Monday we went to the funeral of my uncle DeVan. It was very interesting and touching. He is the half-brother of my father, his mother having died in childbirth, after which my grandfather married my grandmother and had seven children. He was raised by his maternal grandparents and never felt close to my father's side of the family. He raised his family in the Washington D.C. area and was apparently a hard-bitten, heavy-smoking reporter (thus the emphysema which killed him). He then became a member of the Nixon White House staff (someone there said they had never been able to get out of him what his role was in the Watergate thing, but it coincided with his divorce and an all-around bad time for the family.)
What I found interesting is that so many of his family members commented on how he had changed throughout his life. He became gentler and more committed to family. He eventually became active in the church and went to the temple. These things were accompanied by a reconciliation with my grandfather.
This has made me ponder on the fact that forgiveness goes a long way to improving your life. It's impossible to be happy while you are struggling with resentment. I'm so glad that he had the chance to "experience a mighty change of heart" and to give his family this great example.
