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Sometimes Things Do Work Out

February 24, 2022 By Steve Dunn Hanson 28 Comments

A senior couple walking down a quiet lane

By Steve Dunn Hanson

I first met Bill in 1987. He was a regional representative for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was visiting our stake in Orange County, California where I served as a counselor in the stake presidency. To this day, I can’t tell you why there was almost instant bonding between us, as he was over 20 years my senior. Maybe it was because we both loved to write. In any case, virtually from the git-go we traded writings. Mine, fiction and self-help articles. His, memoirs and personal history. And what a history! From a boy of small stature with a horrific stuttering problem and son of a coal-dust-eating railroad engineer, to a man known throughout the world for his accomplishments and contributions.

I got the best of the bargain in our exchanges. Bill was not only the consummate “Martha” with his practicality and I’ll-figure-out-how-to-do-it genius, but he was a spiritual, poetic “Mary” as well, an extraordinary hybrid whose writing skill dwarfed my own.

An Act of Kindness

One of his stories was particularly poignant. As a boy, Bill lived in Provo, Utah, and his diminutive size and severe stuttering problem contributed to his painfully shy disposition. He was always the last one chosen for a team—if chosen at all—and was the subject of constant derision from many of his peers. He was maybe eight or nine-years-of-age when his grade school teacher gave the children an assignment to write an essay and then read the essay in front of the class.

Bill’s turn came, and he fearfully stood, knowing what would happen next. His stuttering was so overwhelming that he didn’t get more than a few words out before he stopped. Embarrassed to tears, he started to take his seat when the teacher told him to stay where he was. “You will finish, Bill,” she said. She probably meant well, thinking that forcing Bill to go through this would help him overcome his stuttering. For Bill, though, his teacher’s act bordered on cruel.

For the longest time, Bill just stood there. Then a remarkable thing happened. One of his classmates, a young girl by the name of Millie, who was sitting on the front row, reached out her hand, took his, then smiled up at him. That simple act of support calmed and strengthened him, and he finished his reading.

That simple act of support calmed and strengthened him.

Making Connections

Such were the Bill Gould stories he shared with me, and for the next few years, we kept in close touch. Bill’s wife, Erlyn, was a beautiful woman. How he idolized her and cared for her. She was a cancer victim and graciously and courageously struggled to stay afloat. She passed away in 1992, and it was as though a chunk of Bill died with her. For the next nearly two years it seemed as though Bill just disappeared, and I had little contact with him.

Then one day when my wife and I were in the Los Angeles Temple, I saw him. And he was not alone! When he saw me, his face turned total smile, and he pulled the woman he was with close to him. “Steve, do you remember one of my stories about a girl named Millie who held my hand to help me get through an agonizing ordeal when I was a boy?”

“Yes!” I answered. “Who could forget that story!”

Bill’s smile got wider. “This is Millie. Millie Gould now. We were married last week.”

My turn to smile!

Bill then talked about his funk when his wife, Erlyn, died. He was in an I’m-going-no-where morass, and he finally determined to get out of it. His plan was straight Bill Gould. He reviewed his life to determine those who had given him grace, who had made all the difference for him at critical times. Then one-by-one he sought them out to tell them thank you and to now impart his own grace to them to the extent he could.

While this was happening, Bill’s daughter, who lived in Provo, was talking to her neighbor, a widow, about her dad. She explained how difficult his life was since his wife’s death and what he was now doing. When the neighbor heard that his last name was Gould, she asked what his first name was.

“William,” Bill’s daughter replied.

“Billy Gould?” the neighbor asked surprised. “As a boy, did he go to school in Provo by any chance?”

The daughter nodded, and her neighbor, Millie, grinned. “Billy Gould and I were classmates in grade school.”

Bill’s daughter told him who her neighbor was, and Bill put her on his thank you list to contact. The rest, as they say, is history.

We Must Act for Ourselves

Sometimes, things do work out, but I think things can just about always work out, but I believe it is our choice. I don’t mean in a Pollyannish kind of way, or that the results will always be what we initially desired. Rather, we can choose how any situation or circumstance we find ourselves in will ultimately affect us. We can literally shape the results of all our experiences. I believe that’s what Lehi meant when he said, “…The Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. … They have become free forever, …to act for themselves and not to be acted upon” (See 2 Nephi 2:16,26 emphasis added).

Things can just about always work out, but I believe it is our choice.

For a long time, my friend Bill was in a funk because of his wife’s death. Who wouldn’t be? But he was being acted upon. He let his circumstance dictate his mood. It controlled him. He was not free. Then he chose to be grateful. Instead of looking at his wife’s death as an emotional and debilitating black hole, he made her life a symbol of his gratitude. A catalyst for him to act. And, as I said, the rest is history.

Bill’s experience and example has been an inspiration to me in my writing and in my life. While rejection, writer’s block, and a zillion other things can be gut-punches, I’m finding I can choose to turn the experience: To learn from it. To be a better writer. To be a better person. To make my experience a positive one for me. Granted, how it works out is not usually what I thought or hoped it would be. But because I choose to act, it becomes a blessing. Hopefully, it can for you too.

Steve Dunn Hanson

Steve Dunn Hanson is the author of several books, including inspirational and adventure fiction and self-help non-fiction, which have been traditionally published and self-published. In addition, he has had articles published in The Ensign, and writes poetry and hymns. He and his wife, Joyce currently live on a scenic hill in northeast Washington.

Visit Steve Dunn Hanson at https://stevedunnhanson.com/

    Filed Under: Articles, Faith & Mindset, Gospel Principles, Productivity Tagged With: faith, inspirational, personal growth, resilience

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laura Hawkins says

      February 24, 2022 at 10:15 AM

      Loved this!

