August 27th

For the past 3 years, our little family has been living in the basement of the cutest, sweetest, retired couple. On Thursday, Harold- one of our landlords- unexpectedly passed away while gardening. A lot of the details are too tender to blog about but there are some things I need to remember, many of which I'd like to share. And I know this post is a lot of words, but I promise you'll benefit from reading it. 

• Gavin was a big part of the events of that day. We have heard multiple times, from multiple people, that Gavin was supposed to be there, and that the family is so thankful for the way Gavin handled things. Even though it was hard on him, we too are glad Gavin was able to be a support to Harold's wife and family through the very sad experience. 
• (This is the part that makes me cry) Wednesday night our power went out. It was about 7:00 pm. Harold and his wife were finishing up some yard work, and Gavin had run to the store to grab a forgotten dinner ingredient. It was too dark downstairs to hang out, so Owen and I went outside and sat in the yard until we got an update on the power situation. Gavin came home soon after the power went out. We didn't have electricity for a long time, so for about 30 minutes, Gavin, Owen, Harold, his wife, and I shot the breeze in their driveway. Such a tender mercy that we were able to spend time talking to him on his last day in this life. 
• His funeral was so inspiring!  Harold's life was gospel and family focused! He was always trying to improve himself in the gospel. The soles of his temple shoes were worn out (and there are very few places, even in the temple, that you can wear your shoes). He took notes during every sacrament meeting and general conference. He apologized to the priests quorum for not living up to expectations of a high priest, and said he would try harder. A few years ago, Harold read a talk from and LDS apostle encouraging saints to keep a journal of things they are grateful for. Harold took this to heard and had only missed two nights of writing in this journal since reading the talk, up until his last day on earth! One of his daughters read from this journal over the pulpit. Some of his counted blessings were silly, others serious or thoughtful.
• One night he wrote in his journal that he wishes he could afford to give everyone a Christmas gift, but since that wasn't possible, he would just have to give the gift of a smile and friendly "Hello" to everyone who crossed his path. He succeeded in giving this gift to us all!
• He has 5 daughters. Every one of his daughters (and son-in-laws, and a few more family members) wore homemade necklaces to his viewing. These necklaces were the cutest, most sentimental thing I have every seen. They were ugly! They were chains full of representations of things. There were charms and pictures and beads all over these dad-made necklaces. And I'm sure he made them with things he found around the garage! That's right- Harold made all these necklaces for his family members and added something to them every year! 
• When the casket was brought into the chapel and the congregation rose to honor the family, the family walked into the chapel and the line of people kept going and going. 5 daughters who all have families of their own! One speaker talked about Harold being rich. I loved being able to look around the chapel and see how rich he really was. His perspective on what really matters was incredible! 

Events like this make you REALLY REALLY THINK. Thanks for reading this post, if you've gotten this far. I know it wasn't well-written, I just put everything out there for my own future reading and references. We have been so blessed to know this man and we are thankful for the lessons he taught us! And you can't mention death without recognizing that the Savior has given all of us power to overcome the grave. So grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ!