A Baptism and a Funeral

(Saturday, November 13, 2010)

I have had a few experiences this last week that gave me a chance to "let the solemnities of eternity rest upon [my] mind." (D&C 43:34)

The first one was a baptism. On Saturday November 6 my nephew Logan was baptized. It was such a nice day! Logan, who is normally very active, was unusually subdued that day. He really seemed to sense the significance of the day and that made it really special.

Jen and I went over to Seth and Karla's a little early and I read a book to the kids while we we waited. I love being an aunt!

Right before we left for the baptism we had Logan open up his present. Here he is holding the baptism book and "future missionary" tag we gave him. What a handsome boy!

Here are a few more pictures we took before the baptism started:

Logan with his parents and his Southern grandparents. (Doesn't my Mom look great? She has lost 100 lbs this year!)

Jen and I with Logan



After the pictures we went into the chapel and waited for the baptism to start. It was fun for us to sit again surrounded by our many nieces and nephews.

Logan was the only one being baptized in his ward, so he asked Jen to give the talk on Baptism and me to give the talk on the Holy Ghost.  That was a sweet experience. During my talk on the Holy Ghost, I noticed that Logan was attentive and nodding at things I said. It was so neat to see him listening so carefully!

After the baptism we had a luncheon at Seth and Karla's house. Overall it was a really nice day. I love the Spirit I feel at baptisms and the opportunity it gives me to reflect on the blessing of my membership in the church and the restored Gospel!

On a sad note, we also attended viewing on Sunday night and funeral on Monday for the mother of one of our good friends from High School. She passed away at the age of 61 from a brain aneurism. They lived in Orem in our old ward and stake, so even though it was a sad time, it was so nice to see so many wonderful people that we had grown up with.

It was also so nice to see my friend Tammy and her family again.  They have been good friends for many years, but we have not seen them as much lately.

We spent a lot of time with Tammy and her husband when her first two kids were little. That was before we had any nieces or nephews of her own, so we were really close to her kids. In fact, once when her daughter was very young, she asked Tammy if Jen and I were family! So cute!

Well, we got to see that daughter this weekend and she is now a beautiful 18 year old! It was so good to talk to her and see the wonderful young woman she has become. She was even wearing her Young Women Medallion. Here is a picture of her with Jen and I:

The picture turned out a little yellow, but I thought I would include it anyway. I can't believe one of my high school friends has a daughter that is so old! She is already taller than me!

The funeral the next day was so inspiring even though it was very sad. My friend Tammy is the oldest of nine kids and they had all the kids participate except one who is on a mission and one who has autism. As I sat watching those kids pay tribute to their wonderful mother I thought about how motherhood is the highest calling and best work we can do in this life! I thought of my own parents and the sacrifice they had made to raise nine kids. I also thought of how grateful I am for the gospel--even though it was such a sad time, each of the kids that spoke bore testimony that they knew she was happy and that they would see her again.

I was especially touched by one of the talks by her son. He talked about a journal entry by his mother that he had read after her death in preparation for his talk. In her journal, written a few years before her death, she wrote about how she had been pondering and studying about faith and that one night she woke up in the middle of the night with this thought: "Faith is the antidote to any trial." 

In the entry, she talked about how she thought at the time that antidote was an interesting word to be used in that context, but that as she looked it up later, she found it meant "something that relieves, prevents or counteracts injurious or unwanted effects." She talked about how she realized again that because of Christ's Atonement we would be protected and supported in trials. She then wrote this, "Our whole lives should be spent rejoicing because of our faith in Christ."

I thought that was so profound. Because of Christ, we can survive any trial! He truly is the antidote to any trial because He has experienced it! He knows how to "relieve, prevent and counteract" the injuries we receive from our trials. He truly is the great Healer of our Souls! I am so grateful for Him and what I learned about Him at that funeral.

 

I am grateful for the experiences we have in life to reflect on the "solemnities of eternity" and for what we what we have waiting for us in the eternities because of the sacrifice of Christ!