The Three Wise Men

Not these guys, I’m talking about three other wise men today. 

 Wise Man #1: My Great, Great, Great Uncle Creighton Hawkins

Times were lean in the 1860's in the frontier city of Salt Lake. It was a daily struggle to acquire basic necessities, yet the Prophet Brigham Young encouraged the saints to balance their lives between work, sleep, and wholesome recreation.  

Young Creighton worked to support his widowed mother, but in the evenings looked forward to socializing to be well rounded. He was old enough to go to dances, and looking for a wife, yet there were no funds to pay for the luxury of  entertainment. With pioneer perseverance and ingenuity, he used the resources he had to enjoy life and find the girl of his dreams. In his life story, he equipped:

“I would take a small sack of flour or squash under one arm and a girl under another and go for a wonderful time at the dance.”

   

 Wise Man #2: Johnny Lingo
 
The Polynesian seminary movie icon of 1969, was brilliant. He said, “If you truly value a girl you must wisely show it. Love is a most costly commodity. The more you are willing to pay, the more valuable the prize.” 

When bargaining for the hand of the girl of his dreams, Mahana, her father suggested a price of three cows. Johnny replied, "Three cows is many, but not enough for Mahana. I will pay eight cows."  

Mahana then knew her worth and to the astonishment of the village, who previously found Mahana ugly, her true beauty emerged. 


Wise Man #3: My Brother-in-law Neil Kay Birch

With the creativity of Creighton and the wisdom of Johnny Lingo, Neil would have fit in just fine in the pioneer courting scene. 

During his dating years, there were several teachers at Skyline High School in Idaho Falls that were happy to see Neil coming into their room. They knew that for the bargain price of only $5 they could buy a burlap bag full of some of the very best Idaho spuds when Neil needed cash for a date.  

He wasn't a big spender.  $5 worth of spuds was all he needed to buy tickets to a dance or a movie.  (My sister Sandi McCracken knew the way to a man's heart and always offered to cook dinner before their dates.)

Although he probably laughed at it, I’m guessing Neil watched the Johnny Lingo video carefully in Seminary, because although previous girlfriends got a single $1 rose, when he took Sandi to the prom, he wanted her to know that she was many times better than the other girls, and he brought her a beautiful corsage that cost $3.50!   

Sandi was sure she had truly caught Neil's eye when he brought that corsage, paid for dance tickets and even ordered formal pictures. She knew the tiny trunk of Neil's car, a compact Opal, wouldn't hold much more that one sack of spuds, but somehow she had become a two sacks of spuds woman.

The world needs more wise men who understand how to practically apply Proverbs 31:10 and at the same time make women feel valued.

 "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies."