Emily My Daughter

First in knowledge (to know good & evil), first in love and first to witness the resurrected Lord, women are also first in my life next to my Lord. I first knew my mother as we all have known our mothers first in birth. I then knew my wife and together we brought forth life in our children. This great oneness between men and women, mothers and children is at the heart of the great work and glory of Our God. If it wasn’t for Eve I would still be a distance twinkle in Adam’s innocent eye. “And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”(2Ne.2:22-25) I can honestly say my greatest joy and sorrow has come at the hand of a women. Some men shrink from the pain women can both bear and share. However, it is in the pain of knowing great love and sorrow that we begin to see with the eyes Christ: “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” The world for far to long have spoken evil of Mother Eve and despised her daughters and abused them. We should honor our mothers, wives and daughters and always remember the great lesson Eve first learned and taught the family of men: “And in that day the Ghost fell upon Adam, which beareth record of the Father and the Son, saying: I am the Only Begotten of the Father from the beginning, henceforth and forever, that as thou hast fallen thou mayest be redeemed, and all mankind, even as many as will. And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.” (Moses 5:9-12) We are the very heirs of their knowledge and blessing and with faith in Christ we can overcome this world by casting out all doubt and fear. I salute brave sisters for their courage to speakout in the light of day for all is not well in Zion! However, this day I shall not forget for I have blessed my own daughter Emily with a father’s blessing as she leaves on a journey to be a junior at UVSC. She is 22 and world wise as most native New Yorkers have to be, but she is my only daughter of 6 children and my heart goes with her as she flies into the heartland of Zion today. I pray she will gain knowledge like Eve and find a man like Adam to continue the circle of life in a never ending way!