Extraordinary People

Today I played the organ at a funeral for a great lady. I'll admit that is was pretty stressful for me- I feel so inadequate playing for so many people at such a serious and somber time- everyone quietly listening... but I love this lady and will do it for her, even though I'm not so good at it. Her name is Clara, and she was over the music in our ward; she always encouraged me to practice and learn the correct way to play the organ. He He- sorry Clara, I hope you didn't notice all of my mistakes :)

Clara had many trials in her life. She had 7 children and took in 2 more. Her husband and 2 of her children died of Huntington's disease, and there are more who currently have it. I didn't really know what that was until I moved here and met her family. It's a yucky horrible disease- full of suffering. She's cared for many people in her life. What makes her great is that despite her many trials in life, she was very strong and faithful. In fact, she was SUPER strong and faithful. I think her challenges actually made her stronger.

Here's something I learned on my mission about trials and adversity (if you care to know): I met many people with many problems, some brought on by their (and other's) poor choices, and some just given to them, like death and disease. I heard over and over again, "If there is a God, why would this happen...?" They carried with them a lot of resentment and bitterness towards religion. I wondered, "If I were given the same situation, would I be like that? (discouraged, hopeless, and angry) I don't know. It made me sad. Then one day I met an investigator of some elders.

She was in a wheelchair- partially paralized. If I remember right- she had either tried to commit sucide or fallen from a window some stories up and became paralized. (It's been too long, and I didn't write details in my journal) Anyway- I remember that she had had many trials in her life, but was so happy and grateful to God for sparing her life and for the gospel (she had a baptism date). When I met her I thought, "Wait a minute- this lady has more reason to be bitter and resentful than most people, yet she is one of the most faithful, positive people I've met." It was then that I actually realized, even though my dad had told me many times, that we can choose how we react to our challenges in life. I have found a few more people like that throughout the mission and after. They are extraordinary people who have beaten the odds, persevered, becoming people that everyone looks up to.

Clara is one of those extra ordinary people. I will miss her, as will everybody that knew her, but I will always remember her as an amazing person- someone I would like to be like. So, today I'm grateful for her and those extraordinary people in my life.
Click here to view Clara's obituary