{"chapter_no":"29","chapter_title":"The Rose Garden","book_id":"3","book_name":"Springville","subchapter_no":"0","page_no":"524","page_number":"1","verses_count":0,"total_pages":3,"page_content":"

<\/span><\/p>

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Chapter 29<\/span><\/p>

The Rose Garden<\/span><\/h1><\/p>

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Carolyn<\/i> takes care of th<\/i>e rose garden in her front yard—She envisions<\/i> the <\/i>Springville East S<\/i>take<\/i> <\/i>
blossom<\/i>ing<\/i> <\/i>as a rose one day—Her grandson Jared returns from his mission and follows in his
grandfather’s footsteps<\/i>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

 <\/p>

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Simmering on the stove was a family-sized pot of beef stew for the evening dinner; its
tantalizing smell had filled the home all afternoon. On the counter were rolls just removed from
the oven, giving the kitchen the look of a small bakery. Dinner would be served on time at
around 6:00 PM, but there was no hurry. There was always plenty of time for eating meals and
for the other routine things of their home life. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

On weekday afternoons like this, Grant headed into work at 2:30 to manage conference
calls with employees of the firm overseas, usually returning by supper time. And Carolyn, too,
had a job outside the home. She cared for the large assortment of roses in her front flower
garden, pruned the fruit trees in the backyard, watered the lawns, weeded a small vegetable
garden, cleaned up and organized the garage, swept the patio, cleaned the barbeque, and saw to
many other outdoor tasks that were needed around their new home. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

As she watered the flowers, Carolyn often took time to feel the softness of the rose petals
next to her skin and experience the fragrance of the flowers. Kneeling next to each rose bush, she
performed light pruning on the individual rose stems one by one. The roses in the garden
provided an incredible experience for a person so inclined––the feel of the soft petals, the sight
of the beautiful colors, and the aroma of so many flowers combined together in one spot. She
could hear the sound of water running through the hose to the small trenches she had made in the
garden, the water still cool to the touch from the underground pipe. Perched on a branch of a
nearby tree, a robin stood watch as Carolyn went about the delicate work of caring for the
flowers.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

With her sports water bottle beside her filled with lemonade and ice, she labored in the
garden for an hour or so and then moved to the shade of a nearby tree. Feeling pride in what she
had accomplished, she looked back at the flower garden and thought to herself: This<\/i> <\/i>rose garden
is well worth<\/i> <\/i>the time and effort!<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Carolyn often found time to relax under this tree––to read, to ponder, or even to take a
short nap. The five-dollar lawn analogy used by President Chandler was good, but Carolyn
preferred to think of the Springville East Stake more simply as a series of rose gardens (wards) <\/p>

and rose bushes (families), and the goal to accomplish was to make the many beautiful gardens
of the stake all blossom together as one. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

A few questions came to mind:<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

If families of the stake were likened to a series of rose <\/i>bushes, just<\/i> how beautiful<\/i> and
glorious<\/i> might <\/i>our<\/i> stake become one day?<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Is a Zion-like stake <\/i>truly <\/i>worth all<\/i> <\/i>the time and effort<\/i>?<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Carolyn’s immediate response to this last question was: Surely,<\/i> there is<\/i> no greater goal
in the lives of <\/i>the members <\/i>of <\/i>the Church<\/i> <\/i>than this.<\/i><\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Foremost on Carolyn’s mind in recent weeks was her grandson Jared. Recently returned
from a mission, he had come to Provo to attend school in the fall. He was living with Grant and
Carolyn until he could find part-time work and get set up in an apartment of his own. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Jared had a fascination for art work of all kinds and, at a young age, was already an
accomplished artist. He had a portfolio of six paintings available for sale in an art gallery near his
parent's home.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Of great interest to Carolyn, however, was what Jared was working on at the moment. A
few weeks back, Grant had asked him to create a few story illustrations to go along with a
special Sunday School lesson he was planning to present to the ward. He had offered to pay
Jared for his time on the project, but Carolyn would not hear of it. This was surely a task Jared
needed to do without being paid! Jared had seemed unhappy that his grandmother would make
such decisions for him, but he had succumbed to her wishes. He agreed to undertake the project
without pay.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

All of this, however, had transpired more than three weeks ago and Jared was still at
work on Grant’s request. Carolyn was worried, wondering why it was taking so long to complete
a few illustrations. She had also seen paint and canvas in Jared’s room, so he was obviously
doing much more than just creating a few pencil sketches on art paper––something she had
assumed he could do in a few hours.<\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

While Jared hadn't said anything about it, he had occasionally grinned at her a few times
during mealtimes, making her feel somewhat embarrassed for having gotten involved in the
matter in the first place. But there was something else afoot here. It took a little while, but
Carolyn soon figured out what was going on. Jared admired his grandfather and wanted to be
like him. He would have gladly done this task for no pay, even without her taking the lead in
negotiations for him. This was not about paintings or sketches or money. Jared had heard Grant’s
sacrament meeting talk two months ago, and he was using this assignment from Grant to do
something significant in the gospel in his own right. This new art assignment was an opportunity
for him to step forward and make a positive impact on the ward. Jared had visited Temple Square
on many occasions before his mission and was a keen admirer of the landmark paintings there.
But the time he had spent recently as a missionary had raised his awareness of the purposes of <\/p>

God, giving him a better understanding of the important messages that went along with those
paintings. <\/span><\/p>

 <\/p>

Although she had not yet seen the paintings being worked on, Carolyn was already quite
proud of Jared and what he was doing. He was happy, working hard, and full of desire towards a
righteous end. This was something she could add to her list of favorite things (like raindrops on
roses and whiskers on kittens) to think about under the tree on warm summer days like these. <\/span><\/p>

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