Tonight when I read the Public Safety Log in the local paper, I regained some confidence in my decision making abilities; confidence that was shaken by my recent car break down.
I read that earlier on Tuesday (the same day my car broke down) a deputy spotted a car pulled over on the interstate, and a woman was on top of the car dancing. She told the deputy her car had started making a "funny noise" so she pulled over. Then she decided it felt good outside and her music was good so she started dancing. "The deputy told the woman she was alarming passing drivers and she agreed to stop. The deputy noticed no signs of impairment other than "poor/odd decision making abilities."(Albany Democrat Herald)
There are several parallels to my break down, but I have to tell you, when my car made funny noises and I pulled over, it never occurred to me to get out and dance. Not only to dance, but to dance ON TOP of the car! I was even afraid to play any music. I just sat there and sent text messages to my loved ones while I was waiting for Will.
If I would have impulsively done such a thing, I wonder how long it would have been before my boys would have received text messages from people reporting that their mom was parked by LBCC and dancing on her car? Would have they been shocked? Or would have they just rolled their eyes and said they thought their mom would have known better than to dance in public?
Since I will never be caught dancing on my car at the side of a public highway, I am pretty confident that I will not be diagnosed with poor or odd decision making abilities. And I feel good about that! I think I'll go to my room and dance now.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Warning Lights, True and False
Early yesterday morning as I was driving to work, I noticed the oil light come on. I checked the little sticker at the top left of my windshield and noticed I was a bit overdue for an oil change. The oil light has never come on before, so it seemed a little strange. I ran an errand at lunch, and that light made me pretty nervous. Being a princess who expects her men to take care of guy things, I texted Nick to stop by and check my oil after school. He found it to be low and put in a quart, and I scheduled an oil change for the next afternoon.
I started getting my oil changed at Pacific Auto four years ago after we returned from our summer vacation, which included getting rear-ended by a city bus in Wyoming on our way to Yellowstone. They fixed the bumper and trunk and changed the oil. They are friendly, efficient, reasonably priced, and don't bug you with five other things your car needs like the oil change places.
So as I was driving home after work, the oil light was making me pretty nervous. Now there was not just one light, but another warning light that I couldn't identify. And was that a rattle I was hearing? Maybe it was in the dash, or the glove box? No, it got louder. It was coming from the engine and growing more alarming by the minute. The car behind me was tailgating me, and I realized I was losing speed. By the grace of God I was able to get out of the center lane into the right lane and make a right hand turn off the highway onto a lesser traveled road. The car died and I lost my power steering as I turned, but I was able to pull off onto the shoulder.
I called my trusty husband and waited for him to come rescue me. He looked under the hood and we saw that oil had leaked all over the place. He called our good friend Bruce Heilman, who knows everything about cars and mechanics, and he recommended a mechanic just down the road. I had just enough time to transfer my important stuff from the trunk and vehicle into Will's pickup before the mechanic and his tow truck showed up and hauled my car away.
You know how they say you should always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident and end up in the emergency room? Why doesn't anyone ever tell you to keep your car clean in case it breaks down and has to go to the vehicle emergency room? Oh well, I finally got the file folder with the notes I used to speak at the Ladies Tea about a month ago out of the car. I tend to store more things in my car than I really should. I must improve. But I digress.
After dinner, Will got a call from the mechanic, and my heart pounded with dread as I listened to his side of the conversation. The news was bad. The oil had run dry, and the engine needed to be replaced. But interestingly, it appeared the oil filter had come loose. Quite unusual. Furthermore, the oil filter was not the correct one that belonged in my vehicle. Hmmmm.
The thought of paying thousands of dollars for an engine replacement was quite troubling. I was kicking myself for not calling Will before leaving work and telling him the car problems instead of just expecting it to be fine. But fortunately, I had supported a friend's fundraiser and bought a box of Krispy Kreme donuts that day, and a warm donut fortified me enough to go to bed fairly untroubled - or at least not totally disturbed and freaked out. I placed it in the hands of God and the wonderful husband he gave me.
