From sapling to tree

 



Our relationships with people (beyond our close family bonds) are enriching and important parts of our life. Sometimes we have extended, long-term involvement with someone like a neighbor or work associate, or a very close friend. Sometimes a person touches our life once and then goes a separate direction and we never interact significantly again. There are a variety of scenarios between those two extremes.

One example of a variation of this scenario is illustrated by the attached graphic, and by an experience I currently am having. It's the person who touches our life significantly, at different times and in different ways, sometimes separated by many years.

Some 30 years ago I taught an early-morning seminary class in Colorado. One of the very bright young high school students in that group was a young man named David (great name, right?). I appreciated his involvement in the class and his bright personality. He obviously had a lot on the ball! But after a year, we moved away from Colorado and I lost contact with him.

Skip forward 5 years or so, and I'm serving as a student ward bishop at BYU. I had a wonderful 1st counselor about my age (college roommate when I was a student), and it was recommended I suggest a married student to serve as the other counselor. Young David came to mind, so I looked him up. He was a pre-med student just starting his own family, and gladly accepted the call. He served very faithfully and we had some wonderful experiences together. Then he graduated and headed off to medical school.

Now, another 15 years later, David is a brilliant and respected medical doctor practicing in Provo. He is my cardiologist, and provides excellent advice and treatment; he is blessing me in ways I never anticipated back when I first met him. I enjoy having the ongoing contact with him; we talk longer than we should during our visits, probably unfair to other patients who are waiting. The renewed contact will (I hope) open the door to more personal and in-depth interactions.

And so I #GiveThanks for all those who have touched my life in a variety of ways through the years. Each of us is a product of all those interactions to some extent. There are countless people who have influenced us in many different ways. And especially in this case, how fun to watch the growth of a wonderful young man through various stages of his life!

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