Early Morning Epiphany

So this morning as I was lying in my bed trying to get back to sleep following a temple trip with Dania Frandsen, Nick Lewis (who, by the way, is an excellent baptizer), Bro. Lewis, and Emily Lewis, my mind was struck with a thought: although I don't have experiences worth sharing that occur on a regular basis, I can share events from my past. So today we will start with one of my earliest memories.

I take you back in time to December 22, 1997. Those of you familiar with my birth date will recognize this as the day I turned 5 years old. Nothing particularly special about five, of course. No real rites of passage. Unless you are me, which I happen to be. You see, when I was five years old, my parents decided that it was time to finish the destruction of my baby blanket. I loved my baby blanket. It was the best. I took it everywhere. You know Linus from Peanuts? He has nothing on me. Sure, he's a thumb-sucker that takes his blanket everywhere, but he does not chew his blanket. Yes, I chewed my blanket. By the day in question, my "blanket" was a bunch of material loosely held together. But it was still my blanket, and I did not want to give it up. My parents were determined, however, so they lit the fire in the fireplace. They instructed me to take my blanket and throw it in. I wanted to be a big boy, so I obeyed without much complaint. I tossed it on to the flames, and my parents closed the fireplace door. I sat there and watched it burn. I wanted to reach in and pull it out. After all, this was my blanket. What right did my parents have to make me destroy it? I wanted to keep it! But no, my parents had spoken, and I obeyed. Luckily, I found a replacement in our closet shortly thereafter, but it was just never the same. My blanket could never truly be replaced. Consequently, December 22, 1997 has forever been etched in my memory.

No, I have no deeper meaning to convey with this anecdote. You can analyze it and find meaning if you wish, but, as for me, I'm just writing something to keep Dania happy with me.