This Birth that we call Death

It is now over a week since Sharon's funeral. How long is it since her husband Michael died? Mere weeks. So many are leaving us. When Lisa announced in Relief Society that another sister had passed away my immediate thought was that it would be Margaret, Sharon's mother. She is the one undergoing treatment for cancer. She looks so frail. Sharon was just starting to pick herself up again. It wasn't that long ago that I'd been talking to her in Blackburn market when she was telling me that people kept trying to urge her to look for someone else and she was saying it was too soon. I told her to wait until she was ready, that she hadn't had enough time to grieve for Michael yet and for people to push her into going to single adult activities to look for a date was insensitive. It had even been suggested that she could go back to the guy before Michael who had two timed her when she was engaged to him! She's worth more than that and so is Michael's memory.

Lisa could see that I was shocked when she made the announcement about Sharon - Myrra had already known but forgotten to tell me so Lisa thought I already knew. How could she forget a thing like that? After the initial shock my first thought was that she would be back with Michael again, sealed together for eternity and both free from the physical difficulties which had been their challenges in life. I could see them happy and free from the restrictions of mortality. I can feel sorrow for Ken and Margaret in losing their daughter, and sorrow for Pearl and her children in losing the sister and aunt that they love, but I cannot feel sorrow for Sharon only happiness for her that she made it. She and Michael together are on their way home. I bet he's a terrific missionary in the spirit world. I wonder if he's met up with Peter there? I imagine Sharon with a beautiful singing voice training choirs of angels.

The funeral was last Thursday and it's taken a week for me to get around to writing something and I'm still struggling to get my thoughts into something coherent. Lisa gave a talk which was compiled by Margaret, the thoughts of a mother - her memories of Sharon as a baby and as a little girl, all the mischievous things she used to get up to. I can easily imagine that with her cheeky grin. She always seemed to be laughing and giggling about something. Nathaniel and Heather, Pearl's children both gave little talks again as they had done about their uncle Michael. It must be so hard for them to lose the aunt they love so soon after their uncle. Sharon spoiled them rotten.

All the material things in life just seem so unimportant compared to getting there. Getting there is what really matters and for that I envy Michael and Sharon because they've made it. Their struggle is over. For the rest of us ours still goes on.

All of the funerals recently have somehow strengthened my testimony of the Gospel though and continually assured me that death is not an end but just the beginning of the next bit. It's so hard being stuck in this bit not knowing what the next bit holds but knowing that there IS a next bit is sometimes all that matters.