08/16/2026
Marsha Echols- Sister in Christ
As a young girl, I had a dream of getting married and walking down a red spiral staircase. It may seem silly but to me I couldn’t think of anything more romantic.
Fast-forward to my senior year in high school. It was the beginning of January, January 6th to be exact. We had just got back from church and finished eating lunch and was getting ready to clean up when my Dad said, “everyone stay seated I have something I need to say.” Little did I know that at that moment the world as I knew it would never be the same. I won’t go into details, but my Dad asked my mom for a divorce. And three hours later, he had moved out. Needless to say we were all devastated and didn’t see it coming. The divorce was final February 4. (In those days, it only took 28 days to get a divorce.)
Fast-forward three months. I was just leaving my seminary class and my teacher asked if he could speak with me. He asked me if I would speak at seminary graduation on Temple Marriage. I was horrified, after what had happened with my parents, I felt like I would be the biggest hypocrite if I spoke on that subject. I begged him not to make me speak on Temple Marriage. I told him I would speak on anything else, but please don’t make me speak on Temple Marriage. He had not heard that my parents were divorced until I explained my concern. As a wise and inspired leader, he looked me straight in the eye and said, “all the more reason for you to give this talk.” I fasted and prayed and read my scriptures and every article on temple marriage I could. With a prayer in my heart I asked God to help me say something that would touch just one person in our graduating class. Heavenly Father did not let it come easy for me. It was 4 PM on graduation day. I still didn’t have my talk put together. I remember getting on my knees and pleading with the Lord to help me, I knew I couldn’t do it without his help. 45 minutes after I got off my knees my talk was written.
Now you may be wondering why I’m telling you this story and how it ties into my little girl dream of walking down a red spiral staircase after I got married.
Little did I know the 1 person in my graduating class that I prayed I could touch would be Me. That graduation talk solidified my testimony of temple marriage. There was no way I was going to get married and not be married in the temple. When Vince and I went to schedule our temple sealing, the Mesa temple was closed for remodeling so we scheduled our sealing in the Manti Utah temple.
Once we were sealed the workers escorted our party, which was very small, out first. When Vince and I came out, there we were standing at the top of a red spiral staircase. Our wedding guests were at the bottom and the officiator said, “I would like to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Echols. My heart was filled with surprise and awe as we walked down that red spiral staircase to our waiting wedding guests and the reality of a little girls dream came true.
As I look back over the years of life’s experiences, I realize that something as simple as a little girls dream of walking down a red spiral staircase is important to God. He is in the details of our lives. He knows us and he hears and answers prayers. We are Not alone in this journey of life. He is there to lift us and strengthen us and mold us into the person He knows we can become. Many times it’s through our toughest trials and challenges that develops us into the person He needs us to become. How grateful I am for prayers being answered. For a wise Seminary Teacher who helped me solidify my testimony of Temple Marriage and for allowing a little girls dream to become a reality as I walked down that beautiful red spiral staircase.
I’m Marsha Echols and I’m your sister in Christ.
