Good
Afternoon! I am Kristin Paxton and I
will tell you a little about me. I grew
up here just a few miles down the road.
My husband Scott is from Cedar City.
We met at the Singles Ward at Southern Utah University. So, we are proof that singles wards WORK! We have been married for 17 years. We have 3 kids, a 12
year old girl named Makayla, a 10 year old boy named Sterling, and an 8 year
old boy named Lincoln. And we have 2
cats, Rosco and Fat Gus, and a tank of unnamed fish. I stay home with the kids and Scott works
from home doing internet marketing. We have lived in this Ward for 10 years
already! We had our son Sterling a few
weeks after we moved in. This is a
beautiful, convenient area with nice schools and I feel really blessed to live
here. I thank Heavenly Father for letting us end up here.
One of my
favorite songs in the Primary Hymnbook is “My Heavenly Father Loves ME” That is the best song with some nice
lyrics.
Whenever
I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue, blue sky
Whenever
I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by
Whenever
I touch a velvet rose, or walk by a lilac tree
I’m glad
that I live in this beautiful world, Heavenly Father created for me.
He gave
me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings
He gave
me my ears that I might hear, the magical sound of things
He gave
me my life, my mind, my heart, I thank Him reverently
For all
His creations of which I’m a part. Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me
I have been
pondering how I know Heavenly Father loves me, and I would
like to
share some thoughts.
1) He helped my oldest son live
2) He helped the same son be found in a
sea of people
3) He protected my youngest son from
being kidnapped
4) He helped my hearing restore itself
5) He helped me live from a 4 wheeler
accident
Back when my
10 year old son Sterling was 2, picture a lively Christmas breakfast going on at
my parents’ home. Plenty of food, noise,
and distractions happening. I was
happily talking to my grandma when my younger sister mentioned she heard a
strange noise and wondered if it was Sterling.
I was engaged in my conversation with grandma and ignored my
sister. Scott followed the noise and
went in the basement where he found our toddler alone with his collared
shirt stuck on one of those 1980’s plastic horses that bounces with the big springs. Not only was he stuck, Sterling was dangling
in the air and was struggling to breathe.
His face was flushed and he was caught.
I know Heavenly Father loves me because even though I stubbornly ignored
the request to check on him, He prompted Scott to go save Sterling.
That same
son decided to play hide and seek at the SuperWalmart on Quarry Bend without
telling us he was playing the game a few months later. All I know is Sterling was there one moment
and gone the next. By this time, we had a newborn and even though the whole
family was there, 2 parents and 3 kids, he just disappeared like a magician’s
act. I frantically looked for him in the
clothing section and a good Samaratin noticed how upset I looked and helped
join me in the search. We could not find
him at all! I went to the front desk and
described what my son was wearing (by the way, there is nothing worse than
having to do that) and the SuperWalmart helped me by doing a Code Adam Lockdown
on the store and closing the gates and not letting anyone in or out of the
store while this emergency was going down. They described him loudly on the
speaker and the whole store joined in the search. Sterling was a beautiful blond haired toddler
and we had no idea if someone just grabbed him to keep or sell or what. A sweet Asian lady found him and carried him
up to the front of the store and the lockdown was lifted. I know Heavenly Father watched over Sterling
that day. Sterling must be meant for
great things!
A different
day, 5 years later I was visiting my friend Shirlene, the Hopper’s daughter at
her home. Her 5 year old daughter and my
4 year old son were playing in the fenced backyard as we chatted. We checked on them after about 15 minutes and
they were NOWHERE to be found!! The gate
was unlatched. We looked all over the yard and went to her mom and dad’s house
2 doors down and NO, THEY WERE NOT THERE.
We looked inside her house and they were just GONE, nowhere to be
found! Then we knew if was time to call the
police. Nothing like describing what
your kids are wearing to the police. And
not knowing if it would be the last time anyone saw them alive. IT was an awful, sinking feeling. And I felt
like a failure. I drove home to see if
they had tried to get to my house, nothing.
I drove the streets around Brighton High and this is how desperate I was,
I even drove fast up to sluffing teenagers and asked if they had seen two 5
year olds walking. Probably 10 minutes
later, which felt like an eternity, by the way, the Police called us back and
told us they found the kids and they were in 2 ladies car. They were a half a mile down the neighborhood
going South. Sitting in some lady’s car eating suckers. So much for Stranger Danger! Yeah, definitely felt like a failure that
day. It turns out they WERE trying to walk to my house to play on the
swingset. I am glad they did NOT make it
since I live on the other side of Bengal and them crossing Bengal Boulevard
could have had dire consequences. On the other hand, I know Heavenly Father
loves me because he saved my son and Shirlene’s daughter from being kidnapped.
In 2015,
when I was camping my with family in Mount Pleasant, my hearing felt messed up
and clogged. It bugged me so much that
we drove into Ephraim to Walmart and got some ear drops to clear it up. That didn’t work, so I went to an Ear, Nose,
and Throat Doctor the next week. I asked
them to unclog my ear and clear the wax.
The answer they gave me was completely shocking! There was nothing there
in my ear. Literally, it was all cleaned
out already. After more tests and 2
rounds of failed steroids, my hearing was determined to be a huge loss in my
right ear- enough to warrant a hearing aide.
I asked the doctors why this happened to me? Because we could not pinpoint a certain loud
noise, like a musical instrument or a loud concert, or someone screaming in my
ear, it was determined that it must have been a virus in my body that attacked
my hearing. That was a really sad day to
get to be fitted for a hearing aide in my right ear. Last Fall, 3 months ago, I went back to the
same doctor and they tested my hearing again.
Turns out, my hearing has improved, and enough that I don’t even need a
device anymore! That is pretty incredible
to me, that Heavenly Father let my hearing improve enough to not need a hearing
aide. I know Heavenly Father is there
for me.
I saved my
most defining moment for last. In 2013, I always remember the year because 13
is unlucky. I was unlucky that dreadful
day in August. I took a turn too fast up
in the mountains of Eden, UTAH and rolled a 4 wheeler with my toddler son,
Sterling. Sterling was unscathed and was
literally carried by angels. The
accident didn’t phase him one bit besides a scratch on his belly. He was normal and running around the same
evening. I, on the other hand, was black
and blue all over my shoulders, back, and legs.
My helmet had a huge gash in it and I’m glad it protected my brain. We landed in the ONE tree that was even
around. That special tree kept us
alive. We only rolled probably 30 feet
instead of the additional 50 feet after the tree. Heavenly Father loves me because even though
I was stubborn and didn’t stay home even though I felt like I should have, and
the 6 inch nail in my tire didn’t stop me from going either, HE still kept me
alive and carried my son and gave us the tree to land in to stop the
rolling. HE definitely loves me and my
family.
Heavenly
Father is always there for me. He
listens when I pray and guides me and protects me when I need help. He gave me the gift of the Holy Ghost to
inspire me and prompt me for safety. He
is very important to me and I would be completely lost without the knowledge of
Him in my life. He gave us his son Jesus
Christ to be our example and teacher.
1) He helped my oldest son live
2) He helped the same son be found in a crowd
of people
3) He protected my youngest son from
being kidnapped
4) He helped my hearing restore itself
5) He helped me live from a 4 wheeling
accident
My favorite
scripture is Doctrine & Covenants 84:88
God is
talking, “ I will go before your face.
I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in
your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
That pretty
much sums it up. I am so blessed and happy to be a member of the Church of
Jesus Christ. I know it is true and the
gospel is the place to be if you want a happy and enriching life. Heavenly Father loves all of us! And I know
Heavenly Father loves me. In the name
of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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