      Reply
      • Steve Dunn Hanson says

        February 24, 2022 at 7:13 PM

        Thank you, Laura!!!

        Reply
    2. Kari Davenport says

      February 24, 2022 at 11:06 AM

      Steve, This is another inspiring story of yours to add to the previous gems I have read & enjoyed. What an inspiration is felt in Bill’s attitude of gratitude. We all can take note & learn to act & not be acted upon.
      Kari

      Reply
      • Steve Dunn Hanson says

        February 24, 2022 at 7:14 PM

        Thanks Kari! I am grateful I can share Bill’s inspirational story!!

        Reply
    3. Linda Lee Burkett says

      February 24, 2022 at 11:56 AM

      What a beautiful story. Thank you for continuing to share your fabulous writing talent with us. With each endeavor, you pant a perfect word picture that touches our hearts and enlightens our souls. Linda Foote Burkett

      Reply
      • Steve Dunn Hanson says

        February 24, 2022 at 7:15 PM

        Thank you for your kind words, Linda!

        Reply
    4. Jeremy Madsen says

      February 24, 2022 at 1:43 PM

      I love this story and its takeaway! To me this is what it means to “endure”: to continue acting and not being acted upon, to continue striving to spread positivity and light in some form to those around us. When we’re striving to do that, and we have faith in the Savior, how can things NOT work out well, given enough time? (Although sometimes “enough time” will extend into the next life.)

      Reply
      • Steve Dunn Hanson says

        February 24, 2022 at 7:16 PM

        Thank you, Jeremy. I agree 100% with your thoughts here!

        Reply
    5. Elizabeth Smith says

      February 24, 2022 at 5:51 PM

      Loved this article, Steve. I miss your stake conference talks.

      Reply
      • Steve Dunn Hanson says

        February 24, 2022 at 7:16 PM

        You are always so very kind, friend!!

        Reply
    6. Colleen Tessen says

      February 24, 2022 at 7:33 PM

      This article was exactly what I needed to read today! Thanks so much for writing and sharing this uplifting story.

      Reply
      • Steve Hanson says

        March 1, 2022 at 1:38 PM

        Thank you, Colleen. I am grateful it was helpful for you.

        Reply
    7. Steve Eliason says

      February 24, 2022 at 9:24 PM

      That was such an inspiring story, Steve. Thanks for sharing! Also, thank you for being a great example and mentor through my teenage years. My life was made better by wonderful and caring leaders in the Tustin 2nd ward.

      Reply
      • Steve Hanson says

        March 1, 2022 at 1:39 PM

        Thank you, Steve. That was a few years ago, huh!

        Reply
    8. Kay Vinson says

      February 25, 2022 at 2:03 AM

      Once again, your insight and wisdom have touched my heart and reminded me that God is in the details of our lives. The more we act in faith and look for His hand in our lives the more often we see that He is there for us. Thank you Steve for sharing this beautiful experience and insight.

      Reply
      • Steve Hanson says

        March 1, 2022 at 1:41 PM

        Thank you, Kay. I am grateful for you and Terry (Elder Vinson)!!

        Reply
    9. Wayne Gould says

      February 25, 2022 at 8:44 AM

      This is the story of my father, my mother and Millie! It is beautifully written and captures the essence of my father’s relationship with my mother and with Millie.

      I loved my father, we were particularly close…he was and remains my hero. I loved my mother and she loved me. She remains the Christlike example of all I want to become. And, I loved Millie. Though she never replaced my mother, she came into our lives to fill a void. She became my friend and the only grandmother my younger children ever knew.

      Thank you for writing this article. I will place it into our family’s history. You are right, “Sometimes Things Do (Indeed) Work Out.”

      Reply
      • Steve Hanson says

        March 1, 2022 at 1:44 PM

        Thank you, Wayne! It is likely impossible for me to exaggerate the impact your father had on me.

        Reply
    10. Pam E. says

      February 25, 2022 at 4:09 PM

      Beautiful story.Thanks for sharing it.

      Reply
      • Steve Hanson says

        March 1, 2022 at 1:45 PM

        Thank you!

        Reply
    11. Darla Stoddart says

      February 25, 2022 at 11:02 PM

      Sure loved that!!!! Thank you for continuing in your worthy pursuits that bless our lives!!!
      Darla Stoddart
      PS Mike and Nicole are expecting their 2nd baby. He hopes a brother for Maverick and she hopes for a little girl!

      Reply
      • Steve says

        February 26, 2022 at 10:40 AM

        Thanks, Darla and that’s exciting about Mike!

        Reply
    12. Camila Harman says

      February 26, 2022 at 9:56 AM

      Thank you so much for the perspective! I loved this!

      Reply
      • Steve Hanson says

        March 1, 2022 at 1:47 PM

        I am grateful it was helpful to you!

        Reply
    13. Peggy Cannoon says

      February 26, 2022 at 7:17 PM

      Just saw this online and loved every syllable! Thank you for sharing your friend, your talent and your wisdom.

      Reply
      • Steve Hanson says

        March 1, 2022 at 1:47 PM

        Thank you Peggy!

        Reply
    14. Brian Pitcher says

      February 27, 2022 at 8:44 AM

      Thanks for sharing this inspiring story. You, yourself, are an inspiration to your friends and acquaintances. I respect you so much.

      Reply
    15. Steve Hanson says

      March 1, 2022 at 1:48 PM

      Thank you for those kind words! We miss you and your wonderful wife!

      Reply

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