Holy Man

One of my favorite memories from our trip to Utah was meeting up with my Aunt Annette and Uncle Bart in St. George.  Bart was recently diagnosed with melanoma a few weeks ago after having a cough since Christmas that wouldn't go away.  The doctor told them the cancer has spread to his lungs, liver, bones and brain.  He is only 55 years old and this news was basically a death sentence for him.  Visiting with them reminded us of how precious life is and how we can't ever take a day on this earth for granted. 

 When Bart first came into the Fabrizio family over 30 years ago he was a different man.  I remember as a young girl being afraid of him because he wore a black cowboy hat pulled down over his eyes and he rarely said any words to anyone.  He smoked and drank and didn't go to church and for a little Mormon girl like me that seemed like the worst things a person could do.  (I have since learned those are not the worst things).  I loved my Aunt Annette and I couldn't understand why she loved him so much. 

  He related to us that night that in their sixth year of marriage he realized he wanted to change and come closer to his family and God.  He went and talked to his Bishop (brother-in-law Levere) and started down a different path of choices.  He told us, "I didn't really understand much about God or the church, but I knew that the path I had been on was not leading me to a good place, and I could see the choice to follow the commandments would take me in a better direction, so I just moved forward on the new path even though I really didn't have a lot of knowledge about what I believed." Slowly over time he made a  change in not only his behaviors, but more importantly an expansion in his heart and character.  He is one of the most fun people to be with and talk to, and has such a happy, positive spirit.

 That night he testified to us of the knowledge he has gained  about the power of Christ's atonement and repentance. He felt prompted around Christmas time to get closer to Heavenly Father so he stopped watching some TV shows that he felt like weren't good for his spirit and started spending more time reading scriptures and praying.  When this diagnosis came he felt prepared for it.  As he spoke I felt like I was in the presence of a true "holy man."  The memory of his glowing countenance and abundant spirit will be with me forever, even though his flesh will not.

 They were able to spend a dream week in Hawaii as a family recently.  I'm so happy they didn't over-think it or wait to see how he was feeling.  They just seized the moment and did it.   

Comments

  1. KatieApril 10, 2015 at 1:41 PM

    Wow that is amazing, I had no idea he had made such a change. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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