Will finally called me around 11 this morning to give me the results of the activities of himself and his sidekick Bruce. They had met with the mechanic, got the errant oil filter, and visited Pacific Auto to talk to the owner. As a result, my Camry was now at Pacific Auto where they are replacing the engine at no charge to us. Pacific Auto also arranged for a rental car for me.
Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it!!! I am still amazed. God is so good!
Nick picked me up after work to get the rental car. I was led to a pretty little Chevy Malibu, but when I got in and was about to drive away, I couldn't believe my eyes. There on the dash in big blue letters was the warning, "CHANGE OIL SOON"!! I headed back in there to advise them, but they assured me the oil was fine, the warning always comes on prematurely. Strangely, in 24 hours time I had gone from blithely trusting that bad things don't happen to my car to expecting bad things to happen to my car!
This Chevy was just as irresistibly drawn to the flowers at the Country Barn as my Camry is. On my way there, I stopped by the Shell station to show off the car to Eric and received another amazing blessing. For the first time in many months, dare I say even years?, I got to see Eric's face clean shaven. No beard, no mustache, no sideburns, no goatee,no strange new configurations or combinations of facial hair. Just a beautiful face. And me with no camera in this naked rental car. And I expect by the time I see him again on Sunday, the facial hair will be growing again. Oh well. I put the car in gear as I was saying goodbye to him and he said, "Wait, I better tell you something. The car is in Neutral." I looked down and sure enough it was. Eric said, "I really wanted to hear you rev it up but I figured I better tell you so you didn't scare yourself and the other people here." Like he thinks I was going to step on it and peel out of there? Oh well, it was nice to be reminded he is not only good looking but very thoughtful as well.
The day continued to get better. As Will and I were out on our beautiful patio discussing the day and how thankful we were for the great customer service he received, I was about to broach the subject of having a late dinner because I wanted to plant the new flowers before dinner. Just then Craig showed up and volunteered to cook. He made some awesome beef stroganoff and green beans with garlic.
All my flowers are planted, my car will undoubtedly be returned to me vacuumed and washed, my husband, boys, and friend Bruce all did kind and helpful things for me today. I am so grateful for all of them and all the blessings this day brought!
And maybe the sun will shine for more than 10 minutes tomorrow! I continue to hope for the best in all of life!
I started getting my oil changed at Pacific Auto four years ago after we returned from our summer vacation, which included getting rear-ended by a city bus in Wyoming on our way to Yellowstone. They fixed the bumper and trunk and changed the oil. They are friendly, efficient, reasonably priced, and don't bug you with five other things your car needs like the oil change places.
So as I was driving home after work, the oil light was making me pretty nervous. Now there was not just one light, but another warning light that I couldn't identify. And was that a rattle I was hearing? Maybe it was in the dash, or the glove box? No, it got louder. It was coming from the engine and growing more alarming by the minute. The car behind me was tailgating me, and I realized I was losing speed. By the grace of God I was able to get out of the center lane into the right lane and make a right hand turn off the highway onto a lesser traveled road. The car died and I lost my power steering as I turned, but I was able to pull off onto the shoulder.
I called my trusty husband and waited for him to come rescue me. He looked under the hood and we saw that oil had leaked all over the place. He called our good friend Bruce Heilman, who knows everything about cars and mechanics, and he recommended a mechanic just down the road. I had just enough time to transfer my important stuff from the trunk and vehicle into Will's pickup before the mechanic and his tow truck showed up and hauled my car away.
You know how they say you should always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident and end up in the emergency room? Why doesn't anyone ever tell you to keep your car clean in case it breaks down and has to go to the vehicle emergency room? Oh well, I finally got the file folder with the notes I used to speak at the Ladies Tea about a month ago out of the car. I tend to store more things in my car than I really should. I must improve. But I digress.
After dinner, Will got a call from the mechanic, and my heart pounded with dread as I listened to his side of the conversation. The news was bad. The oil had run dry, and the engine needed to be replaced. But interestingly, it appeared the oil filter had come loose. Quite unusual. Furthermore, the oil filter was not the correct one that belonged in my vehicle. Hmmmm.
