Tribute

Today was a hard day for me. It was also beautifully touching to see my family rally together in such a hard time. The support system that is in a family is an amazing thing. My Uncle Lynn passed away this past week from a sudden heart attack. He was mowing his lawn, went inside for a drink and collapsed. He never woke up. He was 57 years old. My heart aches for his wife Brenda and my cousins, Brandon, Justin, Tiffany and Staci. How heart breaking to lose someone close to you so suddenly, talk about emotional whiplash. His funeral was today in Manti and it was a beautiful service. It was conducted by my cousin Dale Bryan (my mom is one of 9 so I have about 70 cousins/second cousins) and he did a great job. We started with the family prayer that was offered by my dad and he was quite emotional. We're all still in shock from this because Lynn was quite healthy, he was a miner in Winnemucca Nevada. When we walked in and sat as a family it just reminded me of how important family is. I've been to a few funerals in my life but they were always for older people who had been sick and expected. There have only been two that I have been to in which an amazing person was taken suddenly. They were both extremely emotional. My Aunt Leslie gave the opening prayer and she's a crier. I am such a sympathy crier its not even funny. I was almost bawling by the time she was done. My cousin Staci read a tribute to her dad that I don't know if I would have been able to get thru if I was in the situation. To be able to get up there and not just break down on the stand shows how strong she really is. My Aunt Patsy (who is just a year and a half younger than Lynn) spoke about the amazing life he lived and how much he helped her when her first husband was killed leaving her with 3 small children. She explained to us how he was always there for her and how much he meant to her. My Uncle Guy reminded us of all the jokes he used to play on us. He really was an amazing man. As we were driving to the cemetery to lay him to rest we drove from Manti to Wales which is about 20 minutes away and I was explaining to Chandler about how in Ireland people pull over when they see a funeral procession out of respect and how I wish more people here did it. As we were passing a small ranch out in the middle of no where Chandler pointed to some cowboys who had pulled up to the main gate and had taken off their cowboy hats and held them over their hearts. It was the most moving thing I have ever been a part of. It quickly brought me to tears, I was so overcome I couldn't even talk. Even as I type this I am emotional. God bless those men, and their parents who raised them to show respect. They will probably never know how much their simple gesture effected our family but it was a moment I will never forget. After hearing nothing in the media but the horrible shootings in Colorado it was so nice to see that there is good in the world. After we had the graveside services we went back to the church and had a dinner that was provided by the ward and was very much appreciated. 


After the meal Chandler, Jill and I drove to my cousin Sariah's at Quirks Quandaries to see the nursery for her baby boy that should be coming any time now! Its amazing to me how one life can so suddenly end but we'll get to be blessed with another little McArthur in the near future. I just know her little boy is up in heaven playing with my Grandparents & Uncles Kelly & Lynn. Life is a beautiful thing and something I know I take for granted too often. I'm so happy I was able to go to this funeral. The love that was present in the chapel for my uncle was touching. He truly will be missed by everyone. 


xoxo