In the October 2012 Priesthood Session of General Conference President Eyring gave a wonderful talk in which he described how head boards he had carved for his boys helped them see the potential each possessed within. In Pres. Eyring's talk he cautions that he is not requiring priesthood holders learn to carve by saying "Now, you may be thinking, “Brother Eyring, are you saying that I have to learn how to carve?” The answer is no." Although I chuckled at the time, as Emma grew closer to the age of baptism I began to ponder what I may do to help her, and in turn her sisters, to "aim high".
What drew me even more to the desire to create something for Emma was the gift my father gave me when I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. My father carved for me a neckerchief slide which I treasure greatly. Since he has had such an impact on my life, and this small memento has been cherished and worn proudly whenever I can, I began to desire to do the same for Emma.
Ironically at the Priesthood Encampment Scout Camp in 2013 as the Scoutmaster in our Ward, I met Elder Ted Rumsey, a local carver, Eagle Scout and current Missionary. Elder Rumsey was at camp each day with a display of some of his carvings and as inspiration to the boys of what they could create with their own hands. At the camp I shared with Elder Rumsey my desire to make a head board carving like that Pres. Eyring described, but with a local theme. When Torrie and I visited Vancouver Island in British Columbia earlier in the year I was inspired by Pacific Northwest Coast, or First Nations style art. After seeing the work of Elder Rumsey (also West Coast Native style) I was encouraged that I could create a First Nations style piece for Emma, and with Torrie's encouragement of a birthday gift of carving tools made by Elder Rumsey I set out to carve a First Nations Steering Paddle for Emma, Charlotte, and Kate.
On the first of the year I took the girls with me to the lumber store and had them help me pick out the raw lumber needed. I purchased 3 planks of basswood each 6 feet long, and was tempted to tell them they would tell their grandchildren of this purchase one day, but wasn't sure they would catch the reference... Elder Rumsey welcomed me to his shop on Camano Island later that day, and assisted me in creating a template and roughing out the shape of the first paddle on his band saw. This would be the last time I used power tools to create this paddle, which for me was a large accomplishment. The entire paddle was carved using draw knives and carving tools, no sanding required.
That night I set to work using a draw knife Elder Rumsey also loaned me and quickly made a lot of chips.
Because of the height of the paddle, working in the basement did not last long. I needed a large horizontal surface to hold the paddle, and my truck was taking up the needed space in the garage. It would be two months before I was able to repair my truck (I had wrecked it in an accident) and free up the needed work space, which happened to have much better lighting (again, thanks go to my father for the help with the lighting).
Once in the garage typical saw horses were too light to keep the paddle from moving as I carved. To improve my chances of completing the paddle I built a saw horse that was much sturdier, and the perfect width. I carved at night after the girls (most nights including Torrie) were asleep. I would wrap the paddle up and tuck it away so they would not see it after a few hours of work each night.
The paddle progressed slowly, which I didn't mind since I was nervous of making a mistake I could not recover from. As the nights and hours progressed so did the chips. The girls began to notice the ever growing pile of chips that I tracked into the house and up the stairs.
Before completing the paddle shape I visited Elder Rumsey again for encouragement. Completing the shape alone felt like a big accomplishment, which only made me more nervous to relief carve on it with the fear that I would jeopardize hours of work.
After careful planning and a few test carvings I decided to add black paint to the reliefs since they would mask my skill, and aid in keeping to the Native West Coast style. I used some templates I made, a set of french curves (and a pink pencil, which we have plenty of) and the carving set Elder Rumsey made to create the relief carvings.
On one side of the blade I carved three Coho Salmon, which are a local species in Mukilteo. The salmon represent Torrie, Emma and I. They are intended to remind Emma that like salmon returning from the big ocean up the stream, the path back to our Heavenly Father is straight and narrow (and sometimes challenging), and that Torrie and I will be there to help guide her in her journey back to our heavenly home.
On the other side of the blade I carved a humming bird, which to me represents who Emma is, and the potential in her. The humming bird has the strongest heart of any fowl, in turn, Emma has a large and tender heart. She is always willing to help, and demonstrates compassion to all she meets. Like the humming bird Emma is relatively small, yet her beauty is not measured by her size. The iridescence of a humming bird's feathers is meant to remind Emma of the the modesty her Father in Heaven expects, and that beauty does not constantly need to grab the world's attention.The ability of a humming bird to use the movement pattern of it's wing to hover at any elevation is meant to remind Emma she can use her talents to soar to any height she desires.
The grip of the paddle is is made of iron. Like the iron rod in Lehi's Dream the grip is intended to remind Emma to hold fast to the word of God. There is additional meaning and symbolism in many elements of the paddle, but I plan to share these with Emma as she grows.
I presented the paddle to Emma the night she was baptized. I explained to her what it meant, and that it was a height board to mark her height on significant occasions. The first being the day of her baptism. At the end of the night, once the excitement died down, and all of our guests had left I marked Emma's height on the handle of the paddle, and will carve the mark into the wood before displaying the paddle in her room.
Emma seemed to appreciate this gift, and mentioned what she liked most was the idea of steering her life and that I made it for her. I am sure as she grows she will come to understand more of its meaning. If nothing else, I pray she will see this labor of love as an expression of how high I know she can aim. This little girl may never grow beyond the height of this paddle, but her achievements as a righteous daughter of God already have.
