Velma Mary Ball Wyatt
Sketch of Velma Mary Ball Wyatt’s Life–Written March 12, 1939
I was born October 22, 1898 Union Fort Salt Lake County Utah daughter of Alfred and Mary Ann Walker Ball. I was the last child of a family of eleven. My mother who had always been a delicate, but hard working woman was very ill a long while after my birth and was never in real good health again.
My father when he came from England along with is mother and two brothers and his two sisters had to find work at once so went with a sheep man to herd sheep, so it was he became a sheep man and until we moved to Idaho had a herd of his own.
When I was two years old my parents decided to move to Idaho purchase a farm large enough to furnish work for my brothers (five of them). We had a beautiful home in Union. My mother was a lover of flowers and spent much time with them so the grounds were lovely. She disliked very much moving away from it, and her many lovely friends, she had done both ward and Stake work in Primary and had formed many dear ties, also all her own people were there.
We went in the spring of 1901 and lived in a log house on a farm of 160 acres. I spent many happy childhood hours here. Our nearest neighbors were the Casper family one half mile away. We were always very good friends.
I started to school when six to Grant. I went there for two years and was then transferred to Lewisville and went there until I graduated from eighth grade in 1914.
That fall I started to RicksAcademy. Mother went with us and took care of us. I spent four years here and finished High School. I made many lovely friends here and was very happy. After finishing high school, I stayed home one winter with mother. Then the next summer I acquired a job teaching school in Lewisville second grade so I attended school in Albion State Normal nine weeks and obtained my certificate to teach. The world War was on at this time and during the winter of 1918-19 we had a bad epidemic of Influenza which took many lives and closed school for two months.
That Fall November 19, 1919. I was married to Sidney Wyatt of Wellsville Utah in the SaltLakeTemple. We made our home in Wellsville at first farming and dairying for a livelihood then my husband decided to obtain a college education and we started on that.
Our first child Velma was born September 6, 1920at the Wyatt home and their farm. We moved to town that fall and my husband went to school at the A.C. all winter and all next summer. I spent most of that summer with mother and father in Idaho. That Fall Sid got a job teaching in the Junior High in Wellsville and Guila was born Feb 25, 1923. We were there one more year then over to Harrisville Weber Co. where Sid was principal of that school for two years. Vola was born August 2, 1924 the fall we moved there.
From here we went to Riverdale and stayed eight years living first in Mrs. Hamelin house than Mrs. Dittos. Two babies were born here. Mary Ann. October 22, 1929 and Sidney March 17, 1934. From Riverdale we moved to Ogden and my husband taught school in the Weber High. We spent every summer with mother and father all through the years and the children were very happy there and we all enjoyed it so much, but in 1935 both mother and father passed away. We have all missed them very much.
In 1932 we bought a home in North Ogden in the spring of 1936 bought another lot and began to build us a home there selling the one previously owned. In the fall of 1936 we moved into jour new home and a baby girl Antoinette was born October 18.”
Writings
Saga of the Talents
This is a saga of the talents–This word can be used many ways: when we say “increasing our talents, it becomes most complicated and intricate. A splendid way to expre3ss the way and means, the women of the Primary organization of both Stakes and Ward use to get the wherewith to cover the asked of, the required of or the commanded of that last is a too strong a word for church, but to put into short language. Where to get the green backs it takes to pay the bills.
I did not choose or even want to be here before a congregation of men, but neither have Primary women the church over cared to be given a certain sum to raise, or to sign for so many talents which they must double treble or make as much as possible, in a certain length of time, but oh no not to spend, loose or bury and then forget the burial place.
Now you take Eve, when she and Adam were in the beautiful Garden of Eden. Eve knew all about talents, she knew how to get them and how to use them. On that first rare June morning Eve was awake long before Adam had his eyes open, she wandered here and there and she choose the liveliest flower she could find in all Adam’s carefully tended garden and put it in her hair, and I know that when he saw here, he forgot all about the apple she took the day before.
Then to the time of my mother. She was a primary lady. Talents were on the go in her day, although they weren’t known as such. You see that is an old word, by my! You wouldn’t know it today in our stake. Our stake Presidency have polished and shined it, and now it covers an unlimited, unending sequence of acts which are unexplainable and I do hope won’t have to be answered for.
