Once again Meal Train has done its magic, as after I wrote that post Monday evening and purged those thoughts, things have felt more manageable since. It still amazes me how very therapeutic I now find writing, when I wasn’t a huge writer before Kendall’s illness. Tuesday and today have felt…well, OK. Still hard moments, but generally doing OK.
There continue to be evidences of how God is aware of me and my family throughout all of this. One seemingly small instance involved the plant in this picture. It typically sits in the window of my master bedroom, often hidden behind the closed curtains in there. I neglected it horribly when I was going through the worst of my trauma processing. I honestly don’t think I had watered it in…maybe months. I remember glancing at my plant right before rushing out the door to be at my mother’s side after learning she had slipped into a coma, assuming the plant surely must be dead, and making a mental note to take care of it when I got back.
The evening I came home from my several days vigil at my parents’ house, I found that in my absence my little plant had bloomed with small, perfectly formed pink flowers. What’s especially remarkable is that plant has never flowered before, not in all the time I have owned it. Such a personal message of hope that was to me in what was otherwise a lonely, emotional moment. Reminds me of the feelings of awe and wonder Elder Soares talked about in his last General Conference talk. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/04/55soares?lang=eng)
OK, the main reason I was writing this post was I wanted to make sure I shared the information for Mom’s viewings and funeral, for anyone who may want to attend or watch virtually.
VIEWINGS
Fri, 15 JUL, 6-8pm (Berg Mortuary, 185 East Center St, Provo)
Sat, 16 JUL, 9:30-10:30 (Hunter Valley Chapel, 950 S. 1700 E., Springville)
FUNERAL
Sat, 16 JUL, 11:00-12:00 (Hunter Valley Chapel, 950 S. 1700 E., Springville)
Funeral Streaming option: https://zoom.us/j/92255161961
You can also find her obituary at https://www.bergmortuary.com/obituaries/Sherilee-Alford/#!/Obituary .
In closing, I would like to share a poem that my mother’s Relief Society president wrote the night before Mom died, and then shared with Dad and me when she was over the next day. What makes this especially tender for me is she was there with me when Mom passed and helped me with some of Mom’s care that day. Some truly precious memories now.
Hope in Grief, by Lisa Nissen
We’ll pause our lives to see your grief,
In hopes that you will find relief,
In knowing that your heart feels seen,
That future hopes, and future dreams,
Were altered… changed without consent,
We wish that you could circumvent,
The sting of death, the heavy weight,
That comes when grieving culminates,
In the center of your heart,
That heaviness that won’t depart,
But please know this, there’s always hope,
We are here, to help you cope,
Through long rough days and darkened nights,
We’ll help you see the brighter lights,
That lie ahead, just round the bend,
We’ll walk with you to help you mend,
Your saddened heart and broken soul,
Will heal in time to make you whole,
Of course life’s changed, we can’t ignore,
Your heart is always longing for,
That missing piece, the other half,
That special someone that made you laugh,
And when we cannot fill that hole,
There’s only One who can console,
He’ll meet you where your heart resides,
He will be your loving guide,
Ever watchful, kind and true,
He will always pull you through
Wasn’t that beautiful? I need to now go attend to the myriad of details that have to be handled before the funeral and with all of my family here. And I need to write my talk!!!
