Yesterday we attended a funeral for Kent’s law partner. His association with Charles A. Seigel has been daily for 36 years. That is a long time. So many people we have known for 36 years were there. It was good to see them and to visit with them. Time to catch up on the lives of those we lost track of. Ask about their children, jobs, spouses and health. Everyone had gotten older. Funerals are such an unusual occasion for being with people.
Normally, I don’t like funerals. I liked this funeral. There was no congregational singing or long sermons. I liked the scriptures that were used. The family and friends didn’t get up and talk about Charles. There was a eulogy given by a son. It was dignified as a funeral should be. I especially liked the tenderness the Rabbi showed to the family. I liked the closed casket.
I liked that one of the daughters was having a gathering at her home in the afternoon. Food would be served and people could come to visit, give and receive comfort. I especially liked that there was no funeral potatoes, green beans with cream of mushroom soup or over cooked ham. When I die I want a funeral like this one.
In some cultures those who are my age have taken a life of sacrifice. They say they are ready to leave their worldly life and enter a life of service to their fellow man. Unfortunately, in the western culture age is viewed as synonymous with senility. Those who have aged are no longer useful nor do they have much to contribute.
I have decided though the society I live in might look at me as past being useful, this new time in my life will be one of sacrifice and service. What sacrifices am I willing to make and are they selfless or selfish sacrifices?
To be selfless my service needs to have no thought of reward, either here or in the eternities. The Prophet of my youth, David O. McKay said that the principal reason the Church was organized was "to make life sweet today, to give contentment to the heart today, to bring salvation today..."
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said "Wherever you have been planted on this beautiful but often troubled earth of ours, you [I] can be the one to 'succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees' (D&C 81:5)."
True service should help me become more Christ like. What greater blessing could I have than to be a partner with the Savior in doing good.
There is much evil in the world today. Todays news is all about terror, evil, floods and hate. The saddest news is always when family members hurt family member or when there is violence against children. Closing the curtains in my home and picking up a good book seems a safe place. Unfortunately, that doesn't make anything better.
I have always believed that one person could make a difference. In the past I would work for months on a loosing political campaign or I would work to defeat a proposed new law. Never being on a winning team would get discouraging, but I still believed I made a difference.
So what kind of difference can I make now? I can't change the world but if I raise the cry "you can do it" maybe one life will be changed. I guess that is who I need to be in this time of my life. A light to others guiding them to a feeling of hope.
Today I am a grandmother. Most times being a grandmother is a fun, part-time activity. Today, Aubrey is here because she is sick. Sick children are interesting when they begin feeling well. They want to do everything but but they don't have the energy they need.
So far today we have played office, hotel, school, and artist. When we were finished pretending we played with the doll house, play-doh, scrapbooking, watched a movie, painted, and had lunch . It is now noon and Aubrey wants to take a bath in grandma’s big bathtub but grandma thinks we need a rest first. Maybe my granddaughter has the energy she needs and it's grandma who doesn't. I’m not sure what we will do for the rest of the day but a rest comes first.
Amazingly enough we have to reinvent ourselves every so often. Today, I realized was one of those days. What do I want to be now that I'm 60? It seems like every decade I reinvent me; student, bank teller, young wife, artist, military wife, mother, volunteer, political activist, quilter, student, empty nester, mature (and much more fun) wife, professor, counselor, grandmother, friend and traveler.
I have felt the need to once again start using my art. It has been many years since I was involved in art. Once it was a passion. I enjoyed making things for me and for others. I walk though our home I see the fruits of my labor. But I'm changing and the art on my walls needs to change also.
I have a desire to write. I have learned many things over the years. Surely, I could write something interesting and useful to my fellow man. Where would I begin? How could I make sure it would be good? Am I too critical of myself to freely write for others to read? Maybe, that is where I could start the growth process.
I watch friends competing in triathlons and marathons. I will never do something like that but what about challenging my self physically. I could learn to cook like a chef. Is it time for me to go back to school and learn in an academic setting? Do I need a new volunteer experience?
All these ideas are good but what is best? Today, I ponder. I know an answer will come soon.
After doing counseling these many years I wonder if I have really learned anything about people. Maybe I have learned one thing. The normal people in our life are forgotten and the really different people are ones that make our memories come alive.
