Our Bishop

A couple of weeks ago we had a change in our bishopric. Bishop Patrick Garlock was released, and Brother Laurent Betteridge has taken his place. Bishop Garlock had been with us for quite a while, so I wasn't surprised that they are giving him a break. However, the Ward is putting together a memory book for him.



This posed a bit of a problem for me, as I have never been terribly close to Bishop Garlock. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that he doesn't regard me with total approbation. During his tenure I have done less 'entertaining' at the ward functions than before. Although that might just be because I am getting older - and he DID ask me to sing something at our Halloween Chili cookoff. But I don't have a lot of good memories to put in a memory book.

Ah ha - but I DO have my talent for writing poetry. And I had already thought of a theme. If there is one thing that characterizes Bishop Garlock is that he is very emotional and cries at the drop of a hat. He tries to fight it, and the lines at the corner of his mouth go down so far they practically touch his chin, but he usually loses the fight. He is not unaware of this, and has made jokes about it himself in the past.

So here is my tribute to Bishop Garlock:

THE BISHOP CRIED

When called to be the Bishop,
Brother Garlock knelt and prayed,
“Oh help me, Heavenly Father,
For I am sore afraid.
I need to choose two counselors,
Please help me to decide”
And then he heard the Spirit whisper
“I will be your guide”.
And the Bishop cried

He stood before the congregation,
As a Bishop must,
And saw the faces looking back
Filled with hope and trust.
He felt the Savior’s love for them
Welling deep inside,
And he loved them almost as much,
They were his joy and pride.
And the Bishop cried.

It was his anniversary;
He thought back through the years,
Of all the memories that they shared,
The laughter and the tears.
He thought of all the vows they made
The day the knot was tied
And knew he still felt doubly blessed
To have her as his bride
And the Bishop cried.

It was the Bishops birthday and
His children gathered near
To stand before him, one by one,
And whisper in his ear
“We love you, Dad, you are the one
In whom we can confide.
We’ll try to be the best we can
And hope you’re satisfied.”
And the Bishop cried

The sinner sat across from him,
Wracked with guilt and pain.
He vowed he had repented,
And would not sin again.
“What shall I say?” the Bishop prayed,
And then the Spirit replied
“Tell him that he has been forgiven,
For he has not lied.”
And the Bishop cried

And when the resurrection came
He with many others
Stood before the Holy Throne
Amidst his righteous brothers.
The Savior said “These are the ones
Of whom I prophesied.
Thou good and faithful servants,
Come stand here by my side.”
And the Bishop cried