“Songs and Soap Bubbles,” Friend, January 2022
Songs and Soap Bubbles
Alice giggled when she thought about President Kimball singing with a cow.
Alice plopped a scoop of noodles into her brother’s bowl. She loved her little brothers and sisters—all five of them! It felt good to help them. But it was hard being the oldest sometimes. Ever since the new baby came home, she had to help a lot more. So much was going on in her house!
“What did you learn about in church today?” Dad asked.
“Jesus!” Alice’s little sister Sarah said. She smeared applesauce across her plate.
Alice smiled. Sarah was pretty cute. And pretty messy too.
“I learned about President Kimball …” Alice started to say. But then Mom called from the other room. She needed Dad’s help with the baby.
“Sorry,” Dad said. “I’ll be right back.”
While Dad was helping Mom, Alice helped everyone else. Eric knocked over his glass of milk. Alice cleaned it up. Sarah started to cry. Alice gave her a hug. Clara wanted more noodles. Alice gave her some.
Even when Dad came back, the kitchen was still noisy and messy. Alice wished it was easier to feel peaceful.
Finally, lunch was over. Alice helped her siblings take their dishes to the sink. Alice was old enough to not break things. So she was in charge of washing the dishes. She filled the sink with soapy water.
I wish I never had to do chores, Alice thought. Then she remembered what she had learned in Primary about President Spencer W. Kimball. When he was young, he had to do chores too. He used to sing hymns when he milked the cow!
Alice imagined President Kimball singing a duet with a cow. She giggled.
Then she had an idea. She could be like the prophet! She got the hymnbook and opened it to the first hymn.
She had to keep it open somehow. Alice put the book on the windowsill. She tucked one edge of the book behind a potted plant. Then she tucked the other edge behind a heavy cup. Now she could see it while she worked.
While Alice scrubbed bowls, cups, and spoons, she sang the hymn. The warm, soapy bubbles felt good on her hands. And the song made her heart happy.
The next day, Alice sang again. And the day after that. She tried to remember the words of each hymn. Then she moved on to the next one. Alice learned new hymns too! She had taken piano lessons for a few years. When she didn’t know a hymn, she learned the notes on the piano.
Soon Alice didn’t mind washing dishes so much. Sometimes she even kind of liked it! It was nice to sing and think about Jesus. Learning each new hymn was like making a new friend. No matter how loud life got around her, the hymns helped her feel peace.
Illustrations by Erin Taylor