Building bridges for the future was the theme Sharon Samuelson spoke to, as the featured speaker at the February 16 luncheon of the BYU–Hawaii Women's Organization.
Sister Samuelson shared a story about her great, great-grandmother to illustrate that the days of our ancestors are connected to the present. "Each of us is crossing a bridge created by ancestors," said Sister Samuelson. "We are constructing bridges for those who come after us."
She went on to say that using the right tools and building blocks is essential to building strong bridges. Quoting President Monson, Sister Samuelson said that the supreme architect and builder of bridges is Jesus Christ.
We must build with good plans, materials, and tools — all of which are encompassed in the gospel. Among the building blocks, Sister Samuelson talked about were: charity, which involves service to others; spirituality, repentance, gratitude, obedience and keeping family histories.
"Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ," said Sister Samuelson "is the steel that holds together the bridges we build."
Sister Samuelson was visiting the BYU–Hawaii campus with her husband, Cecil Samuelson, president of Brigham Young University in Provo, who spoke at the university devotional earlier in the day.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sharon Giauque (AJuke)) Samuelson, is the oldest child and only daughter of five children. Although her mother was an alumna and avid fan of Brigham Young University, Sharon attended the University of Utah where she graduated with honors in history, also earning her teacher certification.
While at the University of Utah, she worked part-time as a secretary for a professor in the Educational Psychology Department who thought she would be a perfect match for his son, Cecil, who was then serving a mission in Scotland. Knowing Cecil was never one to be coerced into anything, he manipulated a few chance meetings for the two, which was all that was needed to spark their romance, leading to marriage.
Following her graduation, Sister Samuelson taught school to help support her husband through his early years of medical school. For most of her married life, she has worked as a full-time homemaker and mother of their five children, handling many of the home responsibilities as her husband has been heavily involved with his time-consuming professional and church assignments.
The BYU–Hawaii Women's Organization will have its next luncheon, Thursday, March 17. For more information about the BYU–Hawaii Women's Organization, contact the current president, Jennifer Lane at (808) 293-2848, or send her an email at lanej@byuh.edu.