"There Shall Be More Joy..."

                                    "Heaven, the treasury of everlasting Joy."   Shakespeare 


The blog  title for today's post is the name of a poem by Ford Madox Hueffer, a poet from England who lived from 1873–1939.  It was set to music by the American composer, Paul Nordoff.  I first learned it as a song so for me, the music gives the text a sweet, nostalgic emotion.   Soon after the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that took the lives of twenty school children,  I would think of the first line of that poem, and hear the melody I learned to go with it, every time I saw a picture or read something about Emilie Parker ~ the captivating little victim with blue eyes and hair the color of honey. 

                                        THE little angels of Heaven   
                                        Each wear a long white dress,   
                                        And in the tall arcadings   
                                        Play ball and play at chess;   
 
                                       With never a soil on their garments,           
                                        Not a sigh the whole day long,   
                                        Not a bitter note in their pleasure,   
                                        Not a bitter note in their song.   
 
                                        But they shall know keener pleasure,   
                                        And they shall know joy more rare—     
                                        Keener, keener pleasure   
                                        When you, my dear, come there.   
                                         .    .    .    .    .

                                         The little angels of Heaven   
                                         Each wear a long white gown,   
                                         And they lean over the ramparts
                                         Waiting and looking down.   

As I read these lines, it isn’t hard to visualize Emilie as one of those “little angels of heaven.”   Her sparkling personality and the things she said fit precisely the way we imagine someone with a halo playing ball or playing chess.  My experiences as a first grade teacher and elementary school librarian assure me that the traits which made Emilie so appealing in this life, are a sneak preview of what it must be like to be  in the kingdom of heaven.

Today I became aware of a blog that Emilie’s mother, Alissa Parker writes called The Parker Five.  I welcome the opportunity (and privilege) of reading what she is writing.  I want to share vicariously Alissa and Robbie’s “journey through the grieving process”  after losing their daughter. 

My personal identification with the Parkers began the day I realized with a shock of recognition, that Emilie is the great-granddaughter of Leah Griffin Cottle.   Leah and I are cousins.  Technically half-cousins but to us there is no difference between the two.

Thomas Griffin ~ whose picture was featured in the last blog I did, had two wives.  His first wife, Martha Ann Gover (my Aunt Martha) was Leah’s grandmother; his second wife, Ruth Emma Maughan, was my grandmother.  Leah and I grew up in Clarkston and lived just one-half block from each other.  Leah was eight years older than I but the age difference didn’t matter.  She had a wonderful, friendly personality and it was always fun to be around her.

Leah’s sister Julia had a pet hen and they would dress the hen up in doll clothes and hold her wing as she walked along with them.  Leah loved reading and read everything in the small town school library.  She always had good books in her home.  She felt it was important and enjoyed reading aloud to her children.

Leah died ten years ago.  She closed an autobiographical sketch she wrote, with these words:

I would say to our descendants: Remember who you are.  You have a rich heritage as a child of God and a member of a large and loving family.  Be true to what you have been taught. We want you all with us and our ancestors forever.

Emilie was not born until three years after Leah’s death so they would not have known each other in this life.  But I can imagine how ecstatic Leah would be to meet her little great-granddaughter Emilie!

Also sharing that joyful reunion would be (1), Catherine Lovina Myler Griffin, Emilie’s 2nd great grandmother, Leah’s mother, my Aunt Kate.  Aunt Kate was gracious, charming, and pleasant with  beautiful feminine features.  She adored her nine children and knew the sorrow of burying a five-month old son.

And (2), Martha Ann Gover Griffin, Emilie's 3rd great-grandmother, Leah's grandmother, my grandfather's first wife, my Aunt Martha. 

Martha Griffin was "tactful, dependable, and had a sense of humor."  Her tenth child, Lucy was not quite three years old when Martha left her home and family in Clarkston and went to Salt Lake City to study nursing and obstetrics.  She spent the rest of her life answering calls night and day to tend to the sick.  Her family said she was truly "a great example of charity, patience, and enduring to the end."  She taught me what it means to be "tidy."

Because I am familiar with their names and faces and had a personal association with Emilie's ancestors, I can understand the excitement and affection they must be enjoying as they get to know this engaging little princess.  At the same time, I can relate to the profound and poignant sadness they must feel for Emilie's parents, Alissa and Robbie. It hurts; it hurts all of us to know that for Alissa, "Nothing seems to make it feel better.  Nothing seems to take it away." She writes in her blog that one day she wants to be able to remember all of the joy Emilie brought into her life "but without the accompanying feeling of tremendous pain."


If the poet  Ford Madox Hueffer is right, there shall be even more joy when Alissa and Robbie are reunited with Emilie.  They “shall know keener pleasure, And they shall know joy more rare."

 But for now, I hope there is some measure of comfort for the intense pain they are going through just by knowing that Emilie is surrounded by ancestors who are “waiting and looking down” with her.

