LtoR- Melza, Maggie, Lee, Anna
Beloved Chupie
Colonia Chuichupa, Chihuahua, Mexico
Compiled by Earlene Brown Porter from writings of Maggie Johnson Brown
In the year of 1895, because of legal issues regarding polygamy, some members of the Church were counseled by the General Authorities to go to Old Mexico and colonize there. My two grandfathers were among the first to settle there. The saints soon had six colonies going, one in Sonora and five in Chihuahua.
My maternal grandfather, George Washington Sevey, was soon made Bishop in Colonia Juarez and was busy with that calling for twelve years. The wives who went to Mexico with him were my grandmother, Margaret Nebraska Imlay Sevey (she was born on the plains near Nebraska), and Martha Ann Thomas Sevey. His first wife, Phoebe, stayed in Panguitch, Utah, where they had a nice home, sheep, etc. and sons old enough to carry on.
My paternal grandfather, Benjamin Julius Johnson, settled Colonia Chuichupa. His wives were Isabella Millican Russell Johnson (my grandmother) and Harriet Jane Hakes Johnson.
Here, my mother, Minerva Elizabeth Sevey, and my father, Benjamin Lynn Johnson, met, fell in love and were married. In 1912, when I was about two years old, we had to flee to the “States” because of political unrest. While we were living in the U.S., near Tucson, Arizona, my father died in a farming accident. Mother later took us back to our Mexico home to rear us. She lived the life of a pioneer and endured many hardships, but what a wonderful childhood it was for us! Here, too, I found my eternal companion, Earl Marion Brown, and we started our family in our beautiful valley.
Our small town of Colonia Chuichupa was high in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Chupie, as we called it, was nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by stately cliffs and tall pines, home to many of God’s magnificent creatures: deer, turkeys, squirrels, birds, etc. The streams of crystal clear water held abundant fish. Glorious flowers, among which were the Tiger Lily and the White Star, which we loved so much, decorated the countryside in the spring and summer, making it seem as if we could have been in the Garden of Eden. The wild cherries that grew in the mountains and the ground cherries that grew in the fields were greatly enjoyed, being our only fruit, for the most part.
Thirty families lived in our little valley. It was like having one, big, happy family. As children, we called every adult either “Aunt” or “Uncle”, whether related or not.
We had large fields of corn and oats and everyone had a summer garden. Each family had a milk cow and chickens and some raised hogs. We ate what we raised and what grew wild. We dried much of the corn and ground it. We ate lots of corn bread and corn meal mush. We always had plenty of milk and cream and we churned our own butter. In the fall we would make little rounds of butter and put them in salt brine in a metal tub to keep the butter from going stale. We carried our water from the creek and gathered wood for our fireplaces and the wood stoves on which we cooked. Some of the stoves had shelves above the main stove, called warm ovens, where food could be kept warm.
Soap was another of our homemade products. When a hog was killed for food, the lard (fat) was rendered. The cracklin’s that were left from this process were then cooked with lye until thick enough to set up. This was cut into chunks, or bars, of soap, which we used for bathing and laundry. We washed our clothing on a scrub board and boiled the whites in a big tub on an outside fire, using bluing to help them keep their brightness.
Instead of sleeping on a mattress, we had what we called a tick. This was a bed-sized bag, which we filled, either with feathers or cleaned corn shucks. The shucks were replaced each fall as the corn was harvested and shucked.
Our clothes were homemade also, including our underwear, which was made of “factory”- what we now call unbleached muslin. How many of you know what a pantywaist is? It is a sleeveless undershirt and pair of underpants that button together at the waist. Mother would make us each a new dress at Easter and at Christmas time. I usually had two dresses- the one I was wearing and the one that was being washed. There was one little store in Chupie but it was never overstocked. It carried just the staples, like flour, sugar, and salt and a bolt or two of fabric- no toys to buy. Sometimes we could get coal oil for our lamps, but not always. When it wasn’t available, we used candles, and mostly just the light of our fireplaces. Everything in the store was very expensive, so we mostly got by with what we could grow and make for ourselves. Uncle Sam Brown made cheese and Grandma kept yeast going for the whole valley.
As you can see, there was plenty of work to be done just to provide for our daily needs. We children knew that chores came first, but we also learned that if we didn’t dawdle, there was still time for play, and play we did. I don’t see children today playing the fun games we enjoyed like marbles, hop scotch, jump rope, etc.
