A dear friend of mine passed away several years ago. She was 89 years old and one of the sweetest women I have ever known. Catherine Hollingsworth. My first memory of her goes all the way back to Primary, when she was my chorister, what we now call the Primary music leader. I can still see her as clearly today as I did as a child: smiling, happy, and teaching songs that settled so deeply into my heart they have stayed with me all my life.
As a child and youth, I was blessed to attend church with
remarkable people. Families didn’t move as often then, so many of the older
saints who shaped my early years are still living in the same area. I have
attended the funerals of several of them, and while there is sadness in saying
goodbye, there is also a deep joy in honoring lives that blessed mine.
Remaining in this area has been a blessing for many reasons,
but one of the sweetest is the chance to stay connected to those elders of my
youth. I still run into them at the temple. When I attend church with my
parents, I get to hug them again. Those embraces carry a warmth and a sweetness
that words can’t quite capture.
At the funeral of Sister Catherine Hollingsworth, I not only
saw these beloved mentors from my childhood, but also their children and
friends I rarely cross paths with now. The hugs, the laughter, the shared
memories, none of it can be replaced by a blog post or a Facebook update. It
was richer, deeper, and far more tender.
Someone commented that it felt like a high school reunion,
only with the people you actually want to see. To me, it felt like a family
reunion. Sitting among people who have known me most of my life, people who
shaped me long before I understood the influence they had, felt like a bright
and beautiful gathering of spirits. As I looked around the room, I felt so
clearly that family extends far beyond bloodlines. There is a royal lineage
that binds us as brothers and sisters on this mortal journey. The feeling was
so sweet that, for a moment, I could almost imagine the reunion taking place on
the other side for Sister Hollingsworth, and the reunion that awaits each of
us.
I am grateful for that peaceful moment of clarity. When I
step back from the temporal worries of life and remember the Plan of Salvation
in its fullness, I find strength to face my trials with more hope. I have been
blessed in countless ways, and those blessings felt especially transparent as I
said goodbye to a dear sister who touched my life early and helped shape the
person I have become.
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