On Wednesday, Mike, Sydney and I attended Mike's uncle Jack's funeral. We didn't know Jack all that well, so it was nice to hear people talk about him. Mike's Dad, Jim, conducted the meeting. At the end of the service, Jim bore his testimony and it was very powerful and moving. Most of the people there were not active in the Church. Jim reminded them of the sacrifices that their grandparents made to come to America and specifically to Utah so that their posterity could be close to the church. He told them they needed to do more with their Faith. Of course, we wondered if anyone would be offended, but soon the Spirit told us that he was doing the right thing. I know his powerful testimony touched more than just Mike & I.
When we went to the graveside, there was this lone bagpiper playing out in the blowing snow. I'm at a loss for words (strange, I know) on how to describe that. It was just really cool. We also let balloons off into the snow drenched sky. It was neat to see how the balloons stood out against the clouds. They moved in slow motion. I'm sure most of them got so weighed down by the falling snow that they themselves fell.
Afterward, we went to Mimi's for lunch. Matt, Alisa, Kelsey, Jimmy and Mike, Syd and I sat together at a table separated from the others. It was nice, though, to be able to sit and chat with our family. Dad Jim had talked about making excuses for getting together, instead of excuses for not getting together. I know he meant it for the members of his extended family, but it works for our families, too. Families are important. I think when a family member dies, we reassess our relationships. It makes us want to do better and that is the blessing in disguise.
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