The Family History Center theme for the month of June is, “Remember and Record How You Were Healed Spiritually or Physically from a Priesthood Blessing.” June is also the month we honor and celebrate Fathers.

My forefathers were among the first converts to join the church, mostly from England. As my ancestors came to the Salt Lake Valley, they were actively involved in the church. Unfortunately, a few generations later did not follow in the tradition of the family and were not as active as they should have been. Both my father and mother were members of the church, but neither attended church meetings nor participated in any meaningful way. My father was never shy about his church membership and would publicly defend the church to the best of his knowledge. He always believed in Heavenly Father and for some reason had strong faith in priesthood blessings. When someone in the family was seriously sick, he would often ask me to give them a priesthood blessing.

Eventually my father moved to Idaho and purchased a small ranch. As he settled into his new home, the neighbors and fellow ranchers welcomed him with open arms. As the years went on and relationships with neighbors turned into good friends, they invited him to attend church. As more time went on and he continued to make progress, he was invited to attend a temple preparation class. I was surprised he was willing to go. I wondered if he realized what was required of him to obtain a temple recommend. He struggled with the Word of Wisdom and to start paying tithing. To my great surprise, he stayed with it and continued to make progress and eventually did obtain a temple recommend. Not many years later, he became an ordinance worker in the Logan Temple, something I never dreamed would ever happen.

Not long after my father received the Melchizedek Priesthood, I asked him for a priesthood blessing. I was scheduled to have some minor surgery and wanted him to give me the blessing. He was apprehensive, he had never given a priesthood blessing, he wasn’t confident he could do it; he wasn’t sure what to say. It was the first time in my life that my father could give me a blessing, I didn’t care what he said, the fact that he could, and was willing, was monumental. As he laid his hands on my head and struggled with the words, I received my first and only father’s blessing. It wasn’t long or eloquent, it was humble and heartfelt, and I had great faith in that blessing. To receive a blessing at the hand of my father was something I never expected to happen, it has become a fond and sacred experience for me. 

My father is no longer here, but as Father’s Day comes and goes this year, I will honor him and remember the relationship I had with him. I sorely miss him, but my memories will always be with me, he will always be a big part of my life.

– Jerry Silcox