The thought of paying thousands of dollars for an engine replacement was quite troubling. I was kicking myself for not calling Will before leaving work and telling him the car problems instead of just expecting it to be fine. But fortunately, I had supported a friend's fundraiser and bought a box of Krispy Kreme donuts that day, and a warm donut fortified me enough to go to bed fairly untroubled - or at least not totally disturbed and freaked out. I placed it in the hands of God and the wonderful husband he gave me.
Will finally called me around 11 this morning to give me the results of the activities of himself and his sidekick Bruce. They had met with the mechanic, got the errant oil filter, and visited Pacific Auto to talk to the owner. As a result, my Camry was now at Pacific Auto where they are replacing the engine at no charge to us. Pacific Auto also arranged for a rental car for me.
Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it!!! I am still amazed. God is so good!
Nick picked me up after work to get the rental car. I was led to a pretty little Chevy Malibu, but when I got in and was about to drive away, I couldn't believe my eyes. There on the dash in big blue letters was the warning, "CHANGE OIL SOON"!! I headed back in there to advise them, but they assured me the oil was fine, the warning always comes on prematurely. Strangely, in 24 hours time I had gone from blithely trusting that bad things don't happen to my car to expecting bad things to happen to my car!
This Chevy was just as irresistibly drawn to the flowers at the Country Barn as my Camry is. On my way there, I stopped by the Shell station to show off the car to Eric and received another amazing blessing. For the first time in many months, dare I say even years?, I got to see Eric's face clean shaven. No beard, no mustache, no sideburns, no goatee,no strange new configurations or combinations of facial hair. Just a beautiful face. And me with no camera in this naked rental car. And I expect by the time I see him again on Sunday, the facial hair will be growing again. Oh well. I put the car in gear as I was saying goodbye to him and he said, "Wait, I better tell you something. The car is in Neutral." I looked down and sure enough it was. Eric said, "I really wanted to hear you rev it up but I figured I better tell you so you didn't scare yourself and the other people here." Like he thinks I was going to step on it and peel out of there? Oh well, it was nice to be reminded he is not only good looking but very thoughtful as well.
The day continued to get better. As Will and I were out on our beautiful patio discussing the day and how thankful we were for the great customer service he received, I was about to broach the subject of having a late dinner because I wanted to plant the new flowers before dinner. Just then Craig showed up and volunteered to cook. He made some awesome beef stroganoff and green beans with garlic.
All my flowers are planted, my car will undoubtedly be returned to me vacuumed and washed, my husband, boys, and friend Bruce all did kind and helpful things for me today. I am so grateful for all of them and all the blessings this day brought!
And maybe the sun will shine for more than 10 minutes tomorrow! I continue to hope for the best in all of life!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
A Drive in the Cascade Mountains
We took a little drive in the mountains today and Will, with his unerring sense of direction, found an place with an awesome view where we could eat our picnic lunch while sitting on the tailgate.
We could see the snow-covered Mt. Washington and Three Finger Jack, although the peaks were covered with clouds for awhile. Mt. Washington eventually cleared. My camera doesn't photograph white peaks against a clouded sky very well!
Zeek spent a good bit of time playing with a special stick that he found. He also discovered a nearby slough and took a swim without asking permission. I must be getting desensitized, I didn't even notice a wet dog smell in the pickup on the way back!
There were many lovely waterfalls along the road.
It was a beautiful day in the mountains.
We could see the snow-covered Mt. Washington and Three Finger Jack, although the peaks were covered with clouds for awhile. Mt. Washington eventually cleared. My camera doesn't photograph white peaks against a clouded sky very well!
Zeek spent a good bit of time playing with a special stick that he found. He also discovered a nearby slough and took a swim without asking permission. I must be getting desensitized, I didn't even notice a wet dog smell in the pickup on the way back!
There were many lovely waterfalls along the road.
