Over the past year or two... I would say I've been to a few too many funerals. One, I sang at. One, I got to sit in the 'reserved' seating. And the others, I was merely a spectator. To be very honest, they stink. Big time. I went to one yesterday for Ms. Cindy Lingerfelt whom I'd gotten to know from church and being friends with her kids. So I found myself sitting in the middle of the church I go to, surrounded by people I'd never seen before. Come to think of it, that didn't really matter... we were just all there to celebrate all that is and was Cindy. One of the speakers talked about remembering the last words that someone who has passed said to you. For me and Ms. Cindy, (I probably shouldn't share this...), the last words she said to me were, "This is going to be our secret, don't tell anyone about this." I was pretty excited that the last words had a fun little story behind them, but also kinda depressed that her last wish was for me not to tell anyone :) Anyways, being a preacher to stuffed animals when I was little, I started noticing a few things. The only people who got up and left during the services were those with little children... and that was after a lot of annoyed looks. Not one cell phone went off. No one was passively doodling on a piece of paper out of pure boredom. There was a very noticeable reverance in the crowded room. For all of those 150 + people, the room was dead silent minus the sniffs and baby cries. That in and of itself shows what kind of woman Cindy was.
And of course, I believe there is a religious connection to make of this. Every Sunday we find ourselves doing the same thing we do at funerals of loved ones recently lost. We sit, and listen, and remember, a great person, who may not have been the wealthiest, but who did great things in their life. We mourn their death, unfair as we think it was, but also find joy in the fact that they had a greater purpose after their life in this world. For Cindy, there is no doubt in anyone's mind I don't think, that she is up with her Father singing her heart out and smiling eternally. But for the one who's death we commemorate every Sunday, who was even so great as to conquer death and the ending of life.. who did it so that we can one day be with Cindy, Josh, and Jenny (spectator funeral, reserved seating funeral, and singing funeral). The reverence in Cindy's memorial service was amazing, don't get me wrong. But it made me wonder why I don't get tears in my eyes from a mix of sadness and happiness every Sunday when remembering my Savior who died for me. Why our building isn't packed to the doors with people who came to pay respects to the One who lived a perfect life and died an awful death anyways? Why can we not sit and pay attention for 2 hrs tops to think about our God? Sure, we didn't know him personally like Cindy. We didn't have game nights with him, pull pranks with him, or eat dinner with him. But he knew us personally. And all he asks is once a week. Once. If it were once a week for Cindy or Josh, I would sit in absolute silence the whole time. Because I loved, and still love, those people with everything I have. But instead, it's once a week for the Son of God. And i love him with everything I have. Its the least we, I, can do.

Romans 8: 18--I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us

Here my friends, is the adventure of possum kingdom spelled out in words.. minus some details.

We got there at somewhere around 9? and Monica, aunt lauries family were there. SO tyler, darcy, sawyer, elana, aubrey and i went down to the dock and did some late night yucky water swimmin for a while, then got out and talked til aruond 3. At that point in time, tyler and sawyer and elana and aubrey went to the cabins to snooze. Sawyer and I decided to try and sleep on the dock for the fun of it, b/c the stars were soo stinkin awesome. So, i went to get my pillow, and sawyer slept underneath a chair "in order to not roll off', and we got a combined 3 hrs of sleep probably. We woke up at like 530 to watch the sunrise, which was also awesome.

Then, we went inside for a breakfast of honey buns and oak farms chocolate milk. Talk about yummy. AFter breakfast, all of the little kids decided they wanted to go swimming so we went out there. AT which point uncle gilbert came back with a 115 horsepower 1970 boat for skiing reasons, and wanted to take all of the little kids on a ride, so he did. Bailey ended up getting scared when it went slow in fear of the boat sinking, but they had fun in all. When they got back, it was officially skiing time baby!!

We went out to the east end of the lake for smooth water and bigger portion areas and dad decided to go and show us how its done :) due to the old age and retroness of the boat, we had to drop some ppl off on the shore rocks in order to get the peak of speed to pick ppl up out of the water. So, dad went, then tyler, then darcy, then sawyer, then elana, then aubrey, then me.
Darcy had some signature busts, sawyer got halfway up, but in the end, only tyler and i were able to get up. But it was soo much fun:)

We then went in to grilled cheese lunch and chowed down just about everything in sight. But this is getting really long, so the last part of the story is going to be shorter.


We went back out tubing, but the tube deflated so tyler skiied some more.

Then tucker, tyler, gilbert, laurie and i went out for a long ending boat ride and saw the ginormous houses and tyler skiied some more. i tried, but it didn't work, and uncle gilberts try had the same conclusion:)

love yall
leah

but i'm back back back back again!
and sorry to dissapoint, but i don't quite have any life changing, mood altering, tear jerking poems like my sis. just an update to let you know whats up in ze world of leah!

I AM NOW 16. THATS RIGHT!!

I NOW HAVE MY PERMIT, WITH A PRETTY PICTURE AND EVERYTHING!

I HOPE TO LEAVE FOR TX WITHIN THE NEXT 2 WEEKS..IN WHICH

I WILL GET TO GO TO FC TX CAMP!! WOOT WOOT!

I'M LEAVING FOR OCALA TOMORROW, SO STINKIN EXCITED! (HENCE THE CAPITAL LETTERS)

IT IS SUMMER, THEREFORE LIFE IS GOOD.

PRAISE GOD.

AND LOVE,

LEAH

WAANTTTSS TOOO GOOO TTOOO LLLEECCTTTURRRREESSS!!

bras.


Near to your heart,
and always there to support you.

love you guys:)