Between sessions of conference on Saturday, I attended a funeral for 93 year old man in our ward. He use to be our home teacher. He hardly ever said anything. His wife had a lot to say. My only memory of him that stands out was when he volunteered to drive the teenagers to girls camp one year. He was in his eighties. Who has a van, wants to drive a few hours in the mountains, with teenager girls in the car, when you're 80 something?!! Why would you volunteer to do that?
I found out at his funeral. He was an amazing family man. His grandkids, all young adults now, love, love, love him. They have amazing memories. He was patient, fun, fun, fun, and always concerned and interested in others. He was hard working, devoted, and a master mechanic.
He hardly said anything! I knew him for 14 years, and never knew him at all. A couple years ago there was another elderly man that I knew from church, who hardly said anything, but I found out that he was a nuclear physicist and WWII hero. This funeral brought it home to me that we don't value, appreciate, or respect elders in our culture, like they do in others. I knew these men, but never asked them anything, never asked about them, never listened, never got to know them. My lack of effort and appreciation probably wasn't much to them, but a great loss for me. I don't want it to happen ever again.
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