{funerals family and friends}

Sometimes life gives you an awakening where you get a glimpse into what life should be if maybe we all made right choices if all good things happened to us and if life wasn't full of pain, hurt and disappointments.

Obviously that isn't real life. 

But that glimpse is a feeling I hope one day we all get to experience maybe not in this life but in the next.....

Going to a funeral and listening to an outline of ones life, an eulogy which usually doesn't last more than 10 minutes kind makes yah kind of think long and hard...

what will mine say? 

would anybody come to my funeral? 

did I serve or accomplish anything? 

Did my trials become my excuse for everything wrong in life or 

did I learn from them grow from them and help others?

Did my family know how much I love them?

Did I help others serve without expecting anything?

What were my relationships like?

Was I grouchy, mean, ornery 

Did I hang onto every grudge or thing that happened to me and make others suffer?

Was I a good example? A good daughter sister wife mother ??

Well it can go on and on because that is life. I choose to believe that hopefully by the time its my time to go I've learned a few more things, and hopefully I have time to learn and grow and make my life the way it should be the way I hope it is and can be.

I drove with my brother for 12 hours to Vancouver BC for my uncles funeral on Tuesday afternoon was there for 14 hours and then drove back again home and got in at 5am talk about crazy! But worth it. My uncle will be greatly missed by so many... I'm glad we went and I'm so very thankful for family, and for friends that helped watch my kids and take them to things

Going to a funeral makes you realize the things that matter, the things that don't and makes me want to live better and be better. 

Because in the end as I stood at the graveside and watched the box vault top be lowered into the ground. This carved wooden box encased in a cement vault..that holds the body... 

I thought and thats life those short few years that we 

either learn grow and do what we came here to do despite our circumstances in life..

or a few short years where we make one bad choice after another and ver down a different path then we should be on,

Because no matter what 

true happiness is in obedience and serving and learning and growing despite every obstacle that comes before us.

We can make excuses for everything we do but there comes a time when excuses won't work, where free agency will matter more then we realize

and the question 

what are you doing with your life??.....

Should make you think long and hard.

 we slept on my dad's boat surprised them in the middle of the night now that was funny:)  I took this the next morning love the water and mist
{My dad was a commercial fisherman while growing up and its still his love in life so he has a charter boat of sorts }

Seriously love the foliage and greenery and mountains and roads like this in the middle of a huge city! So pretty....

top is me and 2 of my sisters and my brother who I drove with, my mom and her brother and sister then some of the cousins who came and my cute little sister and sweet little india... below is the girls, aunt violy and her daughter and s.i.l and of course a flat tire at the cemetery because there's always got to be something right:) 

and home again....love lower mainland farmland next to chaos:) gotta love it.... love the green the mountains mist water all of it... so pretty...
Love my family immediate extended all ....

-------------------------------------------------
speaking of families I love this one too:
{thanks alley for the pics}
From these two came these nine...

 from these nine came this....AHHHH j/k its tons of fun....

Today is my father in laws birthday and I just want to say Happy Birthday we love you:)He's pretty much the most patient, loving man I've ever met and I couldn't be more lucky to be apart of this big family:)
I sure love them, my kids and my D.

if there is one thing I learned more than ever this week its
 that this is what life is about.....
family.
and knowing
what matters most.
{and doing something about it.}