One More Child?

Several years ago when my wife, Sydney, and I were courting, we occasionally discussed how many children we might have. We were married in the Los Angeles Temple and settled in California. The years sped by, and we had four children. We never really discussed having more. My wife, meanwhile, had started to pray about whether or not we should have more children.

One Monday during our family home evening, we were seated in a circle in our family room, each taking turns presenting a part of the lesson. There was an empty space in the circle where no one was seated. Then, quietly, the space wasn’t empty any longer. I saw a baby in an infant feeding chair, surrounded by a soft glow. The image remained there for several moments, then slowly faded.

After the children were in bed, I told my wife what I had seen, and we tearfully thanked Heavenly Father for this experience. It wasn’t long until Aaron joined our family, and we rejoiced at his birth.

One day, some years later, our son Bruce rose to bear his testimony in fast and testimony meeting. He told of a special incident he had once experienced as a young child during a family home evening. He had seen a little baby in an infant feeding chair, surrounded by a soft glow. He had never mentioned it, he said, but wanted to express his gratitude for the experience, for he knew his brother Aaron was meant to be a part of our family.

Illustrated by Robert Anderson McKay