Wow!

I went to a funeral today of a good woman who lived life right. She had her priorities straight. She was focused on just what she should have been.

I worked with this woman at Girls' Camp one year. She was over me as I led a group of girls who in turned led the younger girls. She was such a calming influence and very encouraging. You just always felt like what you were doing was just the way it was supposed to be. She just made you feel that way.

This woman has left behind seven children. The oldest two are in college. They are all remarkable people. The youngest, I'm thinking, must be around eight.

When I got into my car (I use the term loosely) to leave the funeral and looked at the decal on the side window, I felt blessed to also have seven children. She made it look so easy. It's all because those seven kids were her life. All that she did revolved around them.

As I sat through this funeral, I realized that I'm not afraid to die. I'm not making any kind of announcement here. I just think dying isn't going to be that bad. The real fear is what I would leave behind. The real faith and courage in accepting death would be in trusting that those you leave behind would be cared for. It just seems that this woman handled this with great courage. She had less than two months from diagnosis to death. I don't know that I'd be able to accept death with as much faith.

I am grateful for such amazing women that I get to rub shoulders with. There were three women who were her friends who spoke and shared memories and beliefs. As they walked up to the stand before the service, I realized what truly remarkable people there are in this world. One of these women was my husband's cousin. I have admired her from the moment I met her. Another of them is a secretary at my husband's school. The third is a woman I've also become acquainted with through Girls' Camp experiences--she was our stake Young Women's President years ago. Wow! How do people get to be like them? Someday, when I grow up, if I ever do, I want to be like that.

I am grateful just to learn from these people. I am grateful for the life of this good woman. I feel for her family, but I have honestly never seen a family more capable of handling this kind of tragedy. It is clear that they know from what source to draw their strength.