Stories about George Michael Papa as an example of spiritual resilience.

George was a mighty proud man, not willing to take sass from anyone. He never lost that streak of pride, but he discovered there were some things more important. On a Saturday night in Jacksonville, Florida (1942), George was out looking for a good time for himself when he walked into a dance. He was now a sailor in the Navy, was earning steady pay and had invested the vanity necessary to grow a long handlebar mustache. George thought he looked pretty good that night, nevermind that he was drunk. In his overconfid[...]

When George Papa, Sr. was finally ready to commit to God, he wasn’t going to let much stand in his way. George and my grandmother, with her parents and their first baby boy, were so excited to take the long bus ride from Snowflake, Arizona to Salt Lake City, Utah to be endowed and sealed as a family in the temple. The couple had moved from Florida where they were married, to Chicago where George was baptized, and finally to Snowflake, Arizona where Beatrice had deep pioneer history and strong family ties. Some o[...]

To say George was rough around the edges would be merely scratching the surface. He had smoothed some of his rough corners but was still a mighty proud man—except when it came to God. To his God, he was submissive and he listened when God spoke. When George left Chicago for the last time, it was very difficult for his family to understand his choices. They felt threatened by his new religious beliefs and felt justified in their fear when he told them he would be leaving for Arizona. He was leaving the family, a[...]

Arizona became the source of George's new relationships, new traditions and a new outlook on what life meant. For George, the most important priority would be his family. Every year in Joe's City, Arizona there was a tradition for a town picnic down in Chevelon Canyon. The canyon had a large stream that ran through it. Shaded and cool, it was the perfect place for the town to gather as family and friends. My father, George Jr., was the oldest son of George and Beatrice Papa. At six years old, with two younger brot[...]

We can't always help our family members the way we want to. Sometimes the relationship is not where it needs to be, sometimes they aren't ready for our help. Sometimes we don't know what to do. I want to be close enough to the Spirit that when there is something I can do, I'll know it. George and Beatrice were blessed with five rowdy boys. My grandmother was a saint just as much as my grandfather was a hellion. Between the two extremes, every one of their sons had a temperament similar to my grandfather, even if D[...]

There is a power in receiving a blessing from someone you know well and who knows you well. It is a declaration that Christ's power is close, available and personal. My parents had married after less than five dates and a two week engagement, the vast majority of which my mother spent on a camping trip with her family, while my father was in Boot Camp in another state. Making life-altering decisions quickly and confidently was not new to them, but they would find there were times they would still need comfort. Upo[...]