Grandma Alta's Childhood (as seen earlier in the WW)

Grandma Alta’s Childhood

We all know that Alta Jolley Halvorsen was born right outside of Zion National Park in a little town called Springdale, UT.  She was born on September 16, 1923.  That was just a few years before the country, and most of the world went into what is called The Great Depression.  That was a time when many people were out of work, families lost their homes, fathers lost jobs, and kids went without a lot of the comforts that we have today.

Grandma remembered some of the effects of the Depression.  Their family felt lucky that her dad still had a job working for Zion National Park.  He was generous with helping others who struggled during that time.  She also remembered her mother giving rides to people who didn’t have cars of their own.  They had one bicycle for Grandma and her two sisters to share.  Do you think you could share your bicycle with your family?

How do you think it would be to grow up with a beautiful national park as your backyard?  When Grandma was five years old her family moved into the park.  Grandma Alta loved to hike and explore those beautiful red cliffs and wandered through those canyons.  One day as a young woman, she went hiking with a friend.  They climbed to the top of a high peak with a beautiful overlook of the park.  The two girls thought it would be neat to have a seat and enjoy the view.  The two girls were so used to the heights and the park that they sat with their feet dangling over the edge of a tall cliff.  Her dad, Grandpa Jolley, knew where the girls were and knew they were too close to danger.  He was careful to quietly walk behind her so he could grab her collar and pull her back to safety.  Grandma got so used to those mountains that she forgot that she needed to be careful while exploring.

For Discussion

When hearing this story it’s amazing to think about how aware Grandpa Jolley was of his daughter’s whereabouts. Maybe this can remind us about how aware Heavenly Father is of His children—us—and how much He loves and cares for us. He knows exactly where we are at all times and will watch over and protect us from temptation and evil if we will listen to Him. Also, we can learn a lot from how Grandma’s parents helped those in need during the great depression, both financially and physically. We could talk about how we help people out financially today through tithes and offerings, or other extra things we do for people we know in our neighborhoods or local areas. Additionally, during the depression toys and other niceties were very scarce. Grandma and her siblings had to share things, like the bicycle mentioned above. How can you follow Grandma’s example of sharing? Aren’t we grateful for these great examples we have to follow?