Meeting Paul Through the Voice of Peter

As we have been making preparations this last month or so

for the visit to our Mission by Area General Authority Elder Haynie,

we knew it would be a busy time. Spot on, that!

Our large territory mission was divided into halves,

instead of the usual roughly thirds for regular conferences,

and the first was held at the chapel at the Joseph Smith

Birthplace Memorial in Sharon, VT (more accurately

known these days as South Royalton).

The picture above demonstrates how the Fall foliage is 

making a show for all to enjoy.

The JSBM conference was held on Tuesday.

The next day we re-grouped and traveled northeast

to Yarmouth, Maine. 

Above is a foliage shot from those chapel grounds.

Below is the group picture of the officials and the missionaries

 - both young and seniors, too, who attended there.

(Don't look too hard for me - it's my Ipad taking the photo!)

Playing a big part in my experience at Yarmouth is

the Dawbins family, who have accepted a 'calling'

for almost 9 years now to prepare and serve the regular

lunch meal to the two-unit Zone conference usually held

in their home town of Farmingdale, Maine. They are very

generous at what they do, and are experts at planning,

procuring, transporting, preparing, serving and presenting

wonderful and delicious meals every 6 weeks. 

When we learned that changes would be in effect 

for September, they altered their routine 

to travel south to Yarmouth to serve us there.

This is a picture in the chapel kitchen there as they

worked to get things ready. Their youngest son Peter

had intended to be in school, but instead, responded

to 'the Spirit' which told him, while attending his seminary class

that he should come down with his folks. 

Perhaps that prompting was to fill my lamp,

because that is what our interaction did.

From the first of my meetings with Peter at mid summer,

I knew there was something special and a little different

about him. So at the right moment, I questioned

Karina and Butch, his parents, and they confirmed

that Peter is "on the spectrum". I told them that an aura

about him speaks spiritually to me and makes me

think of my wonderful and special nephew Paul.

But the two are quite different: Peter spoke with long

flowing sentences, creative phrases, pointed observations,

excited recollections and humorous anecdotes.

At one point he told me about his EFY experience in August

in Utah, where he was thrilled to be in an audience to listen

to an Apostle speak. He said, "It is amazing how the Spirit

can make you feel like you are being pierced with a knife

and being hugged at the same time." 

Wow!

I borrowed this picture (below) of nephew Paul and his twin

Caroline, both of whom I love dearly.

Like Peter, Paul is "on the spectrum", but his challenge

includes being non-verbal, though not always

non-expressive. Through the twenty years I've known Paul,

we have had some fun interactions, which because

they seem like a distillation of precious things,

are very poignant. Each has been logged away

in my heart, full of beauty and promise and love.

There in Yarmouth, as Peter and I prepared the dining hall

with table settings and salt and pepper and salad dressing,

and a myriad of necessary but insignificant tasks,

he rambled and talked almost without ceasing.

He had me as a captive audience, after all.

At one moment, as we chatted face to face, I looked into

his youthful and expressive features, and lo,

there was nephew Paul. It was not a vision, so to speak.

But instead, it seemed like a glimpse of what it will be like,

when we hear from Paul about what he knows and likes

and feels. I was caught off guard, and a tear

rolled down my cheek. Peter glanced at me quizzically.

I could not find words to explain.

Tears are present now as I type.

I am not sad, but introspective:

Won't that be a fun, Celestial kind of day!