At our chapel, which also served as our school house, there was a big bell. I don’t know who was in charge of it but whenever there was anything going on in the building, that big bell would ring loud and clear, thirty minutes and then fifteen minutes before church, school, or any program, so no one had an excuse to be late. If it rang when there was no event planned, we knew someone needed help and the adults would hurry to see what the need was.
During the school year most of our fun things happened on a Friday night, except times like Easter, Christmas, Independence Day and Pioneer Day. When the ward didn’t have something planned, we would have house parties. Often we would parch corn over the fireplace in an extended-handled fry pan or do molasses candy, and play games. During the summer months we played outdoor games, had fishing trips, swimming parties, hayrides, corn roasts, etc. as mentioned before.
Each new year was kicked off with a big New Year’s Dance. This was a big family affair with a Mariachi band! The children under twelve danced on the stage while the big folks danced on the main floor. You can imagine that we were pretty excited when we were of age to join the adults. The church/school had high backed wooden benches and these would often be placed face to face at the edges of the room so that the babies could be bundled in blankets to sleep while their parents celebrated.
Of course, we made our own Valentines, which we exchanged at school, etc. That night some of us would sometimes have a big valentine cut out of cardboard with a long string tied to it. We would place it on someone’s door-step, knock on the door and run around the corner. When someone stooped to pick it up we would jerk it away and run for our lives.
What a special time the Easter Season was. About ten days before Easter we would rush home from school. The first one home would gather the eggs and hide them. Then the hunts began. Whatever eggs one found, one kept as his/her own, but then later hid them again for others to hunt. We did a lot of hiding and hunting during those next days. The Friday evening before Easter Sunday all the eggs had to be brought in- it was fun to see who had accumulated the most. Saturday was the big day for a ward picnic at the cliffs so we were up early to boil and decorate our eggs. What with? Crayons- and the cloth in Mexico at that time faded really easily, so Mother would save little scraps and we would wrap the eggs and they would get colored as they boiled. Picnic dishes were prepared. I remember mostly the potato salad and baked beans, and some kind of dessert, usually cookies or cake. The men would go out to the picnic site early and put up high swings. They would swing us high enough to take away our breath. On Easter Sunday, of course, we learned of our Savior’s resurrection and atonement.
Cinco de Mayo was a Mexican celebration where a queen was chosen. She then chose two small girls as her attendants. A big outdoor party was held near the forest with races and other games. That night there was a big dance.
We celebrated the 24th of July, Pioneer Day, with a parade, a program and a picnic.
September 16th was the celebration for Mexico’s Independence Day which included a big rodeo.
In October we celebrated Halloween and, sad to say, sometimes damage was done by pranksters.
Next was Thanksgiving Day with the big turkey dinner and program. This also heralded the beginning of the Christmas season.
Christmas was such a special time in Chupie. There was a wonderful spirit that spread across our homes and little valley as, months before Christmas, we began to make gifts for each other. We learned to make handkerchiefs when we were quite young and would often choose to make one as a gift for a sister. We learned to hemstitch or pull a colored thread through the cloth to make the hankie decorative. We later learned to embroider on them and crochet around the edges. These were practical as well as pretty because we had no Kleenex back then. We also made rag dolls, dresser scarves, doilies and stuffed animals. As we worked on these gifts our thoughts and hearts were turned to those we loved, who would be the recipients, and so the spirit of Christmas was abundant in our home and in our lives. A big part of the excitement was to get the gift made without the recipient knowing about it.
The Church organizations began early to prepare programs for the holiday. For weeks, we practiced our parts, learned our songs and heard the story of Jesus’ birth. The weeks right before Christmas we put on these spiritual programs, which added even more to our Christmas Spirit and excitement.
As the big day drew near we worked hard at stringing popcorn and making paper chains. We colored the paper with our crayons or used colored catalog pages and we glued them with flour and water paste. These were our Christmas tree decorations. Christmas Eve had come at last! With the tree decorated and the evening chores done, it was time for our family home evening. We loved the story of the birth of Christ and the Christmas songs. We then hung our stockings on the mantle, had family and personal prayer and were off to bed. The Christmas Spirit was so high that it was hard to get to sleep.
About daylight we would hear sleigh bells and soon Santa would pop into our bedroom with a cheery “Merry Christmas”, and a bag of peanuts for each of us. One Christmas morning, I was curious as to how Santa could have a sleigh when there wasn’t any snow. I peeked out the window and what did I see- Santa driving away in a horse-drawn buggy, and lo, and behold, the Primary president was riding with him. Well, of course, she would know, and could tell Santa, where each of the Primary children lived.