It was a beautiful day in the mountains.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sweet pictures
My baby will be graduating from high school in 19 days. Yes, I know they have to grow up, but it sure happened fast. It's a little harder to take sweet pictures of him these days but this week I proved it can still be done!
It helps to have a sweet dog.
And a sweet dad. Who just happens to have built the world's second ugliest but sturdiest chair.
Tomorrow is the Tangent Clean up day where you can take your junk to a place here in town. We will enjoy his sweet help in the rain for as long as we can! Thanks, Nick, we love you man!
It helps to have a sweet dog.
And a sweet dad. Who just happens to have built the world's second ugliest but sturdiest chair.
Tomorrow is the Tangent Clean up day where you can take your junk to a place here in town. We will enjoy his sweet help in the rain for as long as we can! Thanks, Nick, we love you man!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Traumatized
Last week when I visited Dr. J (my famous long suffering secret agent dentist) he was kind enough to diagnose the annoying bump in my mouth that I kept biting. "That is a Traumatic Fibroma," he announced, and instantly it felt ten times more painful and annoying than it did when it was just a bump. I received a referral to an oral surgeon to get it removed, and in the meantime I had a little fun telling my family and about 50 of my closest friends that I was going to need surgery to remove a traumatic fibroma. It sounds so serious yet funny to me!
So today at 3:15 I left work and drove a few blocks to the oral surgeon's office, a beautiful new tastefully decorated building. It was nice to see a friend working inside, but I was bitterly disappointed with the magazine selection. Very oriented to outdoor manly pursuits. Fortunately I had my phone and could text Will so I could feel his devoted support.
The young assistant led me to a room where she went over some paperwork and had me initial each of the hundred or so things that could go wrong. Before she left the room she said, "OK, pretty soon we'll numb you up and hack it off!" Oh, boy! She was very kind though. When she told me to sit on the chair, I sadly remarked how disappointing it was that it had no arms to grip. When she came back for the procedure, she moved me to a different room that had a chair with arm rests!
The doctor seemed awfully young. He told me I probably shouldn't go home and google fibroma because it could alarm me with things that didn't pertain to this type. I told him it was too late, I had googled traumatic fibroma and learned that the treatment was excision and the prognosis was excellent, so it was all good. He liked that.
He gave me three shots of a local anesthetic before starting the procedure, which actually went very quickly. It probably took less than five minutes to hack it off and put three stitches in. When he finished, he was holding some gauze onto it for a bit and he said, "While I was waiting for the anesthetic to work, I googled a step by step procedure to remove this, and holding the gauze in place for a few minutes is the last step. It's just great how easy it was." I told him how disappointed I was that it was over so quickly, and he confessed that actually he is a baseball coach at West Albany and just came over to work for the day for a change of pace. It's kind of hard to laugh heartily when you have a few fingers and a big wad of gauze in your mouth. But I managed anyway.
Well, I still have a little gauze in my mouth, and the numbness is wearing off. I'm starting to think it might have been wise to take him up on the offer for some Percocet. But I will make do with non-prescription pain relievers. Ouch. They say the mouth heals very quickly. We shall see.
So today at 3:15 I left work and drove a few blocks to the oral surgeon's office, a beautiful new tastefully decorated building. It was nice to see a friend working inside, but I was bitterly disappointed with the magazine selection. Very oriented to outdoor manly pursuits. Fortunately I had my phone and could text Will so I could feel his devoted support.
The young assistant led me to a room where she went over some paperwork and had me initial each of the hundred or so things that could go wrong. Before she left the room she said, "OK, pretty soon we'll numb you up and hack it off!" Oh, boy! She was very kind though. When she told me to sit on the chair, I sadly remarked how disappointing it was that it had no arms to grip. When she came back for the procedure, she moved me to a different room that had a chair with arm rests!
The doctor seemed awfully young. He told me I probably shouldn't go home and google fibroma because it could alarm me with things that didn't pertain to this type. I told him it was too late, I had googled traumatic fibroma and learned that the treatment was excision and the prognosis was excellent, so it was all good. He liked that.
