What really matters...

My husband got an email from his mission president (mine too for half of my mission) the other day which, has consequently led us to examine our lives closer, and reminded us how fragile life really is.

In the email, our mission President expressed how he and his wife had learned that one of the sisters who served during his time as President, had passed away unexpectedly.  Sadly, I didn't serve with her, but I had heard of her, because I served in two of the same areas as her.  My husband however, served during some of the same time as her, and had talked to, and been acquainted with her.  From reading her obituary here we learned there was a family blog where we could leave condolences. If you are interested in reading her husband's account of what happened, you can go here.  I hope it's OK for me to post the blog address, since it was published in various newspapers along with the obituary...  The first time I read the blog, was after we got done eating dinner, and the kids were still hanging around the table finishing up.  I had to stop reading because I started crying uncontrollably, and J started to get a little concerned...

This family's experience has really touched my heart, and my heart aches for the husband, and children.  I wanted to share their experience, in the hope that it will touch your life for the better as well.  I have a new desire to be better, in all aspects...a better mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend etc.  I could not imagine the pain this family is in, and has gone through, and words cannot express the sorrow I feel for their loss.  I do know, that there is a Heavenly Father, and he has a plan for each of us.  I am strengthened by the husband's attitude and faith. I am also strengthened in the knowledge that death is not the end, and our families will be together forever.

For the last couple of days, I have found myself holding my children and husband a little closer and a little longer, as well as being more and more patient, and not letting little things (such as J asking 100 questions a minute while I'm trying to eat) get to me.  In the end, what really matters, is not how clean/organized our house is (I get stressed out about this, because of our 2 young children), or how nice our cars are etc, etc...It's the interactions we had with our families, and the love and service we shared with those around us, that truly matter after all is said and done.

Randy and I went to the viewing yesterday, and could hardly keep ourselves from breaking down and crying every few minutes.  We waited in line for about 2+ hours!  There were so many people there. The outpouring of love was evident everywhere we looked.    Randy has a special connection to this sister, because she was in the mission field, when the whole mission fasted for his mom.  We wish we could have done more, or said more, to bring comfort to the family...but like I said, there are no adequate words to express the sorrow we feel for their loss.  I have hope that her family will be watched over, and I know Heavenly Father is aware of their situation, and will bless them.

Lastly, I just want to express my love and gratefulness for my own husband, and children. They are my light, my life, my source of strength, and I couldn't have asked for anything better! I feel lucky too, that Randy, being the great husband, friend, and father that he is, chose me, to be his eternal companion. I often feel inadequate as a mother, but to my children, I'm the best, and their everything! I love them dearly. I'm eternally grateful for them, and hope I can some day have the same God-like attributes, that this special sister has.

"Now, brethren and sisters, let us return to our homes with resolution in our hearts to do a little better than we have done in the past. We can all be a little kinder, a little more generous, a little more thoughtful of one another." - President Gordon B. Hinckley