The word father, to my dad, I think, is his highest calling.
He oftentimes has said, "There are twelve Apostles,
but you only have one daddy."
And he takes that responsibility very seriously.
He has never made us feel like he
was too busy to be our father.
He and my mother worked together to help us all
feel really important.
My parents met at the University of Utah
at a rehearsal for a play.
Daddy was busy studying and had his nose in his books.
And Mother was up singing, and he noticed her.
He even took his nose out of the book and took a look at her
and said, "Who is that girl?"
Growing up in the Nelson household was fun.
Imagine living with your best friends
and having wonderful parents.
It was always fun.
We enjoyed being home together.
We did a cross-country camping trip
to go to the New York World's Fair.
And we just played.
It's one thing that I am in awe about my mother and my father,
is how much they taught us without actually
saying anything.
Just by the way they lived their lives,
the way they taught the gospel in our home.
We learned love; we learned respect and how
we want to be like the Savior.
Our number-one goal is to return to live with our Heavenly
Father.
I know my father was really busy,
but I never really realized it.
He had a great way of making time and making
us know that we were important.
Sunday mornings, my mom was gone to sing in The Tabernacle
Choir.
He had the responsibility of getting nine girls ready
for church and out the door on time, and he did it with love.
He loved and cherished my mother.
And he was very supportive of her--she was a wonderful singer
and a wonderful musician--and always encouraged her to be who
she was.
[CHOIR SINGING]
One of my favorite things about being President Nelson's
grandson is that I get to see him in constant motion.
He is always moving; he has endless energy.
But he always has time to pull us aside individually and see
how we are doing.
In the fifth grade, I remember an experience
where we were asked to do a report on our hero,
and I chose my Grandfather Nelson.
And in the end, our heroes were invited to come to an assembly.
I didn't think he would be able to make it;
he was such a busy man.
But I asked him to come, and he came and stood right next to me
as I gave my report and spoke about him as my hero.
To be around Grandfather is just to feel love
and to feel like you are the most important thing
in the world to him.
And I remember, as a young grandchild,
they had a riding lawn mower.
It was like we'd get in line in the back of the house
to go sit on Grandfather's lap and take a lap around the yard
as he mowed.
He's always there for you when you need him.
He made it look easy.
He made being a father look easy.
And now as a father myself, I'm realizing all
that he did do for us and everything
he was able to accomplish.
So for me, it's meant a lot.
I was the only son, and now I have four boys of my own.
And so it's been a great thing to be able to pass that along
to them, and I hope I've done a good job doing that.
[FAMILY SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY]
Happy birthday, Daddy--95 years.
You are amazing; you are a great example
to me and to the whole world.
We are grateful for you and for all
that you do, for the love and the tenderness that you show.
We love you.
Happy birthday, Grandfather!