Missionary Mom

It came.
The day I dreamed of
hoped and
fervently prayed for.
You chose to serve.
You chose to dedicate
two years to God.
You chose to go forth
and spread the Gospel truth.
I saw the change.
I witnessed the spirit working
within you.
My heart rejoiced
and peace stayed for a while.
Then it was time.
You entered the M.T.C..
We took you there
and goodbyes came all too quickly.
Only this time
we left you there 
and my heart cried.
Reflections of a lifetime journey-
walking with you.
A thousand memories,
pave the path 
from infancy to this door.
My aching heart knows
that things will never ever
be quite the same 
as you grow in faith and 
hold God*s hand.
For you will leave as a boy, my son
and then come home a man.
Oh how I will miss your face
and those tender hugs and smiles.
And so for the next few years
I will hold this handkerchief 
and let it catch those falling,
grateful, lonely tears.
Tears of joy,
Tears of missing you, 
and most of all
Tears of love.
Kathy Carrico Himle

A kind and caring Father, 
Prepared a child for birth, 
And in a reverent whisper, spoke;
*You leave today for Earth.*
His heart was filled with tenderness, 
His eyes told of his care, 
He spoke of many wondrous things*
of miracles and prayer, 
*At times you will feel lonely, 
Sometimes you'll question, *Why?*
Despair and trials will crowd you, 
But it*s okay to cry, 
For I have placed within you
A pool of water, clear,
The reservoir is in your eyes, 
The outlet is a tear, 
The tears are clear and cleansing, 
They fall, they splash, they dry,
Catch them in this handkerchief, 
Catch them when you cry, 
Time will echo understanding, 
And you shall come to know, 
Tears release pent-up emotions, 
And through our tears we grow, 
This too will pass, but until then, 
When your eyes are wet with dew
Tie a knot and hold on tight, 
I'll stay close to you.
Kathy Carrico Himle

As You Are Baptized

You have chosen to be baptized
To start your life anew, 
Following in Christ*s footsteps
For you know the Gospel*s true, 
When our lives are clean and spotless, 
The Holy Ghost can guide;
A companion and a prompter
He'll stay always at your side.
For your reflections of today, 
I give a gift to you
Symbolic of these sacred vows,
and of the Gospel true.
So clean and white, this hanky-
Like you've become today;
When you vowed to follow Jesus
and your sins were washed away.
To follow in Christ*s footsteps
The commandments to obey,
To remember His atonement
and for repentance, pray.
Remember God is near you
His love for you is great
Stay near the Straight and Narrow Path
Where lasting blessing wait. 
Kathy Carrico Himle

This Handkerchief

I'm giving you this handkerchief
and a poem, my special friend
An echo of beginnings
and the means to reach the end.
You'll have this handkerchief with you
as you seal this bond of love
Please know that God rejoices
in his chambers up above.
This handkerchief will catch and hold
tears of humbleness you'll shed
happy tears of peace and joy
for the living and the dead.
So take it always to the Temple
Be pure in thought and deed
Today you marked a step in time, 
and sowed eternal seeds.
Remember you are special
and God will wait for you
to return unto the Temple, 
then He'll bless you as you do.
Kathy Carrico Himle

GUIDANCE BY THE SPIRIT
I come in a still small voice
or you could even say a whisper
I can belong to every brother
and also every sister.
And really; all you have to do
to keep me there with you
is listen to the Father and always, obey.
For, it's then, I'll not be far away.
I'll be there to comfort you
when you are sad or you are blue.
It's really hard to hear me,
I come only in a whisper
so listen ever so closely,
for it's only then, you will hear the answer.
I am your earthly guide-
I'll help you find the way back home,
to the Father and the Son.
Come with me dear brother
(if it is a lady getting baptized you could change that brother to sister)
our journey has just begun.
~Author Mimi Hancock

A TINY LITTLE GIFT
A tiny little gift is placed in your hands
A gift so small, and yet, it fills us all.
A gift given-heart to heart
will stay with you always
and all you have to do
is continue down the path
that the Father so gently laid.
A tiny little gift; to comfort, to teach, to testify.
A tiny little gift-to guide you through life.
A tiny little gift; doesn't even have to be opened...
all you really have to do is listen.
A tiny little gift is placed in your hands
through the hands of the Priesthood;
the authority from God.
A tiny little gift; your constant companion.
A tiny little gift; your friend, your guide...
The Holy Ghost.
~Author Mimi Hancock

Baptism Socks

"I am making some important covenants on my Baptismal day.
I'll wear these socks to remind me that I'm choosing the right way.
As I go into the Waters of Baptism, these socks will be first to enter in.
Just as these socks are clean and white, I too will be cleansed from sin."