Summer’s great uncle passed away this week, and though I’ve only had the opportunity to visit him on vacations or other occasions about a dozen times I’m really going to miss him (in the picture above, Uncle Gerald is on the left and great Grandpa (Gerald's Dad) is on the right). It’s not like we ever talked on the phone or emailed (Gerald was not much of a phone talker), but we would always hear the “Gerald” stories through Summer’s family and what he was currently doing. Considering all that, it probably seems a little strange for me to write a post about Gerald, but every time I had the opportunity to be around Gerald he said or did something that had an impact on me and made me think about the most important things in my life.
Gerald was born with some mental disabilities, which from some people’s perspective makes him a person with a sensitive spirit. However, even before we had our own special spirit in our immediate family, I’ve always noticed the almost unnoticeable things that Gerald did from the first day I met him. One time we were going somewhere not too far away and Gerald was so concerned about Summer and if she was going to travel safely, he kept asking about Summer (he taught me that day how I should always show concern for my wife). On other occasions I remember Gerald just crying when Summer and the rest of us were leaving, or crying when he started talking about the Savior or the gospel. One time Gerald came with our family to visit Grandma Lou when she was in the assisted living home (Grandma Lou is Gerald’s Mom). While we were there Ammon kept taking his glasses off and Gerald kept talking to him as if Ammon understood everything, explaining that you can’t see if you keep taking your glasses off. Then Gerald would proceed to demonstrate to Ammon by taking off his own glasses and saying, “See, I can’t see now.” As Gerald left that day he cried and tenderly hugged his Mom and kept saying, “I love you.” I could list a dozen other experiences that I witnessed concerning Gerald, some that made me laugh out loud, or love my family even more, or think of the eternities. For me, the story I think that summarizes Gerald the best though is his baptism story.
Several years ago I had the opportunity to give a talk in church. Part of the talk centered on Gerald’s baptism story as told to me by Deb and Summer’s grandma (Gerald’s sister). When I first heard this story I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Just like all of us, Gerald wasn’t perfect. But on hearing his story it was clear to me that Gerald got it, he had an understanding of the big picture, of our purpose in life and why we are here in families. It seemed to me that he had so much more than just a simple faith. To him, the Savior, the gospel, and the great plan of salvation were not just things to have faith in, but they were real and his knowledge was sure. Here’s Gerald’s baptism story as told to me:
“I wanted to share with you an experience that exemplifies the joy that can come into the lives of those that receive the gospel message, and those that share it. My wife’s great uncle, Gerald, was baptized into the Church over 30 years ago, and his baptism experience is one of joy and inspiration every time we hear it. Gerald is a very large man, and has some mental disabilities, but he is independent in many regards and very intelligent with regards to the gospel, sports, and other issues, but he is also very responsive to the promptings and whisperings of the Spirit. In short, to me it seems he usually is not afraid to say or do things in much the same way a child would or I wish I could but usually don’t due to social norms or thoughts of embarrassment. On the day he was baptized, my inlaws were joking with him that he might not make it through the baptism ordinance because he was so large and the person baptizing him would not be able to pull him up out of the water. When he got down into the water, Summer’s Grandmother said the spiritual excitement in the room was powerful. Once the ordinance was completed, Gerald leaped up out of the water and jumped up the stairs of the baptismal font shouting the whole time, “I’ve made it, I’ve made it.” He couldn’t stop saying it. The first thought when this experience is told is that he was just happy to be pulled back out of the water by the person performing the ordinance, but then Grandma shares that you could see the emotion in his face and hear it in his voice, and the tears streaming down his cheeks and everyone else’s that was in attendance. It was then that I understood that he truly had made it.”
I’m going to miss seeing and hearing about Gerald. I look forward to meeting him again. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that right now there is a special place in Heaven with a set of stairs just waiting for Gerald to eagerly run up, while emotionally proclaiming, “I’ve made it, I’ve made it.” I’m sure it would be yet another memorable sight to see.
