A Month of....Wonderful

I apologize in advance for the length of this post!

There are few times in our lives when we really get to realize the important things....the reasons why we are on this earth and the importance of relationships.  We've recently experienced 3 of these reasons and they all happened within a month of each other.

Our first beautiful day occurred on September 10th as we watched Shalauna and Jason as they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple.  It was so fun to experience the happiness of this wonderful couple and the joy of getting everything ready for a wedding.

Shalauna and Jason as they came out of the temple

Nicole especially enjoyed the preparations from attending the bridal shower, shopping for wedding dresses, shopping for a flower girl dress, getting an "up-do", and serving at the wedding.  I will be forever grateful to Shalauna for the example that she has set for my little girl!

Shalauna trying on "the" dress.

Nicole having a little fun!

Nicole dreaming of her own day

Nicole, Addie, Jenna, Natalie, and Nicole  Wilson

The best part of the day was spending time with family and enjoying seeing the joy on Shalauna's face.  She has waited a long time to be in the right place at the right time and she deserves all happiness!!

The Kelly cousins!

The Kelly clan at the reception

A few weeks after the wedding, on Conference Weekend, Shane was able to go to Boise on a business trip and spend some time with his grandmother.  She has a terminal illness and we know that time with her is limited.  Shane was able to talk to her about his father and uncle as they grew up and to talk of eternal life and testimonies. Praying with his grandmother will always be a precious memory. 

 

Dorothy and Shane Kelly

 He later spent the afternoon with his Uncle Dan and cousins at a lovely dinner.  They had a great time and have always enjoyed being together as a family.  (As a side note: It was to Uncle Dan's and Aunt Helen's that Shane went that fateful weekend in 1993 as he waited for me to tell him that I'd marry him.)

Dan Kelly and Shane Dittrich (cousin-in-law)

Shane got home on Monday night and was surprised to get a phone call from his father informing him that Uncle Dan had passed away that day from a heart attack.  Dan had been telling Shane of his health struggles and how he was working on it, but this came as a complete surprise.

 

Keith and Grandma Kelly placing a rose on the casket

The following weekend found our entire family back in Boise/Vale, OR for Dan's funeral.  It was wonderful to celebrate the life of this wonderful man!  He was a valiant son of God who served Him his entire life.  He was devoted to His God, His faith, and his family.  He was buried with full military rights.  His son, Mike, was released early from his military service in Afganistan (or somewhere over there) so that he could attend to his family.

There is a bagpiper playing "Danny Boy" in the background
So moving!!

A sweet tender mercy came in the form of a surprise visitor to the funeral.  "Elder Allen" was one of the missionaries that baptized Dan and Keith and their parents in West Virginia approximately 53 years ago. Elder Allen lives in the Boise area and was prompted to look at the newspaper Friday morning where he saw Uncle Dan's obituary.  He came to the funeral and introduced himself to the family.  'Oh, what rapture filled our bosums' as we were able to shake the hands of the person who literally changed the lives of dozens and dozens of people and generations by serving a full-time mission. To this man, we owe great gratitude.

Elder Allen and the Kelly family

Our final, sweet moment of the month happened the very next day, on Sunday, October 10th.  We were able to attend the baby blessing of sweet little Karsen Kelly, David and Hollie's baby boy.  He is the newest Kelly.  It was wonderful to spend time with Hollie and her family.  Kenedie, Karsen's big sister, is such a miracle and it was so wonderful that Hollie was able to bring Karsen into the world, healthy and happy.  We are all so blessed!

Hollie and baby Karsen

Kenedie taking care of baby brother

Each of these experiences had mixed with them sadness and unfortunate circumstances and it has really shown me the importance of being where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there.  There is nothing that should prevent family from forgiving, forgetting, burying pride, and moving forward to better family relationships.  Truly, it is our relationships that will carry us through and are the most important things in life.  I'm grateful to learn these truths every day and hope to better my bonds with my own family.