The Gift of Life

A few years ago, when we tried IVF for the second time and things didn't work as we had wanted them to, Becky did something for me that I'll never forget. Upon hearing news of our loss, she sent us a giant bouquet of beautiful flowers. We enjoyed them, and thought of her love and prayers each time we looked at them. It happened to be right around Memorial Day and the thought crossed my mind that there may be a greater purpose in those flowers than just to be enjoyed by us. We didn't make the trip to Idaho to decorate our own family members' graves, so I decided to see who needed us here, in Huntington.

I remember driving through the cemetery here, all prepared for the special day, and noticed that the northeast corner of the cemetery was void of color.

With Kimball and Koria in the back and the flowers in the front, I drove over to find a hundred or more small burial sites, simple and unnoticed. I felt impressed to get out and lay a flower from the arrangement that Becky had given us on each stone, a reminder to those who have gone before that they were loved and remembered.

Even though I knew nothing about those people, as I stopped to read the small markers, I realized that many, if not all, were infants who had passed away within days of birth, or close thereafter. I thought of their lives, so short, barely a breath.

I thought of their parents, who I am sure felt a pain and grief that couldn't be soothed by words or others. I felt a kinship to them, a kinship born of understanding, but I also knew that their lives were far different, and probably far more difficult, than anything I would ever pass through.

With each flower I laid on a gravestone, I felt my own burden lifted, my own feelings justified. I said a silent prayer and let tears fall that came from gratitude and compassion. I learned a powerful lesson that day, one that I find myself learning often in life: We are all children of God, all loved equally regardless of standing or situation, or even personal choices.

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."

A couple of weeks ago, a sister from our ward called me up and asked me to help her teach the relief society lesson which was on missionary work as I am one of two sisters in our ward to have served. As a thank you, she sent me a bouquet of flowers, and as I was out running errands yesterday, the thought hit me, "Why don't I take the kids and the flowers over to the cemetery and we do the same thing again?"

It was special. I had Kimball and Koria lay the flowers on as many of the graves as we could while Luke and Layne looked on from their seats in the car. There weren't enough flowers to cover them all, but it was enough to remind me of how special that previous occasion was. As the kids asked questions, I found myself explaining the plan of salvation, of the love our Father has for us, of how much I love our family, of the purpose and importance of the temple and the work that we do there. Tears came to me again. Just as before, I came home feeling pretty selfish for having been blessed so much by the service of others. A new family tradition has been born, one I hope to continue throughout my life as a reminder of lessons learned.

I hope that any and all reading this know how much I love you, of your importance to me, of God's love for you. He lives, and loves us. His Son has made this life, and the next possible because of great sacrifice. May we make each day of that life that He's given for us worth it, regardless of our personal situation. It's a gift after all.