I know mother would have loved the new “What to call it by” word because it is very dignified and gracious and such a splendid cover up. Then maybe my father could have said “I thought I smelled talents cooking today.” Instead of “Mary Ann didn’t you cook a ham, or instead of “Whose going to eat ten loves of bread?” he could have said “Ten perfect talents.”
But not knowing that he didn’t–but those self same talents were busy.
At daylight when father went to turn the irrigation stream mother was up very carefully she sliced that bread, spread it generously with her own churned butter which was sweet and cool from the depths of the ice cold well. The ham sliced and rimmed was placed between the bread, and then she trimmed each sandwich so that it looked very neat. Sandwich, after sandwich she made as long as ham lasted, then they was put into large covered kettles to keep fresh until lunch time, these were to be sold at a primary outing. Hot dogs hadn’t bas yet become a part of a celebration. Then there were other times, can’t be mislead I mean times when my mother would say “Alf, don’t you think you could find some new potatoes in the garden.” Father always plated a few rows real early to be eaten along with the green peas. Father would take his shovel and bucket, and dig a whole row of small, solid Idaho Russets, and bring them to my mother. Now I can see my mothers quick hands scrape those little potatoes until there wasn’t a bit of brown skin left. Those first new potatoes were a long looked for treat. Mother boiled them just so. Four chickens were fried crisp brown and juicy these were left to cool through the night. Up early again in the morning and the fast capable, freckled hands cut the firm little white potatoes into salad sized pieces, the eggs were slicked very thin, and just the right amount of finely chopped green onion, then over it she poured her own home made salad dressing rich with whipped cream, a light toss or two and I can truthfully say, no potato salad ever was as good. Now for me a trip to father’s ice house. In the winter the large blocks of ice were placed in these rather small tight rooms and packed all around with sawdust. This provided ice through the summer months. Almost until ice came again. Mother put the salad into one right container and then put this into a larger one and packed the ice all around this kept it cool and sweet for the General Board member's lunch, and often the Stake Presidency ate with them also. This was Primary convention day.
After breakfast, I got mother's horse from the pasture. Harnessed it and put it into the buggy shafts. This horse was always the laziest oldest horse in Idaho. Mother was very afraid of a horse, so it had to be too old to run or too lazy.
When father and my brother and three hired men came in from the hayfield to dinner, My father looked at the dinner table and said, “ I thought I saw your mother cleaning some fryers yesterday, and those new potatoes I got–Well I’ll get some more tomorrow. They will be a little larger. Did you help you mother get off? She had a big day in head of her.” And he sat down and ask the blessing on the lamb chops and last years potatoes that had been stored in the big cellar.
In middle October when the threshing crew came into my Father’s yard along with all the preparation of getting food on hand, there were plenty of frying chickens and as I hurried to the old log granary to get a ham out of the wheat bin, I knew I wouldn’t have to go so deep into the wheat, because yesterday Father, knowing his grain crop was secure in the stacks in the yard and the threshing machine coming on the morrow had packed nearly all the grain in the bin and hauled it in his wagon to market and the monthly check to his missionary boy was on its way.
I found the ham in a corner where Father had shoveled the remaining wheat. There was also a shoulder and two pieces of bacon. Taking it to the kitchen I took it out of the flour sack, then removed the heavy wrapping paper a fragrant smell of mild smoke brown sugar and molasses just altogether luscious ham smell came to me. My mother said, “I’m glad it is a nice large one we will need it.” Why, out of the hams my father cured and buried in the wheat bin was one of the very nicest life when they needed it–(One of the intricacies of the talents at work) Then there was the time they built the new Stake tabernacle, mother decided for the Primary contribution they might raise potatoes, so it was Father who fenced off the unused road Father who followed the plow and put the ground in shape. Father who furnished the seed and planted them. But it was the Take Board along with their husbands who came to weed them and for the lunch–another ham from the wheat bin, potatoes from our family garden, ice cream, cake and galleons of iced lemonade were eaten. But the talents were very busy that summer and when the potatoes were harvested Mother was real proud of the check she handed to the Stake President.
