Last Sunday at Church one of the speakers wasn't able to make it so to fill the extra time our bishop* said that after the two assigned speakers he would be calling a couple of people out of the congregation to say a few words. Therefore I thought through some ideas of what I would speak about if my name was called.
That morning my husband Scott and I had been talking about how the Atonement does so much more for us than mearly allowing us to repent of our sins. I thought of the scripture from Revelation: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." One year ago last Wednesday my cousin's three oldest children and two of their friends slid off an icy road on their way to school and into a retaining pond. The three oldest were knocked unconscious upon impact and the two young boys tried to break the windows but weren't strong enough. When my cousin and his brother arrived on the scene the police had to hand-cuff them to stop them from stripping off their clothes and plunging into the icy water. It took rescuers two hours to get the car out. When they opened the doors they opened scriptures came out with the water and the younger boys were holding their older brothers. All five children were pronounced dead a few hours later.
Being full-term pregnant, my doctor advised me not to make the long drive up to Idaho for their funeral but the rest of my family did. They said that my cousin and his wife were in silent shock until the time came to close the caskets. My poor cousin Tamra, who buried a two year-old daughter a few years previous, completely lost it. Can you imagine anything more tragic?
As I sat there during the meeting on Sunday remembering these things I asked myself: Do I really believe that God can wipe away the tears Tamra Walker shed as she buried her three children? Can He take away that pain? And I realized a little bit more the power of the Atonement can have.
*A bishop is the lay-leader of an LDS congregation of 200-500 people.
Raised in a small South Dakota mining town where he learned the value of a sturdy pickaxe and native tubers, Scott is a man's man who knows the meaning of the word testosterone. Apart from devouring freshly slain beasts of the forest, Scott enjoys sharpening his tools, lifting heavy objects, and throwing a ball at a hoop suspended ten feet off of the ground. He also enjoys Romantic Era poetry and Italian cooking.
3 comments:
I can't imagine the amount of pain your cousin is going through. Thank you for the powerful reminder of the vastness of the Atonement.
Thank you for sharing this. I am so sorry for your family's loss. I admire their strength and yours. You guys are an amazing couple and family.
I remember hearing about that--so sad. A few weeks ago when someone was giving talks on the Resurrection I realized how we often take it for granted. But when someone dies suddenly it really forces you to find your testimony, because we can only live on faith. I've had a number of sudden deaths in my family during the last few years and it has really forced me to gain a greater testimony of the Atonement and relying on the Lord.
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