Another inspiration

Today I had a great opportunity to attend another funeral.

A dear friend and co-worker lost his wife this past weekend. His wife, Vickie, suffered pancreatic cancer. She fought a courageous battle! My friend, Kim, is equally strong and determined. Kim suffered quietly as he watched his wife endure. Kim has always had a smile on his face and a sense of humor that even the humorless found funny. Through all this he has only become more determined to be better, to honor his wife. Kim is an incredibly joyful person. After hearing so much about his wife, I can see that Kim and Vickie are very deserving of each other.

You know what? I think that's amazing. I admire that about him. I admire that about his three children. They bragged, and rightly so, about how optimistic, kind, and determined she was. I thought it was incredible! Here is a woman suffering from pancreatic cancer and on her license plate is "Celebrate Life".

Wow.

Another thing I thought was incredible was that before she passed she had planned her funeral. We were told she had asked the speakers to speak, gave them the topic they were to speak on, and even picked the music. That is...so awesome! Her children stated that she had wanted a party instead of a funeral! What an incredible woman!! What an incredible family!

Every talk and piece of music was just beautiful. I was sitting next to my other dear friend from work, Christy, and after the talks were given we were both teary-eyed. All we could say to each other was, "Wow". I mean, this was such an uplifting, joyful funeral. It was full of hope. It was full of memories. It was full of LOVE.

...it took me back to my sweeties funeral...

I am so grateful I went. I am so grateful I was able to go with Ashley, Megan, my amazing mom, and Christy.

As I've said before, I have come to LOVE funerals. There isn't anything like them in this world. I almost feel like I'm attending the temple when I go. There's so much peace. The spirit of love, joy, knowledge, and support is overwhelming!

I have a deep love and respect for the Gardner family. It is obvious they want to be better because of their mother. They want to honor her. That's admirable. It's going to be hard, but if they're as determined as their mother is (I'm sure they are!) it will happen.

I am so grateful for my religion. I am so grateful for hope. I am grateful for the wow-type messages I heard today at Vickie's funeral. God bless that good family.

I'm going to end this update the way Vickie's funeral started:

"Have I done any good in the world today?
I have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad -
or made someone feel glad?"

If not, go and smile at someone. Hug someone. Laugh with someone.

IT FEELS SOOOOOO GOOD!