... for God looketh on the heart...

I went to a funeral today for Tim's uncle, Sam H. He passed away after battling the past 12 years with cancer. Tim's extended family isn't super close, he doesn't really even know their names and stories... so I don't know much either. We see them about once a year, usually just at the annual Christmas dinner. My favorite of the aunts and uncles on the side have always been "Sam and Doris." At the funeral all of the speakers mentioned the fact that you never said just "Sam" or "Doris." It was always "Sam and Doris." Now, while I am the first to admit that I didn't know him well, I knew there was something special about him. He just had a special feeling that he radiated. You just couldn't help but love him.

I wasn't sure I wanted to go to the trouble of finding a sitter for the kids, (or the alternative option of taking them all with me...) driving up to Sandy, attending the funeral, and then coming back home to the messy "post-weekend" house. After thinking a bit more on it this morning, I decided that if I could find a sitter, I would go. Two neighbors, both of whom were willing but had other commitments ( at opposite ends of the time I would be gone), were able to split the time and take my kids. (THANKS Heather and Jenny!) I drove up and was SO SO thankful that I did.

Now you will think me terrible, but in order to share with you the lesson I learned today, I have to reveal a DARK side of me. I am judgmental. (and not in a righteous, good, healthy way) not on purpose, I don't mean to be, and I am trying so hard to do better... but there it is, I am. Now Sam and Doris spent a lot of years not active in the church. To LOOK at them, you would likely see someone fairly uneducated and pretty "rough around the edges." Through the friendship of some good home teachers, they came back to church, but the "outward appearance" never really seemed to change all that much.

Neither of them ever served in highly visible church callings. Neither of them had much formal education. Their family never fit the "Mormon mold" in appearance. (example - many of the family there were in jeans and tank tops or t-shirts... with long hair and body tattoos and piercings) AND YET... That chapel was filled to overflowing today, and the look of loss and grief on so many people faces, was clear evidence of the impact that Sam (and Doris) have had in that ward. Stories were shared about how much LOVE Sam had - for everyone. It was shared how even though he never finished school, he was a master at building anything. They talked of how many homes in their ward had been "fixed" by Sam. - and he never wanted the money... just dinner or a hamburger would be great. He loved the temple. He and Doris went to the temple often, and on all of their travels, they tried to find a temple to attend on the way. He was a good, good man!

As I sat there, I was taught once again the message of 1 Samuel 16:7 :

for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Today I was taught (again) that while I often "look" the part ... I wear my Sunday best, my kids all wear their little Sunday best... I sing in the choir,... I have an educated husband and I feel I can hold my own... I know the "right" answers to gospel questions... I am careful to make sure I have a current temple recommend... None of that means anything if my HEART is not in the right place. It is not enough to LOOK like I'm doing what's right and good - I must be actively DOING my part - giving the Lord my VERY best. On first glance, Sam may not look that he has much to "offer" - but I tell you what - - he gave EVERYTHING he had, and the Lord magnified it 100 fold!


On this day, I express gratitude for Sam and Doris and their example to me of humility, perseverance, hard work, faithfulness, and being finishers! Sam will be missed, but his legacy of love will continue.

Thank you, SAM!

a tear-jerker classic...

On Father's day, my Grandma Fugal passed away. (a post about her may eventually come up, but I'm been such a slacker about blogging and I know if I try to "catch up," I'll never get back into it. So anyway...) at her funeral, the stake president shared some brief remarks in which he recalled a time when he was in her 4th grade class... way back when... and he remembered he reading aloud to the class, "Where the Red Fern Grows." That just happens to be one of my favorite books, and I decided I needed to read it aloud to my kids. We started it about a week or so ago, and the kids are loving it. (Aaron and Katrina especially, Caleb couldn't really care less and Bryan has a harder time following it...) Every night it is that same thing, "One more chapter mom, just ONE more???? PLEASE????"

So today I got home from walking, and instead of being productive, I just happened to open up the book to see what came next... Ya, you know what's coming eh? I re-read to the end, bawling and blubbering like usual. I've already told the kids that Tim is going to have to read the last couple chapters cause I don't think there's any way I can read them out loud... I'll be crying too hard!

Introducing my new BUTTON...

If you look on my sidebar, you will find a new button. Our good friends, Aaron and Holly B., have been hoping to bring children into their family for a long time now. After a long and at times frustrating process, and lots of hoop jumping, they are FINALLY approved by LDS family services and are on the ready to adopt list. The couples that are blessed with children the quickest (which is a hilarious term since "quick" is the LAST word any of them would ever describe this particular trial of life) are the ones who actively network and look for/find a birth mother.

SO - if you know a young lady who has found herself in a situation where she is ready to consider adoption, please give her Aaron and Holly's info and we will hope they "click" from there.

Here (in part) is what Holly posted on her blog tonight:

If you are willing, we would be so very grateful if you would post our button on your blog, or wherever, to get the word out! Information spreads so fast online, we're kind of hoping that will be the case. It's our hope that our little books and our blog button will help us find our birth mother. We are so excited to be adopting, and are so very grateful for the beautiful young women who are willing to say, "I can't raise this child, I want this child to have something more than what I can give it" and are willing to place their baby with families who are just waiting for a precious little spirit to come into their home and their lives.

Here is our button...

To put it on your blog, just add an html gadget and paste this:

<div class="widget-content"><a href="https://www.itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/24200015/ourMessage.jsf"><img alt="Hoping To Adopt" id="Image2_img" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qyUHrXCcaEc/TCkNDy4bo2I/AAAAAAAABQg/UvvasF_AqzY/S220/Adoption_button.png" height="150" width="150"></a></div>