Our current prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, was raised in a happy home with loving parents. But that home wasn’t gospel centered, and even as a boy he knew he was missing something! One day he jumped on a streetcar and went to a Church bookstore to read about the gospel—something he loved to do.
“As I came to understand the Word of Wisdom, I wanted my parents to live that law,” President Nelson said. “So, one day when I was very young, I went to our basement and smashed on the concrete floor every bottle of liquor! I expected my father to punish me, but he never said a word.”
As he grew older, President Nelson realized what he wanted more than anything was to be sealed to his parents in the temple. That wish finally did come true, but it didn’t happen until his parents were more than 80 years old! Now their sealing brings him joy every day.
Note: This post is adapted from “Strength from Our Parents” in the June 2021 For the Strength of Youth magazine.