No Time for the Prophet?

By Alice Ann Henderson

One Thursday afternoon in late April the mail came, and with it our copy of the Ensign conference report. I picked it up and thumbed through it, but I didn’t have time to read any of it. As a homemaker and mother of eight, I always could find much to be done.

That night, I dreamed that President Benson came to my home. I excitedly invited him in. He was filled with the Spirit and radiated love and peace.

I wanted to show President Benson a poster I had made of a scripture our stake president asked us to memorize, so I invited him to come into the family room. When we got there, I couldn’t find the poster; all I could see were piles of books, clothes, and toys everywhere. I was embarrassed, but President Benson didn’t seem to mind at all. He just smiled warmly, and we went back to the living room.

Then the thought came to me, What if he wants to go upstairs and see the rest of the house? I excused myself and went to help the children straighten their rooms. As I rushed around, I glanced out the front window and saw President Benson getting into his car.

I dropped what I was doing and ran outside. I told him I was sorry he had to leave so soon. I hugged him good-bye and told him that I loved him. He told me that he loved me, too. He then got into the car and drove away.

I was depressed when I woke up. In my dream, President Benson had come to my home. Instead of sitting at his feet, listening to and learning from him, I had cleaned and straightened. I had missed a wonderful opportunity.

As I continued to think about my dream, I realized that President Benson had come to my home one Thursday afternoon. He came in the Ensign. His current words and counsel were there. His spirit and strength were there. But I had been too busy to read.

Now, thanks to a dream that changed my priorities, my Ensign conference report is a well-used and loved issue.

• Alice Ann Henderson serves as Laurel adviser in the Willow Creek Sixth Ward, Sandy Utah Willow Creek Stake.