Now we were up and running in to see and try on our new dresses that Mother had made for us and to see our stuffed stockings hanging there on the mantle. Each of us would find a small, homemade toy, such as a rag doll, some of Mother’s homemade candy, more peanuts, an orange, and right in the toe, under the orange, would be cincuento centavos, a fifty-cent piece. This was a very big deal for us. Not only did we have money to spend, but also it gave us the opportunity to pay our tithing. The goodies were also rare and very much appreciated. Sugar was precious commodity so Mother’s hard tack candy was a special treat. We couldn’t grow peanuts or oranges in our valley so we only had them at this time of year. Just a little while before Christmas, the Mexicans from Sonora would bring their mules, laden with these items to sell. Mother would have set aside a little money to buy some and she would hide them away to put in our stockings. We were so excited.
After we finished with our own gifts we wanted to be off to see what our friends had received. Before we went out the door, though, we had to have some of our candy and nuts ready to share. As soon as we opened the door we would hear, “Dame Kreemas, Dame Kreemas”, from the little Mexican children waiting at our gate. What delight it was to give them some of our goodies and see their eyes light up and hear them calling, “Gracias, Gracias”, as they headed for the next house. That was a happy part of Christmas. Then we would go on to see our friends. Now, when we saw a friend, each tried to be the first to say “Christmas Gift.” This was because the first person to say it got a nut or piece of candy from the other person. It was a fun game.
Now, about our Christmas dinner- it lasted all day and never a dish to wash! It was a five-gallon can of Mother’s good, hot tamales sitting on the hearth; just close enough to the fire to keep them nice and hot. We were free to come and go, with or without our friends, eat a tamale, throw away the shuck and run to play again. I think Mother had company through the day, too, because the can was usually empty by nighttime.
In the afternoon there was a Primary dance. This was where we learned many dance steps and some square dances.
The day was drawing to an end but the Christmas Spirit was very much alive as we milked the cow, fed the horses, cat and dog and locked the chickens in their coop for the night. After our usual supper of corn bread and milk, we would get to have a piece of that special cake or pie that had been sitting on the table all day.
Christmas in Chupie was a spiritual feast lasting several months as we thought of others and of our Savior. Mother had a special way of bringing the Spirit of Christmas into our home with her songs and cheerful ways. We had more Christmas Spirit than gifts, and it lasted right on through to the New Year’s Dance with the Mariachi band and the time to make New Year’s resolutions. Of course, after such a spiritual Christmas, we each felt that we could be more like Jesus during the coming year.
I will never forget these choice experiences that have made fond memories in my life and I hope that you, too, may feel the love we felt as children growing up in our beloved Chupie valley.
With love from Mother, Grandmother, Great-grandmother, Great-Great Grandmother, Maggie J. Brown
Earl and Maggie, Jan. 1946
Home built by Earl and family in Queen Creek, AZ by combining 2 buildings from a Japanese internment camp. The family moved in on May 22, 1948.
Family portrait Sept. 1949
Maggie 1981
Maggie J. Brown with g-granddaughter, Kenzie Stinger, Feb. 2006, about 1 month before she passed away
Here are some thoughts I wrote about Sonya for the tribute newsletter we did for her and a few pictures:
Thoughts of Sonya from Earlene April 2009
Sonya has always been such a sweetheart. When we received the telegram from Peru, letting us know that Sonya had been born on April 1, there was some joking about whether the fact that Marvin and Nadine had really had a girl might be an April Fool’s joke. I remember how cute she was as a little girl with her blonde hair, big smile and smattering of freckles. I always loved to play with Sonya and Marla- and their brothers, too, when they would come home to visit. When we lived in Florida they came to see us and I was really excited that Nadine was willing to let me make the girls some school dresses. Thinking back, I have to wonder how excited she was, with my beginning sewing skills.
Other than those occasional visits, I wasn’t with Sonya a lot as she grew up and married and started her own family, but I always have had a sense of wanting to be better whenever I’ve been with her or any of Marvin and Nadine’s family. The whole Marvin Brown family has always been about lots of love and generosity and that has continued into the Rob and Sonya Young family. When they moved to Logan we had more opportunities to spend a little time with them, though, sadly, we were much better at taking advantage of those opportunities at first than we have been lately. They have blessed our family a great deal with their love, examples and generosity. They opened their home to our whole kit and caboodle each time we had a daughter get married in the Logan temple (Kim, Amy and Sarah), voluntarily providing bed and board and a resting and visiting spot for any and all. In addition they took the wedding pictures for us on those occasions, being willing to come here for the receptions and refusing to accept any kind of recompense for sacrificing their time and sharing their talents.
