Logged the goose-egg today. Down in Ephraim/Manti for my Dad's funeral. Kim and I briefly contemplated going out in the early morning hours but we had forgotten how much colder it is down here in the morning compared to SF and we hadn't packed the right gear. Beyond that this is a reduced mileage week anyways and with all that has gone on this week it felt right to forgo the run today.
Although funerals can and should often be times of mourning and much sadness, in this case, where my Dad had lived a rich full life to a ripe age, had been in poor health, and most of all because he missed my Mother terribly (she passed away 15 yrs ago) and was very lonely, there was a great feeling of peace, thankfulness and rejoicing that he is now out of his misery and reunited with the love of his life. We are so thankful for God's plan of salvation and for the sacrifice of his Son that allows us to enjoy associations with our loved ones beyond the grave. We will surely miss him and still mourn for a time, but we know he is in a better place now.
It was wonderful to spend the day with family and friends, many of whom we hadn't seen for years. We are staying one more night in Manti then Kim will be heading to California for a few days to help my sister-in-law Susan deal with her difficult struggle with cancer and chemotherapy. Hope all goes well for them and that Kim can make a difference, I'm pretty sure she will as she has a gift for bringing sunshine into to the lives of others. I'll miss her while she's gone but I know this will be a blessing for all of us.
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