P.S.  Here is a link to Alissa's blog:


http://theparkerfive.wordpress.com/about/

Or just type the following into Google:

the blog - The Parker Five

The Boundless Joy of Serving Christ

  
The theme at the top of my post today comes from the second verse of a hymn we Mormons sing in our services called “Go Forth with Faith” (#263 Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985)

                                  Go forth to serve and do your best
                                  With no thought of reward;
                                  Then you shall know the boundless joy
                                  Of serving Christ the Lord.

I think that the text is the perfect way to introduce my paternal grandfather, Thomas Griffin.

 

Last Friday (March 1) was the 157th anniversary of his birth in Naunton, Beauchamp, Worcestershire, England in 1856.  Ten years later, his family sailed for America on the SS John Bright.  Their first home in Clarkston, Utah was a log house without doors, windows, or floors.

In February 1883, at the age of twenty-seven, my grandfather, along with Charles Shumway and Thomas Godfrey, were the first members to be called as missionaries from Clarkston.  All three were married men with families.  Accepting a call to labor as a missionary in the Tennessee Mission meant my grandfather had to leave his wife Martha Ann and their two small children: Henry, not quite five years old and Martha Melissa, their eighteen-month old daughter.

Shortly before the missionaries left Clarkston, a farewell party was held in their honor.  As my grandfather walked home through the town square from the old rock meeting house where the social was held, the moon was shining brightly.  In his words:  “The rays caught something on the ground that glittered and I picked it up.  It was a five dollar gold piece.  Something told me to take it to Brother Shumway as he needed it and that when I was in need I would get it back.  I took the money to Charley who needed that amount and didn't know where he was going to get it.”

Sunday, February 26, 1883,  all three missionaries were set apart in Salt Lake City. The next morning, a total of nineteen elders left together for Tennessee by train.  They nearly had ~ in my grandfather’s words, “a sad train accident while going down to Tennessee.  A switch was left open for our destruction, done as we supposed by some mobocrats.  The train kept the main track, which was a miracle, and we were saved but very badly jarred up." They went directly to Chattanooga where my grandfather received his appointment to labor in East Tennessee.

He baptized four persons and assisted in baptizing others.  He met “with much opposition from the pulpit, but no mob violence,” and was treated “as a general thing very kindly.”  The prospects in East Tennessee were “in nowise flattering”  but were more favorable than in other parts of the State where two elders were assassinated.

One day as he was tracting in Tennessee, walking down a dusty road, his shoes almost worn out, and no money in his pockets to buy a new pair, he noticed a shiny object lying in the road.  When he picked it up, it was a five dollar gold piece. “There was my five-dollar gold piece,” he would repeat as she shared this story with his family.  “My five-dollar gold piece come back to me." 

Thomas was released on Wednesday, March 27, 1884 and arrived in Salt Lake City on Monday, March 31.  On April 1, 1884, it was reported on page three of the Evening News, Salt Lake City  that he “much enjoyed his mission.”

He returned home to Clarkston on the seventh of April 7.  The ground was covered with snow so deep that he walked over the top of his fence to be reunited with his family. .


                                                                 *   *    *

In 1997, a group of Thomas Griffin’s descendants published a history about him entitled The Thomas Griffin Family. Included in the book are the names of  Thomas Griffin descendants who accepted a call to serve as missionaries, the names of the mission where they served, and the dates they served.   As a servant willing to accept a mission call, Thomas Griffin led the way; his posterity have followed in his footsteps.  It didn’t happen overnight.  In the beginning, the numbers who served were few and far between.  Decade by decade, the numbers have increased.

1900-1909     In 1906, at the age of 19, Thomas’ son Albert William Griffin was called to serve a mission to England.  He said goodbye to his family and left for Salt Lake City where he was set apart as a missionary by Heber J. Grant.  His ticket had already been purchased when it was discovered during a physical examination that he had a weak heart and he was  released from the calling.  To his credit, Albert was willing; luck was not on his side.

1910-1010    Thomas’ son, Raymond Maughan Griffin left Salt Lake in January 1917 to serve in the Western States.  He was on his mission during World War I and said it was hard to teach the gospel during the war. Many people told him that he should be in the Army instead of the mission field.

1920-1929     David Ronald Clark was the first grandson to serve a mission.  He served in Northern California from 1928-1930.

1930-1939    Ralph J. Griffin was the second grandson to receive a call.  In 1938, he was scheduled to go to England, but because of the war, was sent instead to the Eastern States Mission.

1940-1949     Seven grandchildren served as missionaries during this decade:

                      Harold J. Griffin                  Spanish-American       1940-1943
                      Edwin Maughan Jardine     Texas Louisiana            1941-1943 
                      Julia Griffin Woolley           Spanish-American       1942-1944.
                      Earl H. Griffin                      New England States    1942-1944
                      Richard Earl Griffin             Northern California     1946-1948.  
                      Dewey Lynn Griffin             California                    1948-1950       
                      James A. Crookston             Argentina                     1948-1950

1950-1959    9 missionaries           
1960-1969    24 missionaries       
1970-1979    63 missionaries       
1980-1989    70 missionaries       
1990-1997    88 missionaries       

 As of the date the book was published, (1997) the total number of  missionaries who could trace their lineage directly to Thomas Griffin and had served a mission came to a total of  267 individuals. 