Sonya always made sure everyone was well taken care of and feeling comfortable and happy and loved. She was so willing to put her own needs and her pain in the background as she served everyone around her. She couldn’t seem to do enough. I miss her, as I do the other wonderful family members who have gone ahead of us. What a glorious, multi-generational family reunion we will have one of these days!
Hello Family,
I’m posting the things I’ve been able to gather from Murr’s funeral service. I’m also going to include a message I sent to him before he died. I invite any who would like to, to share memories and experiences with Murr, either as comments or separate posts. Next, I’m planning to post some pictures and other things about Sonya B.Young and Maggie J Brown to fulfill requests from Connie and Sean. It is great to see the interest and participation on the blog so far. I hope everyone will enjoy using this to keep us connected. Love, Earlene
(back and front of funeral service folder)
(inside of funeral service folder)
Life Sketch for Funeral of Murr Lavar Brown, by Robert L. Brown, brother
We are here to celebrate the very special life of the youngest of my five brothers. And although he was a dozen years my junior, he was, in more than one way, a “Big Brother” to me.
Murr Lavar Brown was born at home in Pomerene Arizona on May 3, 1942. We knew right away that we had a live-wire on our hands when he turned over on his Aunt Melza’s lap, just minutes after his birth, before she was able to get him cleaned up and diapered.
He was dubbed in his early childhood by a member of he bishopric as “a vine full of vinegar.”
Some of you are old enough to remember that in the forties we started to see 8 cylinder car engines, and you will recall that one of the most popular ones was the Mercury V-8. Well, Murr’s name combined with his energy levels made it inevitable that his older brothers soon morphed his moniker from Murr to Murrcury. And this even before he turned 8!
While his general exuberance may have resulted in occasional mischief in his younger days, more importantly, it propelled him to a lot of athletic acclaim while in high school; and, along with a very creative intellect, to an unusually productive professional life later on. Like our oldest brother, Marvin, it never occurred to him that there was anything he couldn’t do, that he really wanted to try. He never saw a job that he couldn’t do.
Before graduating from high school, in addition to his athletic and academic achievements, he had proven himself as a versatile farm hand, a skilled sack sewer in the potato packing shed, and a skilled “skinner” of a D-6 Caterpillar tractor.
Among the jobs he performed while working his way through BYU were janitor; milker at the Y Dairy, creamery hand, and Rena Ware salesman.
After graduation he taught high school and, almost single-handedly, built a summer vacation home for one of his fellow teachers. He left this profession to manage the lumber mill owned by Cheryl’s father and left that to become a developer of time-share condominiums.
Along the way he took his turn as a fork life operator, welder, and brick mason. He earned an engineering degree and for a time worked in the aerospace industry for Thiokol. He also taught seminary and, for a number of years, moonlighted as an income tax preparer.
I will leave it for Barry to tell of his work in the roofing industry in California.
So many job changes on a single resume might suggest that that person couldn’t hold a job. But I assure you that every move that Murr made in his working career was made on his terms.
I’m not aware of all the church jobs Murr was called to. I was not only in a different state most of the time, but usually on a different continent. I do know that his service in the church included a full-time mission in Argentina. I know that, while in California, Murr and Cheryl worked as stake missionaries and he also served as Mission President of his stake mission. I believe the church calling he enjoyed most was heading up a prisoner rehabilitation program. The positive experiences he had in this program were so powerful that he was motivated to sell his roofing business and go back to school the receive a Masters Degree in psychology and become certified in family counseling and group therapy. One of several positions he held in this new capacity was chief psychologist in a Family Life Center where he and Cheryl worked in the rehabilitation of youth who had been in detention programs and were being prepared to fit back into normal society.
But, even this did not end the changing path of his careers. While working in the church’s family counseling program, he was not given a case load sufficient to fully occupy his time, or support his family, so, almost overnight he qualified himself as a counselor in the financial planning and mortgage business.
Throughout most of his adult years, a good deal of Murr’s creative energy has gone into writing. He leaves behind a significant body of excellent poetry, and one of his novels is presently in the hands of a publisher. His writings include a series of children’s’ stories, numerous essays, and a sizeable collection of original aphorisms which he has labeled “Reflections From The Rooftop.”
As suggested above, I missed out on a lot of Murr’s life, having married and left home when he was only 10. From that time until just a few months ago, we have lived quite far apart, as I was in the US Foreign Service for most of his adult life.
