His image

Today in connection with the upcoming Father's Day, I would like to share some notes in memory of Grandpa, my dad. One of the keepsakes I learned from dad was a brief poem that I believe represents the essence of the kind of life he lived. For me, it's his legacy.

I have a resource of files online that I refer to frequently for inspiration and hope. These may include exceptional quotes or favorite passages of scripture. My dad did the same thing, but he used filing cabinets, folders, and scraps of paper in his day to capture these messages and collect inspirational ideas.

Many of you have probably had the chance to go through one of dad's boxes or files at some point and noticed the carefully-labelled contents and neatly-written notes or poems.

I think these meticulously-crafted messages represent dad well, and going through them in many ways is like dusting off the bookshelf of ages and reacquainting myself with his qualities and character.

Builder or Wrecker
--------------------
I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town;
With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell,
They swung a beam and the side wall fell.

I asked the foremen: "Are these men skilled?
And the men you'd hire if you had to build?"
He gave a laugh and said, "No indeed--
Just common labor is all I need.

I can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken years to do."
And I thought to myself as I went my way,
Which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds to a well-made plan,
Patiently doing the best I can--

Or am I a wrecker who walks the town
Content with the labor of tearing down?
"O Lord let my life and my labors be
That which will build for eternity!"

-Author Unknown

I love that poem, because it reminds me so much of dad. I remember when sharing it with me, he read it with such emotion and resolve, then lived it everyday of his life. That poem is dad.

Though I do not understand all the rules of heaven, I have no doubt that today he is uniquely interested in our well-being and working to build God's kingdom there and here in our midst.

For that heavenly camaraderie, I will always be grateful.

Let your light so shine
I am the light which ye shall hold up
Be of good cheer



Alma 5:14,15