The Touch of the Master's Hand

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin,
but held it up with a smile; "What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?" "A dollar, a dollar"; then two!" "Only
two? Two dollars, and who'll make it three? Three dollars, once; three
dollars twice; going for three.." But no, from the room, far back, a
gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust
from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody
pure and sweet as caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
said; "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make
it three? Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and
gone," said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do not
quite understand what changed its worth." Swift came the reply: "The touch
of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin, A
"mess of pottage," a glass of wine; a game - and he travels on. "He is
going" once, and "going twice, He's going and almost gone." But the Master
comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul
and the change that's wrought by the touch of the Master's hand.

---Myra 'Brooks' Welch

Movie Quote Monday

"Your family is making its way in the world, 

and you can be proud of 

the children and their achievements.  

And if you'd ask me I'd have to say in all honesty; 

everybody's fine, 

everybody's fine."

--Frank Goode,

“Everybody's Fine”, 2009, written and directed by Kirk Jones

I must blog, I must blog, I must blog

Life since July has been up and down and down and up!
Four funerals, a new baby, a serious illness, six birthdays, an anniversary, a flooded basement, LDS General Conference, three trips to Wyoming, a trip to St. George and a genealogy conference.  I am behind on almost everything; especially blogging!

My father-in-law passed in August and it has been so difficult watching my mother-in-law struggle down the path of widowhood.  Then on the 23rd of October, my brother-in-law suddenly and unexpectedly passed.  Now, my sister-in-law must also wander down the widowhood path.  Too many funerals; too many widows; and too many memories for me along with Joe's birthday, my anniversary, and next week his death anniversary.

The pain and grief from losing Joe is finally bearable; and by that I mean I have learned how to live with it.  I know how to function and meander through life.  However, watching my mother-in-law and sister-in-law join me down this road has intensified my grief pain as I have seen their faces of shock and grief and heard their tears of sorrow.

I am thankful for the atonement that helps and assists me with this awful pain of grief.  I am thankful for the Comforter, who truly does comfort in those dark, painful and lonely hours day after day and night after night.  I am thankful for family who cannot take away the pain, but can walk beside me through it.  I am grateful for sweet friends who love and care (especially for the sweet person, who every anniversary secretly leaves roses on my doorstep).  I am grateful for my grandchildren who remind me to laugh and keep loving and who hug me like I am their world.   But most of all I am thankful for a man who taught me love and marriage are beautiful!

Life is hard.
Death is hard.
Watching another's pain is hard.

And, on Wednesday it will be 10 years!
Ten years is too long to be away from the one you forever love!
I still love him every single day and every single day I miss him.