Needless to say one year he grew a beard through the winter. Saved his face, was fun for the kids as he would come home with icicles hanging off it. The kids loved to see that. If he was snow blowing outside his beard would get caked with snow and then he would shake it over the kids. He would also pick up the kids and throw them in the piles of snow. That is for another day when i start digging out photos and putting them in my blog...
When we moved to Idaho he shaved once or twice i think but then started growing it out in the winter and then shaving it around our Anniversary (May). Then one year he decided not to shave. I was NOT happy about this choice. I was so angry for a while i would not talk to anyone about it and i mean a year...i just figured I didnt matter. He didnt care what i thought. After a long while, (remember i said a long long while) i just gave up and figured never mind. He loves it and it makes him happy. Over the years he lets it grow out or he trims it up, this photo below is the longest it has been in forever. It hadnt been trimmed in a long time. I will explain that in a moment. He would get teased by his father about that beard and every time his dad pulled on his beard he would grab his hand and say Dad, dont touch my beard...if the kids pulled on it he would say the same thing Dont pull on my beard...only little babies could pull on that nest of hair and he would smile. He has conditioner he uses to keep it soft and nice. I have to say he is always kind about making sure it wasnt in my face...sounds stupid but...he is so kind and thoughtful.
Shane is an Elders Quorum President in our Ward. For those of you who dont know what that is, he is responsible for about 200 men and their needs as well as their families. Within this quorum of men they are all assigned to visit each other whether or not they come to church. Out of those 200 men there are quite a few who dont come to church, there are men who are unemployed and struggling with that, some who are young and newly married, some who are older than Shane, divorce, separations, also those who have new babies, are in some sort of recovery anything you can think of, he deals with these men and has met every single one of them and loves EVERY SINGLE ONE of them. Shane is nothing but LOYAL to you once he has met you. He finds the good in you and sticks to it, even if you burn him he will still find the good and keep pushing you to do better. He encourages not only the men but the wives of those men and their children no matter the age. Maybe i am biased but I am sure if you ask anyone who knows him, you will get this same response. He will be firm with you and tell you the cold hard truth, but then love you and help you find the answer you need. I dare say sometimes he is way better with others than me...but that is to be expected i am his wife....
So the deal he made when he took on this service to these men was that if they would go and visit the men they were assigned to teach he would reward them. Now most people do not know the rewards that Shane gives, but they are good. We had not been in the ward very long when he was requested to do this so actually nobody knew us. There are percentages that the Quorum as a whole has to hit and they made a goal of 70% of the Home Teaching (as it is called) would be done. He went before them and they came up with a number. When they hit the first goal he fed them smoked turkey, the 70% had to be held steady for 6 months and then they would be able to shave his beard. 70% is huge by the way. Most Elders Quorums have an average of 30-40% if you are lucky. This is a huge thing considering the area we live in and the amount of people we have in our ward. Home Teaching can be a strain on a family, but in the long run is a blessing, you find friendship, love, companionship. You can find a safe person to help when you feel like there is no other. I had been asking for years for him to shave this beard. You would think that me, being his wife, would have some sway but not I. I gave up years ago requesting he shave it. He loves it and it is part of him, so i let it go.
Here he is after. The video is long so i am posting the photo of him here. I have to say when i walked in and the beard was gone i almost burst into tears. I was so grateful to have that face back in my hands. I dont think i have stopped kissing him. Its nice to not have the pokey mustache in my nose.
I have been thinking lately about how much service we as a family do. I wonder often times if people see what we do. Often, we are up late doing things for others. Through our married life I cannot think of a time when we have not given time, energy or money to others. As we have become more well off money wise we have given more. His job has given him the opportunity to be home early, take care of the kids and spend time working on his men. I dare say he is much better at the service thing than I, he even sacrificed to have our daughters and I go to Scotland/England to visit my family, then to Massachusetts/Maine a few months later to see my siblings. As a family we try to find ways to give him joy and support him. He NEVER asks for anything nor does he want anything. Even when treats are brought to our house, he gives to the kids first, unless they are marked for him. So when you see him, say hello, give him a smile, tell him how he has affected your life...he will be humble and say he doesnt deserve it...more than anything he is one of the most humble men i have ever met. Sure he is is a Redneck, Republican, Mountain Man, but he knows God loves him, he knows he is nothing without God and the church...Dont let on, he doesnt like to be in the spotlight, he certainly doesnt like to be in this blog...but how can i not write about someone who is as great as him??? I love him, forever.
Here is the video it is long and you can watch if you want.
1 comment:
So great.
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