Unconfined Giving

When adversity afflicted Grace Forsyth, of Sugar City, Idaho, she found the courage to make of that affliction a cable of strength and an anchor of faith. A mother, homemaker, and leader of women, Grace had learned to look well to the ways of her household and to not eat the bread of idleness. (See Prov. 31:27–28.)

But while she was returning from a welfare meeting in November 1977, Grace’s car was struck broadside by another car, driven by an intoxicated driver. Knocked unconscious, Grace received massive nerve damage and many broken bones. Months of hospitalization followed, then trips to specialists around the United States. In the thirteen years since the accident, Grace has not been free of extensive pain; yet, though homebound, she has managed to find ways to give to others while developing her talents.

“Much of my strength and endurance come from the constant prayers and blessings of family,” Grace says. “Two blessings, especially, have sustained me—one given by my husband, Marion, and one given by my son, Kirk. Kirk petitioned the Lord, asking that if the pain could not be taken from me, I would be given the strength to endure it.” Her faith in this blessing has been her anchor amid adversity.

Skilled at needlecraft, Grace has made hundreds of crocheted articles and intricately patterned afghans. She pieces quilts and designs her own patterns. Each of her seven children has one of her quilts, as do most of her twenty-three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

With the scriptures in her heart and love and compassion on her tongue, Grace teaches and blesses her family with an exemplary attitude. “Life is a challenge,” she tells them often. “With the Lord’s help, we must just do the best we can from day to day.”—Ellen Gallup Genta, Rexburg, Idaho