I've met some amazing "Mormon" celebrities in my lifetime- Donny Osmond, Steve Young, Cam Clarke, Janice Kapp Perry, and Brad Wilcox come to mind. You may or may not be familiar with these accomplished, influential members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. But last week, meeting Thomas Wirthlin McConkie was one of my all time favorite celebrity encounters. I also want to acknowledge the hand of the Lord and not attribute this chance encounter as sheer coincidence. Heavenly Father knows me. He sees me. He knows my heart and what I think is important. God is aware of me! He notices. And He knows what is going on with my family.
It was a taxing weekend watching the grandchildren. I had lots of physical support from other family members but still managed to strain my chest lifting little ones and receive a speeding ticket on my commercial driver's license. That Sunday, we brought the two grandchildren to the neighborhood ward to get the contact info for the bishop and request my son's records be moved. Having the sacrament bread tray batted down and launched by the baby wasn't a good sign, but we made our presence known. It was then off to nursery.
As providence would have it, the Bishop's wife just so happened to be the nursery leader that day. It was so helpful to get all the contacts through her and learn about the history and current climate of the ward. When playing with the babies, I noticed a father playing with his daughter to provide some emotional support while talking to the other leaders. As she started playing near me, the father stood up, getting ready to go to his own Sunday School class. I immediately recognized him and I stated, "I know YOU! You're Thomas McConkie! I then proceeded to thank him for his book, At One Ment: Embodying the Fullness of Human Divinity
As I spoke about the personal impact of his work, I started to tear up and get emotional. His book was so important to me that a couple years ago I centered my whole family Christmas around it. I wrote a poem and song about it. I watched a ton of podcasts on YouTube where he was the featured speaker. I still listen to his meditations regularly to settle my mind and heart. His work is such a bridge to unite people of all faiths and various personal beliefs. In the last two weeks, I felt inspired to refer someone who was struggling with their own faith to check out his book...and she did! This random guy in the nursery was important to ME!
And the kicker, He even gave us his personal phone number and offered to reach out to my son and talk to him as a neighbor. AND my son was open to that idea since he sounded like a "cool Mormon." Talk about potential for life changing experiences! This has all the makings. Of course, it could also have absolutely no impact on my son. I know the Christmas book gift a couple of years ago was neither understood or appreciated. It was a dud gift. But I had to light the fuse anyway because...I felt lit up!
I still do. His work fuses some of the subjects I am most passionate about-mental health and spirituality. I want to understand it better. I want to live it. I'm not trying to "fan girl" out on Thomas McConkie. He's not a prophet or anything. In fact he emphasizes the importance of seeing self in our judgmental praise or criticism of other people. He writes:
Notice when you feel reactive to other people and any of their qualities that you have judgments about. Not just the negative judgments but the positive judgments too. Practice saying, "That's me." Then in a very earnest way, find that very quality in yourself. Someone's anger, someone's pettiness, someone's powerful presence, compassion, and selfless service: "That's me."
Though he is related to Bruce R. McConkie and the grandson of the late apostle, Joseph B. Wirthlin, I do not need to give strict heed to his words. However, his words are worth reading and worth listening to. His words can assist me in my own quest to make inspired choices.
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