a little goes a long way

last week in primary, the presidency asked the children to bring their scriptures to church. if the children did so, they would get warm-fuzzies in a jar. when the jar filled up, the children would earn a prize.

as a parent, i was grateful for the encouragement. it's never too early to start good habits. little did i realize that this one small suggestion would impact my sunbeam ellie in such a large way. early sunday morning, she scrambled to fill a bag with her favorite things to take to church. "i need my scriptures, mom," she chided. i pulled out an extra book of mormon i have in my nightstand, and she slipped it in her bag.

that day, she held her scriptures up proudly when the primary presidency member asked if the children brought their scriptures. when she came home, she pulled the book of mormon from her bag, and placed it on her bed.

from that moment, she has rarely parted from her book of mormon. she carries the book with her as she watches tv, eats, and even sleeps. when the missionaries came over for dinner, and asked to share a thought from the book of mormon, she rushed to her room to retrieve her copy. she has spent many moments looking through the pages, studying the pictures and pretending to read.

i am grateful for the primary presidency that asked our children to do a very little thing, because it has created a deep impact in the life of our ellie. even though she is only three, i hope she will always have such an abiding love of the book of mormon. i know i do, and that the simple words on it's pages have changed my life in a marvelous way.