My Dear Friends

There are so many great people that we get to associate with in our lives.  I don't really know how to determine exactly when someone becomes your friend.  I think being friendly and kind to everyone should start from your first encounter.  Is that a bad thing?  Well, we can be friendly to all and in our lives we can accumulate many friends.  In our sphere of friends there are some that are close friends even dear friends.  I don't speak for everyone so I will change gears here in the way I am writing this.  I know how I feel about certain people, certain friends.  I have a select group of friends who I love deeply.  Friends who have had a lasting impact on my life, who I have a great deal of admiration for, who I consider to be as family.  For a few years in Florida while living in the Lakeland Stake I was blessed to serve as the executive secretary to President Karl Sweeney.  There were many times when late at night after interviews were done I would go into his office with checks to be signed or something else that needed to be done and he would give me a little personal interview to see how I was doing.  He would give a word of counsel here or there.  I went through a few challenging years there and had in President Sweeney not just a Priesthood leader but a dear friend who loved me and my family.  He always lifted and inspired and strengthened.  There were many times when his sweet wife DeAnne would come in and visit with Dave Thompson and I in the Stake offices just to see how President was doing.  We had many good times.  When I was out of work for a time they hired me to paint their house and despite the fact that my experience wasn't extreme they paid me very good money to do the job.  I am sure they could have paid someone a lot less but they knew we had needs and they gave me work. 

When you serve with a Stake President you get to watch him in action as he serves the members.  As his secretary I got to call and set up appointments for him.  I doing so I knew of many who he visited with to strengthen and to uplift.  What I set up was only a small portion of those he ministered to personally.  He would seek out those he was impressed to visit and would minister to them as well.  I will never forget the day he came and sought me out.  It was after Rachel had gone and I was at church with the kids.  For some reason that day the kids had all gone to primary and I was able to attend the Gospel Doctrine class.  I looked up from where I was sitting and there in the doorway was President Sweeney who motioned for me to come.  He knew the pain I was in and the struggle I was having and he came to find me and to strengthen my feeble knees.  We had a good conversation and in the end he gave me a blessing.  It was a testimony to me that the Lord knows who we are, he knows our needs and he will send help. 

I can't tell you how much I love Karl and DeAnne Sweeney.  They are wonderful and some of my most favorite people in this life.  What was my surprise when I was clearing a table in the LBH, looked up and saw them walking down the sidewalk and into the shop.  What a joyful reunion for me.  They were only there for an hour or so and enjoyed lunch.  I was working but took some time to visit with them, okay I took some time a few times.  I was so happy to see them and had the opportunity to introduce them to my parents.  It was a great day for me.  When they left I picked up their plates and took them back to the kitchen.  I got a little emotional as I thought about how much they mean to me.  When I say dear friends, these are some of the dearest.  It made my day and filled my heart with gladness.