The water in the flooded basement in the middle-aged couple's suburban home had left its mark on whatever was in its path. Sorting through the soaked items, the couple found both pleasant memories and sad reflections.

Sifting through the items from a trunk that had been on the basement floor, the couple carefully laid out the contents to see the extent of the water damage. The trunk contained a mountain of memories.There were the children's school papers, tenderly written by young hands and inquiring minds. There were math papers and English papers, penmanship papers and spelling papers. Meticulously made, the papers were lovingly saved.

There were papers from Primary, thoughtfully brought home for the parents to see. There were hand-made birthday cards and get-well cards, with simple expressions of a child that brought tears to the eyes of the couple.

One item caught their attention. It was a home-made booklet composed of several sheets of lined paper, with a cover sheet written on typing paper. A pink ribbon, now crumpled and dirtied with age, was inserted through the holes of the paper and held the sheets together. It was made by their eldest daughter, then 9 years old. Written on the cover sheet in big letters were the words, "To A Dear Dad." And below the writing was a drawing of a bug, colored in red, black, green and yellow. Inside were several poems that the daughter had written in her innocent way, just for her dad. One simply was labeled, "To Dad." She wrote:

"I can't tell when he's worried, I can't tell when he's sad. But I know when he's glad and especially when he's boiling mad."

What had prompted that 9-year-old child to include that last line in her poem to her dad? Was it simply an effort, characteristic of a child, to get "sad" to rhyme with something, and "mad" was an easy word to complete the rhyme? Or was there a deeper and hidden meaning there? If it were the latter, what a sad commentary!

Anger is an emotion that, if left uncontrolled, can injure and maim, and eventually destroy. Wreckage almost always comes from wrathful moments. When we are angered, reason and judgment flee. But with control of temper comes great power over self. Solomon said: "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." (Prov. 16:32.)

Our most precious gift next to eternal life, according to President David O. McKay, is our children. (See Gospel Ideals, p. 487.) To please our Heavenly Father, our relationships with our children must be tempered with love and kindness, with tenderness and patience, not with anger and wrath.

Our children may forget what we say to them, but they probably will not forget how they were made to feel. This is especially true with injured feelings.

Through the years we have been counseled by our Church leaders to subdue and overcome all elements of anger and impatience.

This pertains to all our relationships - between parents and children, between husbands and wives, with friends and neighbors, in our community and business dealings.

Brigham Young pointedly counseled, "Cease your anger, and sullenness of temper." (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 268.)

Speaking at the priesthood session of the October 1986 general conference, President Ezra Taft Benson, put it this way:

"If a man does not control his temper, it is a sad admission that he is not in control of his thoughts. He then becomes a victim of his own passions and emotions, which leads him to actions that are totally unfit for civilized behavior, let alone behavior for a priesthood holder.

"To our temperance we are to add patience. A priesthood holder is to be patient. Patience is another form of self control . . . . Patience is composure under stress. A patient man is understanding of others' faults.

"A priesthood holder who is patient will be tolerant of the mistakes and failings of his loved ones. Because he loves them, he will not find fault nor criticize nor blame." (October 1886 general conference.)

Jesus, as He was brought before Pontius Pilate and was falsely accused, ridiculed and mocked, set the example for all of us in personal conduct regarding anger. Through it all, He stood majestically, unmoved.

What an example for us to follow!