Bishop Uncle Jim

The 3 Goodman Brothers - Dale, Steve & Jim

I admit, I had one very unique and remarkable childhood. I grew up on a street with only 3 houses, each one belonging to one of the three amazing men above. It was affectionately referred to by many as "Goodman Lane," even though it's real name is Hermosa Vista. My parents built first on the corner lot, followed by my Uncle Dale & Aunt Nedra at the end, and finally Uncle Jim & Aunt Diane right in between. Each brother was given an acre lot on which to build when he got married, courtesy of their parents, my grandparents, Harry & Rita. All the surrounding area to the west and south was my grandparent's farm land, with an open field to the east and only a small little house belonging to our lifetime dear friends to the north behind our home. We enjoyed an unobstructed view all the way past Stapley & McKellips. Of course, as time passed, the farm land was sold and subdivided into lots, which now surface beautiful homes belonging to many dear friends and neighbors. And the spot where our church now sits was once just the watermelon field where my cousins and I spent many a warm summer morning "turning" the vines out of the watering trenches. My grandparents donated that property to the church when I was a child.

As you might imagine, life was good and fun and filled with so many terrific family memories. What could be better than living on the same street with so many of my cousins, who of course turned out to be my very best friends? We all worked at the family owned Dairy Queen together, played ball together, did chores together, swam together, worshiped together, went to school together, and truly enjoyed the closeness of family. My childhood memories are rich indeed.

A few years after the three brothers built their homes, their oldest sister, my Aunt Katrina, moved with her husband Chad and their five children from Salt Lake to Mesa, and also conveniently moved into our same neighborhood. Eventually, my grandparents followed suit, selling their lifelong home in downtown Mesa, and building their final residence in the same neighborhood as well. So parents and all 4 children and families were within walking distance of each other. How many people are so blessed?

This Goodman Family posterity is strong and loyal, devoted to each other, to our good neighbors and lifelong friends who might as well be family, and especially dedicated to our Savior. Ryan and I were blessed to move back to this same area five years ago when we decided to relocate from Gilbert and come back "home" to the neighborhood of my youth. We bought a beautiful home in Harris Park, which is just up the street from that infamous Goodman Lane.

I preface my thoughts tonight with this history of our family because my heart is so full. My eyes are red and my emotions are way too close to the surface. I cannot seem to hold back my tears, which have been flowing off and on all week. I love our families with all my heart and have such close relationships with them. About three or four weeks ago, my dear Uncle Jim (the youngest of the four Goodman children), who also is serving as the Bishop of our ward, was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma. I'd never heard of it before, so of course, I googled and read and read some more, which is not always a good thing.

My parents filled us in on the particulars as best they could, but Jim was still in the midst of tests and tests and tests, so there were many unknowns. But on Wednesday of this week, the oncologist delivered the news that Jim was already at Stage 4, with multiple legions throughout his body. The cancer was not limited to one side of his neck, but had spread throughout the body. The chemo treatments are horrible and long: 7 days in the hospital, followed by a week of refuge as the immune system is practically wiped out. The regimen is scheduled to continue for 6 months with alternating months of 5 and 7 day hospital stays. The doctors have told him that he'll be so sick, but this aggressive chemo treatment is the best way to attack this very aggressive cancer.

Bishop Uncle Jim, as we affectionately call him, is only 58 and in remarkable health otherwise. He runs and works out and has lived a clean life since the get go. My dad confided that he didn't think Jim had done a thing wrong in his life and is one of the most humble and righteous men he knows. And I second that for sure. When he was called as our Bishop in the summer of '08, I knew that we were being blessed. He has served our ward well. And every Sunday that Jim is on the pulpit conducting our sacrament meeting, his humility and desire to do good just emanates and pierces my soul. I love seeing him on the stand.

When he was called last summer, my very good humored Uncle Dale joked that it was easy to tell which of the brothers was Nephi and which ones were Lamen and Lemuel. Truly, he was joking as both Dale and my Dad are good, fine, righteous men as well, but it was funny to hear Dale say that. And Jim couldn't have married a more wonderful woman. My Aunt Diane is just amazing. The link to her blog is on my list. She has posted almost daily for the past year. She is sweet, funny, always positive. I have always loved those things about her. And she has already survived her trial of breast cancer and lost her sister, Deb, to the same disease. In fact, Jim is seeing the same oncologist that Diane did. Who could have imagined that.

While none of us can know why it is that we are given the trials we have, I have a strong belief that this trial is not really for Jim. I think that our Heavenly Father already knows that he can past the test with flying colors. Of course he is the one that will have to endure the physical trial, supported so vigilantly by his dear wife and children, and carried no doubt by the atonement of our Savior. But my very humble contention is that this trial is for all the rest of us that still have much to learn. To bind our ward family in love, faith, prayer, fasting, service, temple worship, and humility. To teach us more about what we need to do to pass our own tests as we are dealt the hands of life.

Last summer, only a few weeks after Bishop Goodman was sustained as our new bishop, we had a primary activity day for our youngest members. Since I was in charge of planning the event, I had a strong feeling that we should do a "Breakfast with the Bishop" activity to help our primary kids get to know their new bishop a little better. We had such a blast and such a great turnout. I think almost all of the kids were there. We played "Bishop Bingo", specially customized with squares representing fun and interesting things from his life, had a get to know you game with questions we had asked him ahead of time, and each child decorated his own picture frame to house the pictures we took of each child with the bishop. They loved it and so did I. As I look back at that activity knowing what we all know now, just one short year later, I am so thankful that we took that opportunity to do that activity with our children. Now, as each of them remembers Bishop Jim in their daily prayers, they have their own special picture with Bishop to remind them.

Below are the pictures that my girls took with Bishop Uncle Jim, along with a great family picture taken a couple of years ago at one of our Goodman family get-togethers. In the Brown house, all six of us are praying for him day and night, and I know we are in good company in that regard. The prayers being offered up on his behalf are bountiful in our little neck of the world.

One of my favorite scriptures is one oft quoted in Doctrine & Covenants 121:7-8:

"...peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity and thine afflication shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thyfoes."

Rowan with Bishop Uncle Jim 8/08

Rita & Harry with all their children and spouses 11/07

Afton with Bishop Uncle Jim

Barrett with Bishop Uncle Jim