The Money Tree

 The Money Tree

Soon after John Andrew Hancock was called to serve as a Bishop of the Clay Springs Ward, on March 2nd, 1947, Elder Joseph F. Merrill, one of the Apostles, ordained him a High Priest and Bishop. While he served as Bishop, I believe Daddy attended every General conference session in Salt Lake City. If not, it was not out of lack of wanting to do so. Daddy made every effort to make those trips economically possible by including them in his freight business agenda as well as trying to make it as fun as he could for those of the family who he took along with him. At least once the trip included some time at the Lagoon theme park. On one of the trips shortly after being ordained, when Irene and LaVerne were very young they were able to go to General Conference with Daddy while Momma was left at home with other little ones. While there, the girls were taken to a door of the tabernacle, near a gate which has since been removed, where the Prophet was known to enter. There they waited in hopes to meet him until their patience was rewarded, and they were able to meet, talk with, and shake hands with President George Albert Smith. During one conference trip, LaVerne says “We got to sit in the choir seats for one of the sessions when the choir was not singing, so we were very close and could look right down upon the prophet”. The only vehicle the family had during this time was the truck daddy used to haul freight, which was his primary means of earning a living. Often Lumber from a local saw mill was hauled one direction and then something else was purchased and brought back home to sell. In the fall, Utah fruit was hauled back to Arizona, which was then sold, or traded. Some was often given away to needy friends, neighbors and relatives in and around Clay Springs. Some of the traveling included kids laying on top of a mattress which was laying on top of a full load of peaches. The mattress gave the kids a comfortable ride while it also protected the fruit. The mattress and kids were also under a large tarp, which was tied in place over kids, mattress and fruit. Irene tells a story about an experience the girls had when, “Daddy went to one of the meetings, and La Vern and I were left on Temple Square, on the lawn near the south side of the Tabernacle, between the Assembly Hall and the Tabernacle. We were told not to move from that spot so he would know where he could find us after the meeting. "Daddy had given Irene some coins including a fifty-cent piece and quarters which the girls used to play with. Irene had seen her share of gardening and played a gardener game digging in the lawn. She pretended to plant seed for a money tree, and would bury her half dollar coin, then dig it up and bury it again. When daddy came back to get them, they had moved around enough that they had lost track of the last planting site and could not find her half-dollar. Daddy helped them look around for it for awhile and when they still could not find it he said “It’s alright sister, where you buried that money, a money tree will grow. A tree will grow with a bunch of those fifty cent pieces on it and no one will be able to pick them but you”. Irene recalls, “I was that little and I believed every word he said.” Although Irene says she has never gone back to look for the money on her money tree, she knows there have been many blessings coming her way which only she could harvest, but like her money tree, she has not always looked to harvest those blessings as she could have. I am sure we have all missed some bounteous blessings from lack of looking for an opportunity to harvest them.