Comments on: “knowledge, and power, by revelation”

By: Howie

Howie — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:50:15 +0000

My condolences as well. I lost a niece a few years ago. My older sister and her husband have always been a model of what “good Mormons” should be. Their daughter was a young teacher and judging from the overflowing mourners, she was loved by all.

She was traveling with a couple from Utah to the mid west to be the maid of honor. She was in the back seat of a SUV and the soon to be groom fell asleep at the wheel. The bride and groom were thrown from the vehicle, but Karen was wearing her seat belt and died at the scene.

All that I can muster for the reason that she died and the couple lived? Heavenly Father missed her too much and called her home. Best wishes J.

By: Clean Cut

Clean Cut — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:54:30 +0000

Wow. Thank you for this J. This gets right to the solemn heart of the gospel, and gives me much to ponder on.

By: kevinf

kevinf — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:31:15 +0000

J, My condolences as well. Your observation that we celebrate life at funerals makes those cases where someone dies young all the more difficult. I lost a brother in law a few years back to brain cancer, leaving a wife, one daughter in college, and three kids still in junior high and high school. That loss hit me harder than the loss of my parents, who were in their 80′s, and had indeed filled their lives. So much goes unfilled when one dies young, and it hurts. Despite all we know about the plan of salvation, we never have the answer to “why now?”.

By: BHodges

BHodges — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:03:06 +0000

Thank you for this. It is a rare gift to be able to make beauty of ashes and I believe these thoughts painfully do just that.

By: TrevorM

TrevorM — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:43:09 +0000

I knew Michael. he was good and he will be missed.

All of us who knew him at BYU mourn for his wife’s loss and celebrate his life.

Thanks J. for the post.

By: Jared*

Jared* — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:09:10 +0000

I would also like to add my condolences and best wishes.

By: Matt W.

Matt W. — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:31:39 +0000

J. thanks for sharing. You’ve always been an example to me. You are one of the great ones.

By: W. Smith

W. Smith — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:05:58 +0000

Dear Jonathan,

Very sorry to hear of your loss. Best wishes to you and your family.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:13:00 +0000

Thanks, all.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:50:36 +0000

Best wishes to you and all the grieving members of your friend’s family and community.

The passing of those who have not lived any great length of time has been a constant theme in my life recently. Just this morning came news of another little boy who did not recover after a heart surgery. Regardless of the amount of knowledge and pre-existing hope, I’ve not yet seen people not go through a deep, trying period of shock and anger and doubt.

The greatest surprise was that after being introduced to the threat of losing a child (a little boy who is playing here at my side), that it took at least a year and a half to feel that my feet were again somewhat on solid ground and that I had any sort of hold on the faith and hope that I had assumed was a steady, stable influence that would weather every storm and deliver me whole through every vicissitude of life.

The process has seemed to strip away layers of what must have been cultural expectations and attitudes and, I hope, will allow “God [to] reveal something in reference to the matter.”

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.