.”

The answer filled him, warm and deep.

A great commandment shalt thou keep:

To love My children as I do

and bless them, just as I bless you.

For you are brothers, one and all.

The strong shall rise; the weak shall fall.

The weak shall rise; the strong shall fail.

Divided, man cannot prevail.

Then lift each other through the night

and reach as one for heaven’s light.

The core of all you hold as true

is love, My love, revealed in you.

The young man trembled, said amen,

and never was the same again.

©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

In marriage, two become as one in spirit.

Sharp edges merge and flow between the lines.

Hearts soften, swell, and sweetly meld together,

a living testament to love’s designs.

As man and woman grow toward each other,

they shape themselves to fit, each form and curve.

In yielding, they join their lives and spirits,

then bend and grow, that union to preserve.

The temple binds and seals two souls forever

and makes of God a partner in their love.

Thus wedlock begs no key but guards a treasure

created by endowment from above.

Each couple forges interlocking pieces,

assembling the puzzle of their days.

They build a home unto the Lord, a family…

and doing so, they come to know His ways.

©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

No power on earth has meaning

independent of its source.

Our world has laws and limits

undeterred by human force.

No matter what the need, a turbine

fails when winds are still.

Each solar cell requires the sun

its purpose to fulfill.

Producing heat demands its start in

wood or gas or coal.

A dam, absent the water, must

fall short of every goal.

For power has its origins:

no engine runs itself.

A lamp without a plug is but

a fixture on the shelf.

And so it is for man, except

one Source enlivens all.

Created by His hand, we must

rely on Him or fall.

God lends His strength and righteous power

to worthy men on earth

that we, His children, might fulfill

the measure of our birth.

His strength is priesthood power,

handed down from up above…

a pure line of authority

to bless us with His love.

From Christ through John the Baptist

then through Peter, James, and John…

both priesthoods were restored to man

and ever will go on.

God’s work will not be thwarted.

The kingdom is at hand.

Each ordinance must be performed

by His name and command.

With exaltation in our reach,

what grateful Saints are we

for priesthood power imparted by

divine authority.