This great quote by L. Tom Perry was recently tweeted on P. Diddy’s Twitter account (@iamdiddy):
“One of the greatest weaknesses in most of us is our lack of faith in ourselves.” (From a talk, “Be the Best of Whatever You Are“)
For P. Diddy fans out there who may be wondering who L. Tom Perry is, see here for more information about him. Also, a recent post on our site gives a personal glimpse into the life of L. Tom Perry and his family. The Christmas essay was written by his son, Lee Tom Perry.
You’ll see that L. Tom Perry loves baseball and has a loving family.
He also has experienced difficult times…he lost his first wife in 1974 (and a daughter as well, when she was 33). They both died of cancer. The essay also shows how family traditions and the love in their family has helped them continue on in spite of these difficulties.
I was speaking to my sister, Linda, yesterday on the phone about all the commotion surrounding P. Diddy tweeting a statement by our father to 4.5 million people. Think of the odds. Both of us were struggling with the improbability of it all, especially when P. Diddy was quoting a statement my father made in 1974. And it hit me—1974 was the year my mother died. 1974 was the starting point of a Christmas story spanning 37 years that I had just finished writing and began distributing only a day before. Think of the odds. At the moment the thought hit me, my mind began to swirl. I couldn’t say anything to Linda about it—it seemed too improbable.
My story is all about connections between heaven and earth, especially the connections at the two primary intersections—birth and death. There is a line in the story that was a struggle for me to write because I neither wanted to under-interpret nor over-interpret heaven-sent messages. I said: “. . . I don’t claim to have special insight into how heaven works. I believe my mother does have such insight, however, and that’s all I need to know to listen for messages that are heaven sent.” I have no idea why P. Diddy tweeted a 1974 statement by my father, but I do know to listen to and acknowledge messages that are heaven sent. And those who take the time to read my story will understand why, on this special day, I want to send a message back to heaven: “Happy 88th birthday, Mom. I love you.”