Jennifer,
Time passes quickly.
I recall Jennifer’s first afternoon at 97F Escondido village, Stanford University.
She and her mother arrived home from the hospital, and I was anxious to get to know my firstborn. Some say that babies don’t know what is going on. Don’t believe it. I held her on my lap and moved by head from one side to the other. Her eyes followed every turn. She was doing her best to check me out.
At the age of six months, she was making goofy sounds, better than a parrot. "What does a sheep say?," I’d ask. "Baa, baa," she’d say on cue. "What does the Indian say?" Jen would put her right hand over her mouth and give the syncopated war hoops of an Shoshone warrior. These were just few acts of her general repertoire.
At age nine months, she was using the words of a two-year-old. Bystanders would cautiously ask her age. "You say she’s nine months?" they said. We learned to live with arched eyebrows.
Jennifer was precocious. But not just with words and sounds. She liked to organize things. Family activities were a breeze. Just turn them over to Jen. As she grew older she liked to put together our family home evenings. She came to understand the need of placing her brothers and sisters in the spotlight.
I remember one family home evening devoted to the family budget. Her mother and I explained our income. She was delighted at such the princely sum! Then we explained the needs of the family—rent, utilities, gasoline, clothes, and the like. Each expenditure removed Monopoly dollars from the pot. When we finished, there wasn’t anything left—except a profound look on Jennifer’s face. She was processing information. From then on, Jennifer understood that her dad didn’t make much money. She put her needs in line with our hardscrabble times. As a teenager, she worked for her spending money.
I quickly learned that Jennifer’s will was not easily bent—she had a mind of her own. But Joseph Smith and Brigham Young had the right answer: Teach principles and let people govern themselves. Jennifer’s grand master in her life became herself. Because of the spirit within her, she made right decisions.
Jennifer’s example became a lodestar for her six brothers and sisters. As the first of our children, Jennifer had a great influence on the rest of our children, perhaps as important as Mom’s or Dad’s. One of the reasons that our children liked to read was because Jennifer liked to read. One of the reasons our children behaved themselves and gained testimonies of Jesus Christ was because Jennifer did these things. The reason our children went on missions was partly because Jennifer had set the right example. Each of our children had their own "goodness," but Jennifer helped them find it.
She greatly blessed our lives and our family.
We love her deeply—beyond the words to express them.
Now, as Jennifer reaches a milestone, I know that much fun and adventure lie ahead. I know this because so much fun and adventure lays at the foundation. The past is just the beginning.
Love,
Dad
