Precious

My daughter lost her first tooth while we were out visiting teaching. Yes, I am one of those sisters who takes her children with her on her visits. I will pause here for any readers who need to wrinkle their noses in annoyance at that last statement. Faces all smooth again? All right then. My daughter was ecstatic! I put the tooth in my wallet for safe keeping, but she just couldn't stand it. She needed to have that tooth in her hands. As we drove to our next appointment I counseled her to leave the tooth in the car, or to put it back in my purse.

Oh no, that would never do. So the tooth came with us to our next appointment. Ten minutes later, her crestfallen face peered around the corner. She climbed into my lap and buried her face in my shoulder. The tooth was lost. Really lost. We searched, and prayed and searched. No tooth.

We got back in the car and began driving. A tear stained voice came from the back "Mom, my tooth was all smooth on one side and white like snow on the other. That is why it was precious to me. Does Heavenly Father know how precious it is to me?"

I had to blink away a few tears before I answered. In her words I heard the echo of every prayer I have ever prayed. "Father, this is so very precious to me. Do you know how precious this is to me?"

What a joy to look in the rear view mirror and tell her with absolute certainty "Yes, my girl, He knows you. He knows how precious your tooth is to you. He loves you and if it is right, He will help you find your tooth."

In the end, we drew a picture of the tooth to leave under her pillow, and that was all right. A few weeks later her second tooth came out. She still has it.