March 16, 1957. I
was four years old at the time and our family (Dad, Mom, one and a half year
old Richard and myself) lived in Salt Lake City while my Dad finished his
Masters Degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Utah. We were about four months away from moving to
California. On this day, Mom gave birth
to a little girl in Salt Lake's Holy Cross Hospital. Same one I was born in.
They named her Carol Wilda Rampton.
This name has always puzzled me.
I understand Wilda.....that was my Dad's grandmother's name, Wilda Cash
Rampton. But Carol....the only Carol in
our family that I know of was my Mom's younger sister and I was led to believe
they never got along very well. Perhaps
I'm wrong. Little Carol was not a
healthy baby when she was born, having heart and lung problems. She lived but twelve hours and then passed
away. Before dying my Dad was able to
give her and name and blessing.
A few days later she was buried in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
in Salt Lake City in a family plot my Grandpa Cash had bought. For 37 years she laid there alone until
Grandpa Cash died in 1994, followed by my step-grandma Virginia, my Uncle Judd
and finally my Mom in 2009. Six or
seven years ago, my son David and I made a visit to Mt. Olivet Cemetery, a
beautiful place with deer and squirrels and birds roaming at will. We found the big Rampton marker and the head
stones of Grandpa Cash and Virginia.
But we could not find the headstone of Carol Wilda. I got a stick and started poking in the
ground until I finally hit something solid.
I pulled away some grass and there was the headstone covered by two
inches of grass. It had been a long
time since it had seen the light of day.
We pulled out the grass and today the sunlight shines on the baby
booties engraved in the polished granite.
While Mom was still in the hospital the Patriarch from the
Bonneville Stake where we lived came and gave her a blessing. He said (and I paraphrase) Sister Rampton, I
bless you that if you will be faithful in keeping all the Lord's commandments
and if you will be faithful in all of the callings the Lord will give you; if you will do these two things then I
promise you that you will be able to raise this little baby in the hereafter.
That blessing was a source of strength and motivating force
throughout her life, as well as my Dad's.
She held many callings in her life:
Counselor in the Primary, Cub Scout Den Mother, Relief Society
Homemaking Leader both on the Stake and Ward level, Young Women's President,
Ward Primary President and finally Stake Primary President. She was faithful in each calling and blessed
the lives of hundreds of our Heavenly Father's children. In fact, she mentioned the blessing several
times during the last few months of her mortal life.
I am confident that for the last three and a half years,
since she died, she has been able to raise little Carol Wilda. I don't know exactly what that entails, but
I am sure she is doing a good job as she did in everything she undertook.
One final thought: I
wonder if my three grandchildren, Jude, Creed and Lizzy had a chance to know
little Carol Wilda in the spirit world before coming to this earth. I like to think they were friends there and
enjoyed each other's company. Perhaps
all three had a chance to meet Mom and gain a little insight into the family
into which they were being born.
Perhaps.....
Merry Christmas.