But, because quite a few other family members have displayed talents in writing, a few years ago, Murr goaded me into being the editor of a quarterly family literary newsletter, to which he was a major contributor. Because of this endeavor, I do have quite a few of his shorter writings on hand. I would like to share a couple of his poems and some of his rooftop philosophies.
Here are some of the latter that I have thought are quite powerful:
On the important subject of self-esteem he had this to say:
“If self esteem came easy it wouldn’t be worth much. But it doesn’t, so it is.”
On the Human Spirit: “It is more damaging to the human spirit to think of oneself as a victim than it is to be one.”
“It is more damaging to the human spirit to get away with a crime than to be punished for a crime that one did not commit.”
“It is more damaging to the human spirit to accept praise that was not earned than to be denied praise that was.”
“It is more damaging to the human spirit to be coddled than to be oppressed. This is true of individuals, families, societies, ethnic groups, and nations.”
On Growing old: “One reason growing old is frightening is because we’ve never done it before.”
“Growing old is like raising kids. By the time you figure out how to do it, your done.”
On Death: “Death, like birth, is just another milestone on the path to eternal life. It does, however, stand at a junction. The road we take away from the junction will depend largely on what we’ve learned between these two milestones.”
The following little poem by Murr has long been one of my favorites. I keep it in a collection of poems entitled: POEMS I WISH I HAD WRITTEN. It is called:
Keeping Up With The Joneses
When the Joneses got color TV, so did we.
When they put in cable, we weren’t able;
but we did.
When they got a BMW;
Don’t let it trouble you; so did we.
The Tudor in the ‘burbs,’
with the circular curbs;
the mountainous debt.
Who could forget?
I’m as good a provider as he, I cried!
We’ve worked so hard, we deserve it.
We lied.
Once we thought we’d outdone ‘em;
our bankruptcy surely would stun ‘em.
But, again, we were only the chorus.
They’d filed two months before us!
There is also a great lesson in this longer poem called I WROTE A BOOK:
I WROTE A BOOK
I wrote a book that no one cared to read.
I wrote a poem, but no one gave it heed.
I wrote a song, a story, and a theme.
I used up pencil, pen, and paper by the ream
I cry: “Why do I write when no one seems to care?”“
My pen’s on fire! I have so much to teach.
I reach out, but no one’s there to reach.
Each person’s life is filled up to the brim
with busyness and fluff and passing whim.
Things of substance seem to take a 2nd chair
to vain ‘necessities’ that lead only to despair.
And so, we grovel over things that need not be,
and pass by things designed to set us free.
And, since each mind’s so cluttered with debris,
the things I write, few others ever see.
And so, I write and set it on my shelf.
As it turns out, I’m writing for myself.
And then I note: “This isn’t really strange,
‘cause I’m the only one I really need to change!
From these writings, I think you can see that, (as the scriptures urge) with all his getting, Murr got a lot of understanding. More important than his considerable intelligence and talent, is what we call wisdom. Murr’s has been wise to the ways of men and has understood that the wisdom of man is foolishness to God.
Cheryl tells me that Murr’s favorite scripture is chapter 13 of I Corinthians. For most of us, that might be the scariest of all scriptures. You know, that’s the chapter where we are taught more than most of us want to know about the gospel principle of charity. That’s where we are taught that we can speak with tongues and prophesy; that we can understand the mysteries and have all knowledge, that we can have faith sufficient to remove mountains; but if we have not charity, we are NOTHING! It that doesn’t frighten you, you are a better Christian than I am.
Cheryl needn’t have told me that was their favorite scripture. I could have guessed. Because the lives of Murr and Cheryl reflect an understanding of that scripture more fully than the lives of any other couple that I personally know. In their married life, they have taken into their home stray and abandoned children more readily than most of us would adopt a stray puppy or kitten. I don’t know exactly how many surrogate children they have taken in, but I personally know of six that they have quite literally rescued from impossible circumstances and nurtured and healed. We have seen most of them go on, not only to productive lives, but also to fill missions for the church and be sealed in temple marriage.
One of them, whom I have personally met, as a teenager, found all his clothing and belongings thrown out on the front lawn of his home because he had chosen to be baptized into the church. Murr and Cheryl took him into their home, helped him develop his considerable musical talents, and sent him on a mission to Italy, where he had unusual opportunities to use his singing voice. When he returned, he helped them in the operation of the fine arts conservatory that Murr and Cheryl had founded in California.
I was struck by the aptness of the hymn we sang in the Cultural Hall just before coming into the chapel, and it occurs to me that seeds sown by Murr will be bearing fruit through the eternities.