Those of us who helped compile the history are no longer in touch with each other; consequently, no current figures as to how many descendants have served are available.  But today, twenty-six years later, family members continue to accept mission calls to serve throughout the world.  Their faith and obedience  contribute to the boundless joy that Thomas Griffin deserves for the admirable example he set.

Sister Clark in Sweden

Remember that most adorable blond I talked about in the post I did about a YouTube showing high school graduates receiving their mission calls?  Adelide Christensen, who received a call to serve in Sweden?

The time is getting closer for her to leave and as I think about her and her experiences ahead, I am reminded of a letter I received from another very attractive girl with long blond hair from our ward who also served in Sweden: Cynthia Clark.  Even her return address sounded Scandinavian: Rådjursvägen 2, 137 32 Vasterhaninge, Sverige.  The stamp on the envelope had a sturdy looking Moose with the words Alg Alces alces which I believe translates Canadian elk, European elk, moose.

Just twenty-five years ago this month, (March 1995), Cynthia sent back her answers to a questionnaire I like to send to missionaries. For example:  What surprised you most about your first assignment?  “I served in an area which had not had a baptism in four years!  Welcome to Sweden!”

Stockholm Sweden Temple

Something you do for a weekly service project: “In my last area, we helped out sorting clothes for the Red Cross.  My new area is here in Stockholm and I live across the street (basically) from the Stockholm Temple.  So we help out in the laundry there.  It’s crazy ~ Swedes won’t really let you help out for free – they always want to pay you.  I guess it has to do with the Socialist system here.”


To make things simple, I supply a few options for them to circle. To describe the weather, Cynthia circled “Cold, Pleasant, Overcast and Humid” and added a write-in “Snowy.”
For breakfast she circled Cold Cereal, Cooked Cereal: and added “Musli in Yoghurt.”

Something new you have learned to eat in your mission and now enjoy: “They eat a lot of moose up here in Sweden.  It tastes like beef, just with a stronger flavor.  It truly tastes great!  They also eat pickled (raw) herring for special occasions like Christmas.  I have to be honest though, I don’t really enjoy it yet!”

What do you wish you had brought with you? . . . “My Sony Walkman.”

Laundry:  “I do my own laundry.  We live in an apartment complex which has laundry rooms called ‘tvätt-stuga’s’ in the basement of each building.  They have a great invention: it’s a room full of clotheslines and then there’s this heater-fan machine which heats the whole room.  It’s great!  Our clothes dry within a couple hours and don’t shrink!”

Mode of transportation for getting around: “Bus, Train, and Metro.  We walk a ton!”

Something that has helped you to live with your companion 24 hours a day: “We sing a hymn together before we go out in the mornings.  It totally sets the tone for the whole day!”

What you like best about your present companion: “My companion is great.  She has an incredible testimony and the gift of faith!”

What bugs you most about companions you have had: “Companions sometimes have the spirit of competition ~ which is great out in ‘the real world” but has no place in companionships.”

What is your mission president like: “Pres. Arne Hedberg (pronounced “head-berry”) is the most wonderful, kind, understanding man in Sweden.  He knows exactly when to be strict and when to be understanding.”

A social practice or style of living in your area that you likes so well you wish you could bring it back to Utah and have it for keeps: “Swedes take off their shoes when entering a house.  It was hard to get used to ~ but sure keeps the floors clean!”

Something about missionary life that nobody ever told you to expect: “Nobody tod me that you would be forced to examine, upclose and personal, all of your weaknesses.  You also become quite aware of those strengths you have as well.  But, you learn to use both your strengths and weaknesses well in order to help others receive the Gospel in their lives.  And that feels great!”

Missionaries have permission to make two phone calls home a year: Christmas and Mother’s Day. Two months later, (May 1995) on Mother’s Day, Cynthia told her mother that she was in a difficult mission.  Most of the people had already heard the missionary discussions.  But Cynthia said that they were planting a ton of seeds.  When Cynthia learned that her Mother would be speaking later that day in Sacrament Meeting, she said, “Just please tell everybody that a miracle happened today.  Heavenly Father knows we love the gospel.  He helped us today.”
                                  
Cynthia told of coming home from the Swedish Temple and seeing a lady sitting with her daughter.  Cynthia felt prompted to speak to her.  The lady said, “I’ve just been waiting here for you so long!”  It was exactly what Cynthia had prayed for in the Temple!”


Cynthia said she cannot believe how well she has done with the language and says that she has been blessed abundantly.  She is much more confident in Swedish than she ever thought possible.  Two weeks into the MTC she was able to pray and bear her testimony in Swedish.  She left SLC in December and by the end of March, her Mission President said that she was speaking as well as if she had been there for a year.  “I’m glad I’m here,” she said.  “I love Sweden.  I’ve felt the Lord’s help daily.  I will be grateful if I bring at least one soul unto Christ, even if that one is me.”

A scripture that took on new and personal meaning for Cynthia:

Mormon 9:19-21

9 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.

 20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.

 21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.