Joseph Fielding Smith

By Kellene Ricks

Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power (D&C 123:17).

1 Joseph Fielding Smith spent many hours riding his horse, Junie, and he took good care of her. After a ride, he always walked her and brushed her. At night he was careful to lock her in her stall in the barn.

2 But Junie was a smart horse. After Joseph left the barn at night, she used her nose and teeth to undo the strap that held the door of her stall shut.

3 Whenever she got out, she never ran away. Instead, she turned on the water tap in the Smith’s yard, then walked through the garden or across the lawn.

4 If Joseph heard the water running in the middle of the night, he knew that Junie had unlocked her stall—again. He had to get up and lock her in again. Joseph’s father, Joseph F. Smith, teased him, saying that maybe the horse was smarter than Joseph Fielding.

5 Finally Joseph’s father decided that he would lock Junie in so that the horse could not get out. He buckled the strap around the post and under a crossbar. “Young lady,” he told the horse, “let’s see you get out now.”

6 As Joseph and his father walked back to the house, they heard a noise and turned around. There was Junie walking along behind them. Joseph Fielding couldn’t resist asking his father who Junie was smarter than now!

7 Joseph Fielding Smith had a good sense of humor, and he enjoyed life. Many years later, when he became the tenth President of the Church, he encouraged other Church members to enjoy life.

Illustrated by Paul Mann