It was not Murr’s choice to die at the early age of 68. But once it became evident to him that he was appointed unto death, he accepted it just as he had accepted all the other callings that came from the Lord during his fruitful life. His positive attitude has been an inspiration to all of us around him. I think we all hope that we might come to the end of our lives with the dignity that he has displayed.
And, It is my prayer that our lives may reflect the virtue and power of Christ’s Gospel as they have been illuminated by the life of my baby brother, Murr LaVar Brown. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
(The following e-mail message represents the spirit and most of the content of Mike’s talk at Murr’s funeral. He didn't have his talk written out, as such.)
Hi Murr,
It's with a heavy heart and yet grateful heart that I attempt to write this email. I am not as gifted as you Browns at writing but I will attempt to express just a few of the feelings of my "Heart".
When your family moved into our neighborhood in Wellton, my life changed. You and Sandy saved me because I was headed down the wrong road! You guys lead me to the road leading to Eternal Life. Your friendship was saving influence in my life, not to mention to your "Missionary letter from Argentina" which led to my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! My life was changed for ever and I am forever indebted to you for that tremendous blessing in my life and my extended family!
One experience with you has endeared me to you forever! Once when " the Quiet Three plus One" were together at the Stage Coach having a soda, some guys drove up and called you outside and invited you to dump us and go with them to look for some girls! You came back in and said that you told them that you would rather stay with your friends. There are not words in my vocabulary to express how good you made me feel and how you taught me the importance of friendship.
You still to this day continue to teach me!!! All my life, I have looked up to you and respected your wisdom and steadfastness in following the Lord. I will always treasure the memories of you and the experiences that we had together. I am grateful that I can call you my "Friend".
All my Prayer and Love, Mike Huston
MURR AND THE PLAN OF SALVATION
Given by Barry E. Brown at the funeral service of his brother, Murr L. Brown
March 11, 2011
Where did Murr come from?
Moses 2:27 And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of my only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.” He blessed them and God said unto them to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Moses 3:5 “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the earth.”
In the discourses of Brigham Young he explains that the spirit of man is organized of elements designed to endure to all eternity. It is brought together, organized and capacitated to receive knowledge and intelligence, to be enthroned in glory.
God, having organized us, knows every detail of who we are. He organized us with separate personalities, gave each special gifts, talents and capacity.
As spirit children we were called to the great council where we were presented with two plans. One by Lucifer, The Son of the Morning: He proposed that he force all mankind to be saved and he would claim all of the glory. The other by the Only Begotten Son: He promised freedom to choose, He would die for mans’ sins, and man could earn exaltation and eternal life by following Him.
We listened to both plans. Lucifer and one third of the hosts of heaven were cast out of heaven without a possibility of salvation. Though they are our brothers and sisters their lot is to tempt and try the souls of men.
Why was he here?
I testify with full clarity that there is a Lucifer. I have felt of his darkness. To my discredit there are times that I have listened to and bought into his lie that it will not hurt to try this just once. By doing so, each time, I know that I limited my access to the promptings of the spirit and opened the door for Satan to have even more power to tempt me in other ways. I know that he will use any lie to make evil look right and anything right to look evil. Please make no mistake he is real. His goal is 180 degrees from the Savior’s goal, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Satan’s goal is to rob you of your chance for exaltation, in the presence of our Eternal Father.
The very fact that you and I are here today tells us that we accepted the Savior’s plan. Knowing the goal, I’m sure we were anxious to have our opportunity to come to earth and prove ourselves.
In a talk Murr gave at the funeral of our sister in law, Nadine Pew Brown, he expressed it this way: “When I visualize this experience, I think of my days as a football player and I see each of us on the sidelines saying, ‘Come on, coach, put me in, I can do it, let me prove it.’”
Well, the coach put Murr in. Perhaps Murr summed up his own gifts and qualifications best in the introduction of a character in a novel that he wrote called The Edan Antidote: “The constant physical activity of his job had kept his wiry muscles taut and lean. He also had a keen, inquiring mind, and he had been blessed or cursed, depending on how you looked at it, with a high degree of curiosity. In fact his extraordinary sense of curiosity frequently put him into situations from which his keen mind was barely able to extract him.
It has been an inspiration to see how Murr has harnessed his bundle of intellectual energy, curiosity, adventure and experimentation, to be a servant of his Father in Heaven and mankind, and the man whose life we honor today.
It is an honor and a great blessing to be Murr’s brother. I thank God that I have had the privilege to know Murr for what, and who, he truly is.