He gave me three shots of a local anesthetic before starting the procedure, which actually went very quickly. It probably took less than five minutes to hack it off and put three stitches in. When he finished, he was holding some gauze onto it for a bit and he said, "While I was waiting for the anesthetic to work, I googled a step by step procedure to remove this, and holding the gauze in place for a few minutes is the last step. It's just great how easy it was." I told him how disappointed I was that it was over so quickly, and he confessed that actually he is a baseball coach at West Albany and just came over to work for the day for a change of pace. It's kind of hard to laugh heartily when you have a few fingers and a big wad of gauze in your mouth. But I managed anyway.
Well, I still have a little gauze in my mouth, and the numbness is wearing off. I'm starting to think it might have been wise to take him up on the offer for some Percocet. But I will make do with non-prescription pain relievers. Ouch. They say the mouth heals very quickly. We shall see.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Dental Dread
With the usual fear and trembling, I entered my dentist’s office last Thursday morning. I could not postpone it any longer. Just before Easter, I became the victim of a candy-coated milk chocolate egg which was crunchier than I expected. A piece of my back molar broke off and joined the candy. My well-meaning dentist (let's refer to him as Dr. J) had advised me many years ago that I should think about getting crowns on some molars with several fillings because eventually part of the tooth might break off. I laughed in his face and said I was not doing any more crowns until I absolutely had to. Imagine setting up elective dental work! Ha!
No one needs to count how many weeks it's been since Easter. With no pain or discomfort involved, I couldn’t muster up the initiative to call the office. But eventually I forced myself to do the right thing and set up the appointment.
Dr. J is a great guy. The first thing I said when I saw him was, “Ok, now you can say I told you so.” He did. He seems to thoroughly enjoy his job, which includes peering intently into my wide open-mouthed grimace and poking around mercilessly inside my mouth with sharp tools, using drills with the most annoying grinding sounds for as long as possible, and using foul tasting strings and pastes to try and gag me. But he always has a smile on his face and a jolly laugh. He’s very entertaining to talk with. He puts on a convincing show of concern, telling me, “Now be sure and raise your hand if you feel any discomfort.” I say, “I’d rather scream.” “That works too,” he says obligingly. See why I like him in spite of the fact that he’s a dentist?
When I am tilted back into that chair with Dr. J and his assistant’s faces way too close to mine, poking and drilling and spraying, I like to have good armrest to grip tightly as I wait for that sudden sharp pain to course like an electric shock from my tooth through my entire body. I just know it’s coming; it’s happened so many times in my life. Although it hasn’t happened for quite awhile, come to think of it. Of course, my mouth stays numb for days after I have any work done. Does everyone get 5 or 6 shots of Novacaine before any drilling commences? Just kidding, but I do stay numb for quite some time, so I know he’s looking out for me. But I still want better armrests to grip. The new chairs he got several years ago have small low armrests. Tho I have advised him several times that they are quite unsatisfactory, so far I haven’t convinced him to buy different chairs. In fact, he had the nerve to tell me I should be glad I'm not in Europe because they have no arm rests on dental chairs over there!
Another reason I need good arm rests to clutch is because sometimes when I am tilted back in that chair and they are both in my face spraying me and causing all kinds of discomfort and unpleasant noises, I have the almost uncontrollable urge to push them away, leap up, and run screaming out of the office. No, LeAnn, hang on to that armrest and allow your thoughts of sudden escape to remain a pleasant fantasy.
When they first started working on me during this visit, the assistant was putting in a little more water than she was taking out. I feared drowning for a few brief seconds, and I asked him if that was what they call water boarding. He actually confessed to me that he is a secret agent for the CIA. Brilliant! Who better to torture confessions out of people than a dentist!
He does seem to appreciate some of my advice. I'm kind enough to dispense it freely. I let him know that something he used during the process tasted terrible and he really should find something better. He assured me that he has tasted everything available and that was the very best flavor on the market. I bet he did that just for me! Of course, I don’t only point out negative things. I told him the goo that set the temporary crown was very refreshing.
