{"chapter_no":"16","chapter_title":"The Sharing of Wealth","book_id":"4","book_name":"Beauty the World Has Never Seen","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"709","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":3,"page_content":"

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Chapter 16<\/p>

The Sharing of Wealth<\/h1><\/p>

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Frank and Ellen Dannehy consecrate their wealth to the work of the Lord––The Dannehys
become like George and Mary Bailey of the famous movie <\/i>A Wonderful Life.<\/i><\/p>

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The home of Dale and Carrie Hart was located between the residence of Leonard and
Carina Hunter on the one side, and that of Grant and Carolyn Williams on the other. An
attractive and fairly large home, it was bigger in square footage and acreage than most of the
homes in the area, and the yard, meticulously maintained by Carrie every day, was frequently
admired by passersby. Carolyn had learned a great deal from Carrie about gardening, lawn care,
and flower gardens, whereas Carrie had learned just as much from Carolyn about cooking,
music, and arts and crafts. The two women had grown close over the years and spent a great deal
of time together.<\/p>

 <\/p>

It was, therefore, with great sadness that the Harts now packed their belongings for Dale
to take a promotion and a higher-paying job in Boston at the corporate headquarters of Dale's
company. They had enjoyed living in Springville, and though not yet members, had become
active in the Church in the last few years, attending the Hobble Creek 2nd Ward every Sunday,
attending stake conference every month, and fully enjoying (and sometimes even helping in the
preparations of) the impressive stake-wide events of the Springville East Stake throughout the
year. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Dale traveled ahead to Boston to get situated in his new job and to begin the search for a
new home. Carrie remained behind to coordinate the move. A realtor was contacted, and their
beautiful Springville home was put up for sale.<\/p>

 <\/p>

A few miles away in Provo, the newly posted home listing caught the eye of another
realtor who had been tasked to help find a new home for a well-known couple in the area––Frank
and Ellen Dannehy. <\/p>

 <\/p>

The reader will remember this wonderful couple of the Church––their hard work together
as newlyweds in the early years of their lives risking large amounts of personal time and
scrapped-together capital to invest in new products and ideas, and, ultimately, as these
investments paid off, being rewarded with significant wealth; their faithful service in the Church
and their generous donations to fast offerings, Church welfare programs, and other worldwide
charities; their desire to always treat fairly the men and women who worked for them in their
various companies; and most especially, their strong marriage and happy family life, including a <\/p>

continuation of this happiness among their four children (and many grandchildren), who were
proving to be wonderfully successful in their own right. The Dannehys had a good reputation in
the community and were well-regarded by virtually everyone who had had dealings with them,
business or otherwise––a reputation their children, involved in the day-to-day management of the
family's businesses, worked hard to live up to. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Frank and Ellen had done things right, doing good to all men and leaving behind a
wonderful legacy of success, not just for their offspring, but for others in the Church and of the
world to aspire to. They had achieved the American dream and then some.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Nevertheless, amidst their great prosperity and righteousness as individuals, people who
knew them well had noticed a significant change in them in recent years––a change in their
countenances, in their mannerisms, in their social interactions, and in the management of their
financial affairs. They had both been spiritually born of God for a first time early in their lives,
the testimony of which they frequently shared with others over the years in testimony meetings
at church and in missionary discussions taught in their home. But now, it seemed as though they
had been spiritually born of God a second time. Empathy and an enhanced sensitivity for others
were trademarks of this rebirth. In fact, their love of God and their love for their fellow man had
grown to such a degree that they desired to fully consecrate themselves to the work of the Lord.<\/p>

 <\/p>

Their picturesque Provo estate had been put up for sale, and many of their luxuries and
precious things (including Ellen's art collection and all of Frank's antique cars) had been sold.
Yet, the decision to sell these things off (and much more from among their possessions) had been
made well in advance, at least a year before. It had been carefully thought through to the smallest
detail, like everything else they had done in their lives. <\/p>

 <\/p>

After the decision had been made, they still continued to live in their large estate for a
little while longer. But they were thinking ahead, watching and waiting for the best way to
consecrate their time, their possessions, and all of their hopes and dreams to the Lord. In a sense,
they had suddenly felt more like the occupants of their estate and not its true owners. By the law
of man, and also by the law of God, this magnificent, multiacre home was theirs to enjoy for as
long as they wished. But as they saw the great sufferings of people in the world, not just among
the poor, but also among the middle class, and even great trials had among wealthy friends of
theirs in the valley––debilitating and incurable diseases, deaths or serious wounds sustained by
sons and daughters in the military fighting overseas, old age, depression, handicapped children
and handicapped adults, unemployment, underemployment, closed businesses and closed
manufacturing plants, foreclosures of homes and bankruptcies from downturns in the economy,
and so forth––and, as they attended the temple, as they searched the scriptures, as they sat in
church week by week, as they prayed, as they listened to sacred and beautiful music more and
more, as they heard the principles of Zion mentioned frequently in conference talks, and as they
saw the Church grow bigger, stronger, and increase in momentum each passing day, they sought
to do more than what might otherwise be expected of a righteous, wealthy couple of the Church. <\/p>

 <\/p>

The Dannehys had been looking for a place in the Springville East Stake, and they
quickly snatched up the Hart's home when it came on the market. After moving in, they found
that their new home was plenty big enough and very attractive, but it wasn't long until Ellen <\/p>

began to wonder if the newly purchased home was still \"too showy\" for the course in life they
had now chosen. On the other hand, they really loved their new neighbors and the ward they
were living in, and the new home, while still quite luxurious, was a definite change from their
prior standard of living. In the end, they found that the new home struck the right balance for
their individual circumstances.<\/p>

 <\/p>

In many ways, the Dannehys had become like George and Mary Bailey of the old classic
movie A Wonderful Life<\/i>. Noticing the bank runs and economic turmoil around them, they
decided to forgo their honeymoon trip to New York, giving virtually all of the money and
possessions they had to others. They still kept for themselves a few million dollars in the bank
for the moment, but even that over time would probably be invested in new businesses to provide
good jobs for others or directly shared with those in need.<\/p>

 <\/p>

What was happening with the Dannehys––the Spirit of Enoch manifested in their lives––
had also been happening to many others in the Springville area. As a result, many more people
wanted to live there, which often required that they wait a while until a home or apartment
became available. <\/p>

 <\/p>

Thus, more and more, the people of Springville were beginning to have things in
common. The needs of others had become more of a concern than their own personal needs...
like the rich, middle class, and poor all coming together, one by one, and of their own accord, at
the dining room table of George and Mary Bailey to help someone in need.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

A wonderful life, as in the famous movie, and a wonderful Church, as in the ideal
represented by the stories and principles in this book––that is what life on earth was meant to be<\/span>. <\/p>

 <\/p>"}