VISION OF MY FAMILY BY LUTHER GALE
"This is Grandpa, or Luther Gale, speaking. I'd like to tell a little story that happened not long ago in my life.
I am the thirteenth and last child of George and Martha Gale. I was born in Huntington, Emery County, Utah. I went on a mission in 1912 and 1913 in Arkansas. I returned and went back to Bluebell where I met my wife. We've been married now for fifty-three years. I am eighty years old, or will be in a few days.
I've spent quite a bit of my time last fall in the L.D.S. Hospital, and a few of these things I would like to talk about right now.
After I came back from the hospital my second time--it was quite a serious operation, and I was to home. On Labor Day, 1967, I was laying on my back in bed, which I had been there for several days. In the living room was several of my family--or grandchildren and children, and so on. I could hear them talking in there, but I was in bed on my back in the bedroom--nothing to do but think, so I did a lot of that. I got to thinking about my family and what they had accomplished and who was who and how many we had and what they had done and the prominent positions they had held in the Church and missionary work and all, and I figured we had spent fifty-seven years in the mission field, nineteen of us had filled missions. I thought that was a pretty good record.
And then pondering over these things, the scene changed, and I was sitting in a little chapel with Grandma, my wife, and I in the front seat. We were holding hands sitting there waiting, but there was nobody there on the stand. But we could see a beautiful mahogany, or dark-colored, pulpit. It was really beautiful and built so nice. Behind the pulpit was two chairs--big, upholstered chairs, trimmed with gold, the prettiest chairs that I had ever seen. One was a little larger than the other, and I wondered why it was larger, but I wasn't concerned about it.
But there was no one on the stand. I just supposed they hadn't come yet. It was early or something, and I didn't know just why we were there. Neither was I concerned about that.
And then in a little bit I saw some men coming around the corner from in back of the stand; it seems as though there was another room or place to come through there. Those men come walking around and stood right up again the edge of the stand right where the steps or stairs go down into the chapel. And after they had stood there for a few seconds, I discovered that it was my boys. DeMar and Donald about half a step ahead of the rest of them. There was Eldon and Bruce, Arvene and Sterling, and Eveart--seven of them that was there waiting or standing there. DeMar and Donald was in the head, and they stood and looked at us and the audience behind a minute. Then they came down the steps. DeMar reached down and got me by the hand, and Donald took Mother also by the hand and raised us up and took us up on the stand and placed us in those beautiful golden-trimmed chairs.
Well, we set there for a few seconds, and looking down in the audience I discovered it was my family--all of them, every one. Little LaDell, Mildred, sitting on each side of Vena, holding her hand. They looked so sweet and good--just like they were when we laid them away, and it made me so happy to see all of them--every one of my children standing, sitting there waiting.
Well, DeMar and Donald went down and reached out and took hold of our hands and walked us back up on the stand and set us down in those beautiful chairs. We just set there a minute or two, and they raised us up again, and I discovered that it was my Family.
DeMar raised my hand up on about a forty-five degree, and he said: 'Our Father, our Prophet, Seer and Revelator, the Patriarch of this Family and its posterity through all generations to come.'
Then, Donald raised Mother's hand up, and he said: 'Our Mother, our Angel Mother, the Angel Mother of this Family and all its posterity through all generations to come.' And I looked to her; the most beautiful sight I ever saw was my wife standing there. There was nothing more said.
Then, in a little bit DeMar raised my hand up again and repeated the same words over: 'Our Father, the Prophet, Seer and Revelator and the Patriarch of this Family and its posterity through all generations to come.' Then, Donald raised Mother's hand up again and said: 'Our Mother, our Angel Mother, the Angel Mother of this Family and all its posterity through all the generations to come.' Then he let her hand down.
DeMar gave me a sign that I was supposed to say something. Well, I was overcome with emotions and couldn't say anything. He squeezed my hand a little, and I did say this: 'Blessed be the name of the Lord!' and that's all I could say. So we stood and looked at them a little bit, and I dropped my head trying to control my emotions.
When I raised my eyes, the group was standing up. Then it came to me then that those seven boys was my high councilmen for the Family through all the generations to come. It didn't seem funny, it didn't seem odd that they were. But that it was their job, and that is why they were chosen to stand up there in that position. So the whole Family seemed so happy and so content with each other--the whole group--'till I was so proud of them that I was overcome with emotion 'till I couldn't talk. Then when I raised my head up again and looked out, I was laying on my back in the same position that I was before the scene changed.
Now, I want to tell you this, you can take it for what it is worth. I know I wasn't asleep, I know I wasn't having any wild imaginations.
I am thankful for all our Family, more than I can tell, and I'm thankful for my wife, for the teachings that she has given us all, for the love and labor and devotion that she has shown to us. I am thankful for all our Family.
Well, this is about all I have to say to that now, and we're having it recorded so we'll get a record and give you all a copy of it as fast as we can. God bless you all. Amen."
(This is a transcript of a tape recording made by Luther Gale, at his home in Orem, Utah. Myrna Gale, his grand daughter, obtained the transcription, which she used as part of a class she was taking at B.Y.U.)