Eulogy...........

A man in our ward died over the holidays. Frank Hustead. Such a good man and he's married to one good woman. I went to his funeral on Saturday and listened to his son's talk about him and his life. I've only known Frank as the man who sits next to Louise every Sunday. I didn't know anything else about him. It was so wonderful to listen to his sons tell about his life's experiences. He was a singer, a well respected man in his profession, a wonderful dad who led by example, a man who was truly in love with his wife...........and the list could on. April was sitting next to me and she said "I wish we would do eulogy's while we were still alive". How true that is. I wish that I would have known more about this good man. I wish I would have taken the time to know him and his family better.

I'm sure that there are so many people who I only know as the one who sits at church every week and that there is much to know about them. I wonder how many people who don't know me well at church think that I'm widowed or have an inactive husband - people who may think I have no children etc..........

So I'm going to write something about Paul - a small piece of his 'living' eulogy. He never reads this so he won't know!

Most people know Paul from the community. His job is far-reaching. His service in different community organizations is widely known. He sits on boards - lots of them. Professionally he is well-known. But if I were to give his eulogy, I wouldn't really care that people knew that about him. I would want people to know that Paul is a good man through and through. He is thoughtful. He really cares about others. He fiercely loves his family and is always trying to find ways to serve them. He has integrity beyond belief. He is honest to a fault. He always remembers my birthday, our anniversary, and all holidays. He likes to celebrate these. He doesn't raise his voice. He's calm. He gives liberally to others out of the goodness of his heart. I would hope these are some of the things that people would know about Paul. It is the Paul I know, respect, and love.......