September 27, 2023

Alma 40:25 - And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God.

Oh dad. Thanks for bringing people together - especially Aunt April, Ryan, Marci, and Todd. Pats and Tara came. They know me well. And you were Snow College softball’s biggest fan from 1991-1993. My neighbors have been supportive - they love knowing you and calling you "grandpa Ross". I loved snuggling and playing with Lizzi and Kim’s kids and chatting with the girls today. But seeing you not there, and putting the casket in the ground was not good. Darren said, “you can’t spell funeral without fun”, but I don’t thing that’s true. Yogi Berra said, “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.” I thought this went well with some of your other sayings like, "No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded." I love your sayings:

Come in if your nose is clean. 

If you’re cold, go sit in the south side of the hay stack. 

Let’s get to gettin’. 

Hay and water. 

Famous battleship. 

Just thought of a joke I haven’t heard. 

I used those in my talk today.  Here's a little more of my talk:

My dad kept a journal everyday for 50 years.  Journal entry - February 5, 2018 Cloudy and warm. Puttered around the house.

February 6, 2018 - Clear and windy.  I tinkered.  That’s different than putter. :)

My dad and I shared a favorite book - The Book of Mormon.  In Alma chapter 40, verses 11 and 12 it says:

Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.

Rest from all their troubles and from all care.  There are a few of us in this room who inherited his worry gene.  I often told my dad that it was good to worry.  A wise man once said, “You can’t tell me worry doesn’t help. The things I worry about never happen.”

A great spiritual leader - Russell M Nelson said that the way to get to this mansion in paradise is through the doors of death. He said, “Returning from earth to life in our heavenly home requires passage through—and not around—the doors of death. We were born to die, and we die to live. (See 2 Cor. 6:9.) As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven.”

President Nelson goes on to say - To us and to you, our loved ones may be just as close as the next room—separated only by the doors of death. 

My dad used to always tell me - “I’m only two hours away. Now he could say - I’m just right next door.

 

Ross, Ray, Kent