March 11th is always a difficult day for me. It is the anniversary of the passing of my dear husband. But it is also a time to remember all of the wonderful times we had as a couple and as a family. Ellis was a builder, a hiker, a surfer, a story-teller, a "foodie," a swing dancer, an engineer, a problem-solver, and could play harder than any of the kids.
Even before we had children of our own, the neighborhood kids would come by our house and ask, "Is that big kid home yet? We want to play with him." When we were just new parents Ellis grew out his beard. At one family reunion where there were many extended family members who didn't know Ellis, some of the second cousin's kids came into the house asking to play with that "fun" grandpa. Nobody knew who they were referring to until they said, "No, the grandpa with the beard. We want to play with him!"
It has been fun to go through all my photos in hopes of organizing them into some sensible arrangement. Pictures of Ellis having fun with the kids and grandkids are so numerous. He looked as good in a Hawaiian shirt as in a Tuxedo. I love pondering those good times. It makes me happy that we have so many pictures to remember him by!
But of all of the good things that Ellis was, he mostly was a missionary. He never shied away from sharing his love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I like to think of him now preaching to the souls in the spirit world who never had the chance to learn about the Gospel while they were on earth. These words of Alma in the Book of Mormon make me think about Ellis. He's probably having fun preaching right now.
"O, That I Were an Angel" vocal solo based on Alma 29:1-9
"O, That I Were an Angel" vocal solo based on Alma 29:1-9
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