I think over the years. I more heard that saw the flower in my mother's hair as on the day she was released. She told about my Father. She reached out and enclosed him in a shining armor made of well polished talents and placed a brilliant feather in his hat. The credit she gave to him would take him past Saint Peter with no questions asked, and give him plenty of leisure time to talk with his sons as they sit by the barn and whittle . I think that day my father saw through his tear a flower in my mothers hair and forgot all about hams, fried chicken, cakes, ice cream, cookies, new potato salad, candy popcorn balls
As for the working of talents tonight take Bea and Harold Campbell. Harold raises the cherries, she rises in her pie, he picks them, carries them into the house, buys the shortening flour and ingredients that go into the pie. Furnishes Bea to make it and the power to bake it, brings Ea and her pie here tonight–He will came and buy ice cream and pie. He won’t get Bea’s pie but maybe some of mine. Which isn’t half as good as his wives. NO he won’t complain.
Ice cream and a good durable piece of cherry pie only 25cents and he has at long last contributed to the march of talents.
President Heiner, I cannot tell just how a talent works, it is too intricate for me. If I tried and I have tried but still it is like the centipede who was going along and met a frog. The frog was intrigued by the many legs and asked how they worked. The centipede tired to show him and landed on his back in a ditch. I cannot tell the wherewith, the how to do, what to use, the ways and means, where or how much to invest what the interest will be. The market price.
I can only be sure of one thing–follow through.
Each Primary a Spiritual Experience
During the Primary Conference in April our attention was called many times to the need of spirituality in our Primaries, both in our preliminaries and class work. It was the golden thread woven through all the material which was given.
What is spirituality?
A belief in an existence of God and our relationship to him.
A love for God.
Love for our fellow man,
Thanks for the good things of life:
Country
Nature
Music
Good reading
Our own spiritual Security
B Prayer
A young man was interested in the church he came to the Latter Day Saint man who was trying to convert him and told him he just couldn’t see it, and this man said, “Have you ever prayed about it.” The young man said “no”.
He went home and when he came back he said, “Something happened when I prayed, and the principles that I have been studying became clearer and I began to see and know they were true.
C Sacrament Meeting.
D & C. Sec. 59 verses 9 and 10
“And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world thou shalt go to the house of prayer, and offer up my sacraments upon my Holy day.
In Ireland they used to spread the linen out on the grass to bleach, at first it was a deep dream shade but as it lay there wet with the heavy due, then dried out by the sun it became wither each day.
An Irish woman who always attended church was asked by her friend why she always went when so often there was not too much of value given there and the good lady looking at the linen bleaching on the grass answered, “But ye sees, I’m all the whiter for being there.” For the Lord has promised that where ever even a few meet together in his name his spirit will also be there.
Can you think of anything that gives such a spiritual uplift as prayers of thankfulness. Singing our beautiful hymns. The organ playing sacred music, Testimonies of strong men–hearing them testify that they know that our Heavenly Father lives. I always listen for this testimony and even tho it isn’t the most fluent speaker and the meeting is long, it is very warm. I just thrill all through me to hear the words from our fine church people
Post the Lord’s Commandments
Only by doing this can those of us who have accepted this responsibility can hope to grow spiritually
Post Serving in the church.
Following the Church Program read
D & C 16:6 “And now behold I say unto you that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance until this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may best with them in the kingdom of my father.
Read: If I were Wise
I saw tomorrow passing by on little children feet.
And on their forms and faces
Her prophecies complete.
Then I saw tomorrow look at me.
Through little children’s eyes
And I though how carefully, I would teach if I were wise.
Our church is a church of work. We work out our salvation. We can’t just be “Good for nothing”, we must be good for something>”
Post: Spirituality in Primary instill a love for the good and beautiful
Spiritual awakening come early those who work with children in the field of religion feel that all the wonderful, fir hand experience that children have in God’s most interesting world are spiritual experiences at the child level, and from these experience under the guidance of sensitive understanding people will grow a concept of a divine being present in all life and activity. An oft repeated but very excessive view of a child and how this divine eternal light which is with him form the first is given by Wordsworth–