Eternal Perspective

After I got home from Texas last week, we left a couple of days later to go to Fayetteville in order to attend a funeral. One of Cory's good buddies from Brock Cabinets, lost his little baby boy. His name was Hollis Ryan Newcomer and he was three months old. His mom, Rebeccah, had put him down for a nap and she felt impressed to go in and check on him. She went in and found him rolled over on his tummy with his face pressed into the comforter. She rolled him over and found him blue and cold. She called 911 and did CPR. They resesitated him in the ambulance but they had to keep him on the breathing machines because he was not getting any brain activity. The next day they went home from the hospital to rest, but the nurse called them and told them to come back because his organs were shutting down. They went back and held him in their arms until he died.

It was a really hard funeral to go to because all I could think about was my brother, Kelly, who died when he was 4 months and I was 5. It is never easy to see a mother and father have to bury their child, but I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have of the plan of salvation. I know without any uncertainty that Hollis has returned home to his Heavenly Father. I know without any doubt that he was and is perfect and that his family will see him once again if they live righteously. I know this to be true because the Spirit has born witness to me over and over again that my brother was and is perfect and that he has/will attain the highest degree of celestial glory. As I walked through the family line at the grave site, I got really chocked up as I knelt down to talk to Hollis' 4-year-old big sister. All that I could see was myself, a little girl who just lost her baby brother. I took her hand and I told her that I was close to her age when I lost my brother. I told her how sorry I was for her loss and that everything would be okay.

Although I was such a young age when Kelly died, the reality of his death has been relived for me as I have had my own children. I could not imagine having to go through such an experience, but I do know that those women who I know who have been blessed to bear such perfect spirits, are some of the most incredibly strong people I know. One of those being my own mother. How grateful I am that I have the example of incredibly strong and faithful parents and also the example of a perfect brother who has already made it. In my kitchen I have a picture of me and Kelly in a frame. As I look at it each day, it helps me to remember the purpose and importance of the decisions and choices that I make daily. It helps me to have an eternal perspective on life and to know that there is a divine purpose for all trials and experiences that we face in mortality. After the funeral , I picked up my two precious little girls and just held them in my arms. I couldn't imagine going through my life without them, but even if I had to, I am just so thankful to know that they are my little girls not only for time, but throughout all eternity.