Spencer's Remarks (emailed to us from his mission and read by Natalie)

When I was younger I would wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go with my dad running around the BYU track. While he was driving to Mexico in the motorhome we would recite the articles of faith and the Beattitudes. I remember that when I was younger I had moments when I thought that my dad was too harsh or too strict or got too angry. I remember thinking that when I became a father I wouldn't make those same mistakes. The time right before the mission and during the mission have taught me a lot about what being a good father is and what it isn't. I realized that what I thought was harshness and anger were the manifestation of love that he had for us and the deep concern that he had when we started to drift away in any way from the gospel and the commandments. In the mission I have seen many parents that are not willing to show that same love for their children. I realized that what I had mistaken for exaggerated strictness was the firm commitment that my father had to the idea that he had made sacred covenants with God and he would honor those covenants and raise his children righteously, even when his children might be headed the other way. I started to see how much my dad loved my mom. The little things that he would do for her. Put notes on the mirror, he praised her in almost every single email that I received on the mission. He took her on dates almost every weekend and the love that I could see that he had for her didn't diminish over time, rather it grew. He helped thousands of people not for fame nor for a sense of duty but out of the love of his heart. My dad was not a good father. My dad was an exceptional father. I want to grow up to be like him. My dad is my example. He changed my life forever. I want to love my children as deeply as he loved his. I want to live the gospel as firmly as he lived it. His example of hard work, love, charity, humility, faith, and maritial union are traits that I will forever remember and try to emulate. I love you dad!