FOR YE KNOW NEITHER THE DAY NOT THE HOUR

The late afternoon sun shining through the living room window made a hallow around the
gray hair of Margaret Brown. A smile played around her lips as thoughts wandered away
from the yarn running slowly through her fingers. She was thinking of a letter received
that morning from her daughter, carol, and Carol had gone into raptures over the lace
table cover she had sent her for her birthday. My, it was nice to make things for
people who appreciated your hours of labor.
The ringing of the telephone brought her thought up with a start.
“ That you, Margaret?” cane the voice of her husband
“Yes, of course”
“Be right home”
“Better bring some….” But the click on the other end of the wire told her Charles had
hung up.
What had happened to cause her husband to speak like that—so excited you could feel it
over the wire! She went to the kitchen to see how dinner was progressing and set the
table on a screen in porch, all the while wondering what was the matter. Margaret was
out cutting roses for the table when her husband arrived home; but he didn’t admire the
flowers she held up, just motioned her to hurry in.
“What in the world is the matter, Charles?” but Charles looked pale and worried. He
held out a letter for Margaret to read.
“Dear Brother Charles: This is to invite you to meet the Savior at the temple the
first session on Tuesday morning. Be sure and be on time, as great crowds will be going
every day to each session. I was given the privilege of bringing one and I chose you. I
think it would please mother for us to go together.”
Margaret stopped in amazement.
“I think it’s wonderful. I wish they would invite the sisters.”
But Charles only said, with tears in his eyes, “Read the Postscript.”
Margaret Read. “Please bring your recommend and all your temple things, white suit and
shirt and Temple robes as you won’t be able to obtain the here. We haven’t been able to
hire them for some time.”
The full significance of the postscript burst upon Margaret, why, Charles didn’t own
one article that goes to make up the temple apparel. Today was Monday and fast drawing
to a close. Charles couldn’t possibly get ready. What could they do at this late hour?
She looked at her husband to see if he could answer these questions and saw only
disappointment and failure written on his face. How blind they both had been to let the
years slip by with no preparation. She had not cared for temple work and Charles had
thought he was too busy. Truly they had procrastinated the Day of the Lord.
“Charles you can get the things from Aunt Polly. She always had so many things on
hand,” Margaret’s face beamed. Why, here was the solution to the whole thing. But
Charles face refused to brighten.
“I’ve already been there—went first thing, and Aunt Polly is gone.” It seemed only
yesterday when Aunt Poly had jokingly remarked “Do I have to wait until you’re gone
before you’ll make your temple clothes?” if the dead won’t bother me, I won’t bother
them, had been his motto.
And now, after years of success in everything he had undertaken, he felt like he would
have exchanged it all for the privilege of meeting with the Savior. If the Savior only
smiled at him he would ask nothing more.
Margaret stood still with letter in hand. How she blamed herself. If she had insisted
they would have been going to the temple right along. But when she didn’t care for the
work and was always getting something wrong in the temple, and she really didn’t have
the time, and there were so many things she would rather do, the parties and church
duties were conflicting, and she didn’t know a thing about her ancestors.
The excuses were piling up fast—almost a salve over her conscience but her conscience
wouldn’t be still.
“Didn’t have time,” it seemed to say. Why everything in the room belied the statement.
She turned away, sick at heart, and sat down by her husband, wishing she could comfort
him. Forgotten was the dinner, the flowers lay wilting on the table.
Then the words of the Savior came to them:
“Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto Ten Virgins, which took their lamps
and went forth to meet the Bridegroom, and five were wise and five were foolish. They
that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in
their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarrie, they all slumbered and
slept. And at midnight there was a cry made ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye to
meet him’ then shall all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish
said unto the wise, “Give us of you oil, for our lamps are gone out’ but the wise
answered saying, ‘Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you, but go ye to them
that sell and buy for yourselves’ and while they went to buy, the bridegroom came and
they that were ready went in to him to the marriage and the door was shut. Afterwards
came also the other virgins saying “Lord, Lord, open unto us.’ But he answered and
said. ‘Verily, I say unto you, I know you not.’ Watch therefore, for ye know neither
the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.
This was given to Henry Jackson at the Logan Temple by Brother Christensen