Murr has been an inspiration and blessing to many people in his lifetime. His parents, siblings, his family, roommates, missionary companions, mission presidents, investigators, fellow workers, employers, inmates, those he filled church assignments with, and young men and women that have found themselves in need of love and the security of a home away from home, to find themselves and reset the direction of their lives.
We cannot forget the unnumbered youth that have come to be inspired by Cheryl during piano and voice lessons.
There are some who will remember the I.R.T. days of California. I was excited when Murr came to Davis, California to be a sales rep for my branch of the franchise. He soon set new records in sales. He raise the bar and inspired salesmen in other branches of the franchise.
While Murr attended B.Y. U. he and a group of his close friends came to our home often. Sometimes we would be awakened in the night by a knock at the door. It would be Murr and company ready to play games and sometimes a night snack. At one time Murr found it funny to have been served a cotton pancake. When he brought a new friend to a meal he would ask to have his friend served a cotton pancake. His request was always granted, only to find that each time, his own pancake was also doctored with cotton. Those are times that will always be remembered and cherished.
Thank you, Murr, Cheryl and family. You have shown us how to endure to the end. We are all inspired by your courage under fire.
Where did he go?
At times like this, one may ask the question, “Why was Murr taken home after he had priesthood blessings? The blessings were given in faith by worthy priesthood holders.
In the May 2010 Ensign, Elder Dallin H. Oaks speaks about healing the sick. He instructs that we need not wait to see if medicine will cure a problem. When inspired and asked to anoint, it should be done. However, he instructs us that we have a responsibility to do all we can in conjunction with the anointing.
We are promised that a blessing that is given in faith and by the authority the priesthood will be acknowledged and that healing will take place unless the party is appointed unto death
We do not know the reason Murr was appointed unto death. I do not question our Father’s reason. However, I feel that it is for a worthy cause. I believe Murr has filled a worthy and complete mission.
In my mind’s eye, I can see Murr walking into the open arms of his Savior to report his life and his stewardship. In my mind’s eye, I can see Murr receiving a new mission call to teach those spirits in prison, who have been waiting to learn the truth that will set them free.
We know that the Savior bridged the gap between paradise and prison during the 3 days His body lay in the tomb, before His resurrection.
In closing I would like to testify that the plan of salvation is very real, that the plan was explained to us, in detail. We accepted it. We entered into a covenant that we would live by it for our own salvation and add to the glory of our God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
I am reminded that my deciding that it is okay to break His laws will not change the law in my favor. As our brother, Wilburn has said, “We will be judged by our every thought and action. We must endure until the end and that means until you re safely dead.”
We have the example of our ancestors who embraced the gospel early on. They passed their faith and testimonies on to our parents and they have given us adequate example and encouragement to know how we should live to find the happiness and peace that comes from living our Father’s law.
I cannot close without thanking our Father in Heaven fro the spouses that have come to bless the lives of my siblings.
God and The Savior live and they have prepared a way for our eternal happiness. May we so live, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
AS YOU LEAVE
As you leave now
Promise to visit someday
Watch your family
As it grows stronger day by day
As you leave now
Promise to wait for me
‘Til I join you
And we will be forever free
As you leave now
Promise to come back to me
To comfort me
For the days ahead scare me
As you leave now
Promise to give my love
To my family
And all my friends above
As you leave now
Promise to share your love
And your kindness
To everyone above
For I love you
And I will never forget
All the good times
And all the love you have shown unto me
-Talayna Ropp (granddaughter)
Dear Murr,
I’ve appreciated the updates you’ve sent in the past month or so. Thank you for sharing your perspectives and insights. It is good to be reminded to focus on what life really is all about and what really matters. It is easy to get distracted by trivia. I was touched by your New Year’s message and by Bob’s and Mike’s responses.
It’s been fun to think about some “Murr” memories. The moves to Georgia and Florida were pretty scary for me but provided experiences that I really needed and those years in the South were some of the most enjoyable of my teen years, as I look back. I don’t suppose I’ve ever thanked you for being there and for easing the transition for me as we participated in mutual activities, road shows, youth conference, dances, etc. Thanks for your efforts in helping me become a little less awkward socially and for letting me tag along on some of your adventures. Thanks for taking me to a movie and for taking me out of it when it became apparent it wasn’t going to be an appropriate experience. Thanks for fun little things like the dish juggling act, the honey tree and the post- hurricane ride out to the citrus groves on the tractor. Thanks for being a great big brother and for taking me under your wing during a time that would have been pretty lonely otherwise.
Thanks for being a part of the family tradition of perseverance that I feel is a big part of my heritage. It strengthens me against temptations to let things slide, take the convenient ways out, or to think that it’s no use because I’m never going to be strong enough to be who I need to be and accomplish what Heavenly Father needs me to do. I admire you and Cheryl for always working hard to make things work and make things better and especially to make peoples’ lives better. Thanks for figuring out what is real and for acting on that. You are a good example for me.
Best wishes for finishing your book. I hope to see you again soon- maybe at the time of Bob’s birthday party.
Love and prayers,
Earlene
A Work in Progress
My childhood was a joyous one.
My teenage years were yet more fun!
I welcomed all the challenges that came with 21.
Then I wed at 22, when I was still at BYU.
I still had 2 more years to do,
So Jennie worked to put me through.
I graduated with a son!
The three of us then headed south’
where I taught school; lived hand-to-mouth!
It was there our family grew.
We went abroad with quite a few
In Baghdad JJ’s birth came due.
With him, our fertile days were done.
The globe became our trotting ground.
We lived and worked the world around.
And everywhere we went, we found
the gospel message to abound.
And, oh, the friendships that we won!’
When I had done all things required;
the things for which I had been hired;
and all the children I had sired
had moved away, I then retired.
And looked back on the web I’d spun.
As now I watch my family grow:
grandkids and great ones, row on row
how great the joy, you cannot know!
There’s no such thing as status quo.
In certain ways, my life has just begun!
© Robert Lynn Brown January 2011
Dear Family,
I’m going to take this opportunity to write to the family newsletter between sessions this beautiful Saturday. I didn’t know what I was going to say or what more could be said, but I feel the need to express some thoughts that I recently had.
I’ve had the opportunity several times to bear my testimony to others of the wonderful Plan of Salvation, especially to my Visiting Teaching letter route. It has reinforced my testimony of everything eternal, because Kaylynn and Tanaya and I were holding Murr as he passed through. The veil is very thin at those times. Afterward, the Hopsice nurses were with us for an hour and we all talked about memories, etc. They felt the spirit strongly and later sent cards expressing how much the experience meant to them. After about an hour, Tanaya looked around and Murr was very relaxed and had a slight smile on his face. She said, “Look, Dad’s smiling.” He looked so happy and peaceful.
Today, as I listened to conference, I thought about how gracefully and honorably Murr handled his illness. He thought of others to the end. He had grace and dignity. He was full of caring and charity, never selfishness.
One of the things that I want to mention is trust. When he had his major stroke on March 5th, I sat him up and he was confused that he couldn’t use his left arm; I held him and explained that he was having a stroke and he needed to relax and trust the Lord. He had the love and trust in me to believe what I said was true. He relaxed and allowed the Lord to give him comfort. This gave him the faith to lie back and rest and give the powers of heaven the opportunity to surround him with love and peace. He passed so beautifully on Sunday, March 6, 2011.
I am grateful for all of the support and love all of you have shown for Murr and me. He is and always will be a wonderful person. I’m sure that he is happy, busy, and doing more service. I found this poem; it doesn’t have a date so I don’t know when he wrote it.
Just do what He asks,
No more and no less,
Don’t try to short-change Him
Or I’d have to guess,
That you’ll find yourself
In deep duress.
‘Cause without Him you’ll note
That life’s a mess,
For nothing can replace
His power to bless;
To ease us through trials
And cope with distress;
Or take us to heights
That words can’t express;
To show us wonders
That are sure to impress;
Or bind up our wounds
With His tender caress;
If we’ll just hold to the rod
And endure the test
“Til He calls us home
To enter our rest.
I pray that we will love and trust each other and our Heavenly Father and Brother each and every day. Cheryl
Thanks Holly for getting us started. This blog will hopefully serve as an open forum. We welcome photos, videos, and whatever else you would like to share. I have sent invitations to everyone listed on the “Latest Locations” from our last newsletter which is about 80 people. We can have 100 authors, so we have 20 more spots if there is someone I missed. If you would like to receive an email notification when a post is added, let me know, I can add you to my list. You can also subscribe using an rss reader such as google reader or Microsoft Outlook.
I have listed all of the family blogs that I’m aware of that are not private. If you would like to add a blog to the list let me know.
As for us, we are back in school. I decided after 3 years of working in Finance that I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life, so I’m back in school pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. I’m working at Farm Bureau Insurance in the IT department.
Darcie and I have 2 kids, Penelope (4) and Henry (2). We are looking forward to hearing from everyone and testing out this new format. Just for kicks, I’ll add a video to the post displaying my fine parenting skills.