When I was telling Will about my experiences there, he gently said to me, “Now, you do know that you really aren’t a Princess, right? Just because I treat you like one doesn’t mean you should expect the rest of the world to do so.” I pondered that for a few seconds but I’m still not sure why he felt it necessary to point that out. After all, I'm there for a crown, and Dr. J is always wanting to give me crowns!!
I get to go back on Thursday to get the final crown. After that, I hope I don’t have to see my nice funny secret agent dentist for a very long time. It's possible, in fact quite probable, that he hopes the same!
No one needs to count how many weeks it's been since Easter. With no pain or discomfort involved, I couldn’t muster up the initiative to call the office. But eventually I forced myself to do the right thing and set up the appointment.
Dr. J is a great guy. The first thing I said when I saw him was, “Ok, now you can say I told you so.” He did. He seems to thoroughly enjoy his job, which includes peering intently into my wide open-mouthed grimace and poking around mercilessly inside my mouth with sharp tools, using drills with the most annoying grinding sounds for as long as possible, and using foul tasting strings and pastes to try and gag me. But he always has a smile on his face and a jolly laugh. He’s very entertaining to talk with. He puts on a convincing show of concern, telling me, “Now be sure and raise your hand if you feel any discomfort.” I say, “I’d rather scream.” “That works too,” he says obligingly. See why I like him in spite of the fact that he’s a dentist?
When I am tilted back into that chair with Dr. J and his assistant’s faces way too close to mine, poking and drilling and spraying, I like to have good armrest to grip tightly as I wait for that sudden sharp pain to course like an electric shock from my tooth through my entire body. I just know it’s coming; it’s happened so many times in my life. Although it hasn’t happened for quite awhile, come to think of it. Of course, my mouth stays numb for days after I have any work done. Does everyone get 5 or 6 shots of Novacaine before any drilling commences? Just kidding, but I do stay numb for quite some time, so I know he’s looking out for me. But I still want better armrests to grip. The new chairs he got several years ago have small low armrests. Tho I have advised him several times that they are quite unsatisfactory, so far I haven’t convinced him to buy different chairs. In fact, he had the nerve to tell me I should be glad I'm not in Europe because they have no arm rests on dental chairs over there!
Another reason I need good arm rests to clutch is because sometimes when I am tilted back in that chair and they are both in my face spraying me and causing all kinds of discomfort and unpleasant noises, I have the almost uncontrollable urge to push them away, leap up, and run screaming out of the office. No, LeAnn, hang on to that armrest and allow your thoughts of sudden escape to remain a pleasant fantasy.
When they first started working on me during this visit, the assistant was putting in a little more water than she was taking out. I feared drowning for a few brief seconds, and I asked him if that was what they call water boarding. He actually confessed to me that he is a secret agent for the CIA. Brilliant! Who better to torture confessions out of people than a dentist!
He does seem to appreciate some of my advice. I'm kind enough to dispense it freely. I let him know that something he used during the process tasted terrible and he really should find something better. He assured me that he has tasted everything available and that was the very best flavor on the market. I bet he did that just for me! Of course, I don’t only point out negative things. I told him the goo that set the temporary crown was very refreshing.
When I was telling Will about my experiences there, he gently said to me, “Now, you do know that you really aren’t a Princess, right? Just because I treat you like one doesn’t mean you should expect the rest of the world to do so.” I pondered that for a few seconds but I’m still not sure why he felt it necessary to point that out. After all, I'm there for a crown, and Dr. J is always wanting to give me crowns!!
I get to go back on Thursday to get the final crown. After that, I hope I don’t have to see my nice funny secret agent dentist for a very long time. It's possible, in fact quite probable, that he hopes the same!
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Letter to Dad
It's now been a week and two days since my dad went home to be with Jesus. I was very blessed to be able to take all week off work and spend time with family who came from far and wide, including the Yukon, California, Nebraska, Indiana and Alabama, to remember their brother, uncle, father, and grandfather.
