Liken them [the scriptures] unto yourselves, that ye may have hope.. 1Nephi 19:24 .

It has been almost a month now since my father, Harold Joseph Horrocks, passed away. He died peacefully from Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer on February 26, 2013 (on Teresa's birthday). He didn't even know he had cancer till a week before his death. I don't cry as often as I did a few weeks ago, but I have my moments and it is still hard to believe that he is gone from this mortal life and into that next phase of existence. I often wonder what he is doing. I am sure he is not just sitting around, but he is on the Lord's errand.... perhaps working at the veil, preparing spirits to receive their temple endowments when we do the work for them, help keep records in heaven or perhaps singing in the heavenly ward choir! I'm sure I miss him more than he misses me because the work goes on and he is anxiously engaged in a good cause...just in a different realm.

 During this sad and stressful time however, I have had a renewed appreciation for the scriptures. In my sadness and despair I have found comfort in the words of the scriptures. They remind me of the great Plan of Salvation and the hope it gives me for the eternities. It has been in place since it was introduced in the spirit world and we can look forward to the next stage of the plan if we keep the commandments and endure to the end..... we can be together again as families, living in the presence of our father in heaven. When I think of how wonderful it will be being with my own earthly father again, how glorious and exciting it seems to be with my heavenly father too.

My father's passing was a spiritual experience too. Though there are times I wished it wasn't happening, I would never trade the sweet peaceful spirit that surrounded him in his final weeks and days. These are a few of the things I said at his funeral March 4, 2013:

The veil was very thin through the last week of his life. Through the tender mercies of the Lord dad continued to teach me about the kind of man he was spiritually. After his death I was reading my scriptures and the spirit bore witness to me that this verse was true of my father.

For I truly had seen angels and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken. Jacob 7:5

Some things my dad taught me that week:

•He had great faith: In a quiet momemt together he told mom that he had a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and wanted to know if she had one too

•He understood the plan of salvation and the doctrine of eternal families

•When he decided not to seek chemo treatments I asked him if he wanted to go home. He said YES. Do you want us to take you home today with mom? No. Then what home do you want to go to? His eyes opened wide and he said "I don’t want you to put me in a home!" I won’t, we want to take you home with mom. He replied "I want to go home to my heavenly father"

•He asked the bishop to come to the hospital and give him a blessing. He very clearly told the bishop "I want you to release me from this life AND MY WIFE too so we can go home to our heavenly father"

•He LOVES my mom and knew she would be ‘his sweets’ for eternity, but I don’t think he wanted to leave her behind. He called for her repeatedly the last few days and said over and over "marilyn, marilyn…Let’s go; come on, let’s go"

•He wanted to "go home" but was disgusted everytime he woke up and was lucid enough to realize he was still on earth. "I can’t even die right!"

•He was obedient: in a conversation with Leann, she told him that it was okay if he went home to heavenly father first and when the time was right maybe he could be like Joseph Smith and come and get mom when it was her time. He smiled and said "I would like that"….then paused and said "but I don’t know the rules of heaven yet"

•He understood Agency, choices and Perserverance: After our family fast: he said to the nurse: "I have a lot of hard choices to make and some of those choices include dying….but I have made one decision, I’m going to join the ward choir." But grandpa…I thought you were kicked out of the ward choir when you were a young man because they said you couldn’t sing? He laughed "I know!" and then he started humming. The scriptures don't say you have to be musically talented, they say:

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Make a joyful noise in heaven!  Psalms 98:4

He was not ashamed of the gospel or his membership in the church. When my aunt and cousins came to the hopsital my aunt leaned over and said "Uncle Harold, I hope the nurses don’t know you are a Mormon or they might think you have 7 wives with all of us women in here." When the nurse came in the next time he got her attention and said "I just want you to know, I’m a Mormon" Romans 1:16

•He showed us by example how to "endure to the end"… not just endure, but to endure WELL

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.   2Nephi 31:20

Though he was more a quiet observer than a great orator when it came to expressing his feelings, I know his most treasured possessions were his family and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Dad loves his children, grand children and great grandchildren very much. And if he were having a PPI with you, he would be most pleased if

•you would choose to live the gospel everyday;

•gain a testimony for yourself of the divinity of the Savior Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation;

•and live your life in such a manor that one day he can greet you on the other side of the veil with open arms into our eternal family.

Thank you dad for teaching me the gospel by living it and giving me the opportunity to serve the Lord more fully these last two week, by serving you. His parents family motto was:

Choose you this day whom ye shall serve….but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.   Josuah 24:15

I am at peace knowing dad went home on his own terms with his love of family and testimony of the gospel in tact. I know he will be there waiting for all of us when it is our time to return to our heavenly home. Through all his trials..... especially in the last 4 years…. he has remained gentle, sweet, kind, and funny—Never complaining, but continuing to press forward day by day slowly, steadily, and unhurried.

One last scripture I came across recently that stood out to me regarding my dad:

And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.   Enos 1:27

Iloveyouthemostdad