Funerals

I went to a funeral today of Olive Nielsen. She and her family lived in the ward that I grew up in. They were an older couple when we moved in and several of their older kids had already left home. Their youngest, Jocelyn, was a young woman at the time and was one of our baby sitters. She became a good friend to my mom and taught us piano lessons, took us for weekends to her apartment at BYU, and invited us to her wedding shower. Brother Nielsen gave me my patriarchal blessing.

I've been to a few funerals of older people in my home ward and I have been surprised with the amount of love that I feel for them! I knew that I loved all the people who have helped raise me but I am surprised by the depth of the feelings that come at the funeral. I have such a great respect for my ward family and for their wisdom and feel such a loss for those that are no longer on Earth.

In addition to feeling a lot of emotion towards the one who has died, I feel a great sense of family with the people who are there - our old bishops, stake presidents, neighbors, young women leaders, and so many other people who I didn't realize that I loved so much. I am so grateful for my home ward, for the way that they raised and taught me, and for the special feelings that I have when I return to the place where I grew up. Sometimes it takes a moment like this to remind you of the great goodness of people and for the lasting love and bond that the church brings to its members.

Lastly, I love LDS funerals! They are full of hope and the feeling of beginnings rather than endings. They are filled with memories and smiles and laughter as we remember the great lives of those who now are in a different place. The Lord said "I go to prepare a place for you". One speaker said that our loved ones also go to prepare a place for us. What a blessing we have to know this.