Our family worked together to plan the funeral, the program, the obituary and many other details through the week. It was decided that if we wanted to share memories of dad, we should write them down and my oldest brother would read them.
How do you narrow that down and sum up the most important memories of your dad over his lifetime? I had no idea what to say, but the night before the funeral I couldn't sleep. I remembered many things about my dad, and finally about 3:00 am, I got out of bed, came down and did a little typing on the laptop. I gave this letter to my wonderful brother Galen the next morning to read at the funeral.
Dad,
I think I first realized how special you were during my junior high years, when my mother was suffering from the cancer that would soon lead to her death. Not only did you take care of her with sweet tenderness, but you also taught me how to cook, clean, and do laundry, and you worked side by side with me. You taught me to check the grocery ads and make a shopping list, and you never complained when we ate a lot of hot dogs and hamburgers. You made me feel that my help was very valuable and important. You even showed your appreciation by raising my allowance to much more than my siblings ever received! (At this point Galen stopped as if shocked and said, "I believe this is the first time the rest of us heard about this!)
I wish I could say that I inherited some of your wonderful traits such as your kindness, your constant even-tempered good humor, your humility, and your servant’s heart. But the one endearing quality I can confidently declare that you passed on to me is your love for ice cream, and I have faithfully shared that with my own three sons! I also share your love for Jesus, and I pray that I pass that on to my boys as well.
I want you to know how much I appreciate my six brothers and three sisters, as well as your wife of the past 36 years. The godly character they possess and the friendship we all share is an incredible gift. I know you were deeply thankful that all ten of your children are serving the Lord, and that your grandchildren are also following that path. I pray that this legacy will continue in our family, that our children and grandchildren will have hearts that are fixed on God, and that you will see us all in heaven some day.
With love from your daughter,
LeAnn
Unfortunately, my lack of humility was re-affirmed when I caught myself bragging to my brothers and sisters that my letter got the biggest laugh at the funeral! Hopefully God will continue to refine my character for many years to come before I meet Him and my parents in our heavenly home!
Our family worked together to plan the funeral, the program, the obituary and many other details through the week. It was decided that if we wanted to share memories of dad, we should write them down and my oldest brother would read them.
How do you narrow that down and sum up the most important memories of your dad over his lifetime? I had no idea what to say, but the night before the funeral I couldn't sleep. I remembered many things about my dad, and finally about 3:00 am, I got out of bed, came down and did a little typing on the laptop. I gave this letter to my wonderful brother Galen the next morning to read at the funeral.
Dad,
I think I first realized how special you were during my junior high years, when my mother was suffering from the cancer that would soon lead to her death. Not only did you take care of her with sweet tenderness, but you also taught me how to cook, clean, and do laundry, and you worked side by side with me. You taught me to check the grocery ads and make a shopping list, and you never complained when we ate a lot of hot dogs and hamburgers. You made me feel that my help was very valuable and important. You even showed your appreciation by raising my allowance to much more than my siblings ever received! (At this point Galen stopped as if shocked and said, "I believe this is the first time the rest of us heard about this!)
I wish I could say that I inherited some of your wonderful traits such as your kindness, your constant even-tempered good humor, your humility, and your servant’s heart. But the one endearing quality I can confidently declare that you passed on to me is your love for ice cream, and I have faithfully shared that with my own three sons! I also share your love for Jesus, and I pray that I pass that on to my boys as well.
I want you to know how much I appreciate my six brothers and three sisters, as well as your wife of the past 36 years. The godly character they possess and the friendship we all share is an incredible gift. I know you were deeply thankful that all ten of your children are serving the Lord, and that your grandchildren are also following that path. I pray that this legacy will continue in our family, that our children and grandchildren will have hearts that are fixed on God, and that you will see us all in heaven some day.
With love from your daughter,
LeAnn
Unfortunately, my lack of humility was re-affirmed when I caught myself bragging to my brothers and sisters that my letter got the biggest laugh at the funeral! Hopefully God will continue to refine my character for many years to come before I meet Him and my parents in our heavenly home!
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