Sunday, October 7, 2007

Hero Week: Part II: Paul and Mo

Paul and Mo. I'll never met a couple like Paul and Mo. Things that are hard, things that are complicated, are made to look easy. I remember the first time I met Paul and Mo, Lisa's parents, over five years ago. Mo was kind and fun, with a very warm and welcoming personality. Paul, with his quick wit and fun humor, quickly became someone I respected for his abilities to make rough times seem easy, because "[enter your issue] is nothing compared to [something horrible], so we can handle it", followed by a chuckle. Paul and Mo make doing the right thing (and rightly so) fun and exciting. I saw so much of Lisa in both of her parents, that I knew it was going to be a great relationship.

From the wedding plans to Sunday dinners, the early years of being married to Lisa went very smooth, as Paul and Mo were always there, not just to be helpful, but to be involved in the fun and work involving our young family. I remember the days them helping us move through our year of apartment-hopping trying to get away from the smoke smell at Carrington to the cruise around Mexico. It's great to be around such examples of the hard working and service-oriented people they are, as it just exudes confidence in their capabilities and your own hopes to be like them. Paul's knowledge of the scriptures and humble attitude complimented by Mo's amazing capability to take on and handle gracefully much more than I could ever imagine. Paul has frequently come over to help teach me how to do electrical/lighting, help with software development, etc.

But hero week is not just about great people helping out. Sydney's favorite two people (outside Lisa and I, and even then, sometimes) are "gramma and papa". I can't count the number of times they've taken Sydney to the park or the pool, on a walk, to get ice cream, to treat her as such an integral part of their lives. Now, with the recent addition of the twins, they just love taking one of the kids and giving them one-on-one special time. They have taken us into their home (literally), from recent weeks of Lisa's ACL surgery, to helping with the twins, Sydney for sleepovers, the list just goes on. Every time I feel we've pushed too far, that we've asked too much (or they just call and ask if they can come take her for the day), they step up and ask what more they can do to help.

It's not as though Paul (in the Stake Presidency and owner of Ruben Engineering) and Mo (Young Women's president), aren't very busy people. The phone is frequently ringing of people they've offered to help, or those who know they'll do anything they can, from neighbors and ward members...just anyone. They've blessed our home and family immensely. What examples!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

No comments: