Shriners are kindhearted

I read the wonderful article, "Gifts of hope and healing: Shriners Hospital delivers Christmas cheer," by Nicole Warburton (Dec. 25). It was heartwarming. Many people associate Christmas cheer with the jolly man in the red hat. I agree. But, I also take great comfort in the jolly men who wear the red fez of the Shriners. The fraternal organization is built by men who enjoy good friendships and whose kind hearts provide joy to others even after Christmas Day has come and gone.

The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. had a grandson who was a member of Ararat Shrine Center in Kansas City, Mo., in the 1940s. He believed in the old saying of "Spreading the Sunshine of The Shrine." That sentiment is one of the many reasons I became a Shriner myself.

James A. Marples

Provo