The meaning of a life well lived!

“Estoy deseando que recibas los regalos que más anhelas…pero no olvides que lo más importante es aquello que proviene del corazón… Ama más que nunca, practica el bien y encara la vida de frente, trabaja sin descanso por alcanzar tus sueños… Inspírate en aquello que te trae alegría y felicidad y vive todos los momentos en paz, pero sobre todo asegúrate de acudir a Dios para que vivas de verdad!” Franklin Henriquez

I am doing an exception in writing this post which I never do while I am away from home on vacation but my mind has been spinning and my heart has felt so heavy. I literally have felt every emotion, from anxiety to sadness for a situation I have no control over, such as death. Whenever I have felt so powerless, I do the only thing I know to do, and that is to pray. I have prayed for peace. “the peace that surpasses all understanding.” Philippians 4:7 

 

If I am feeling this much distraught, I can’t imagine what my sweet Aunt Norma and her children, Jeanny, Franklin Jr. Ricardo, Ana and Hilda are experiencing. My father passed away fourteen years ago and I still remember that call. The same call I received from my mom on Saturday. We call each other every day but for some reason when she called, that time, I felt the impression that she was going to be the bearer of bad news and my gut feeling was right. 

 

Uncle Franklin was a multifaceted fellow. Some knew him as “Ingeniero” or engineer, others as an Institute Instructor, others knew him as an entrepreneur, others as a Bishop, others as a Mission President, others as a guitarist, pianist and singer. yes, music was another of his talents, others knew him as their boss, others as their nice neighbor, others knew him as a Sunday School teacher who could spend hours explaining passages from the scriptures, others as a temple worker, others as a Master Teacher, (the best of the best!) others knew him as the guy who could fix anything (a handyman) and the list goes on and on... But for many fortunate people, they knew him as a friend, brother, father, grandfather and I was blessed to know him as my uncle. And for one person, my lucky Aunt Norma, knew him as her husband for fifty years and he was a good dancer too. Remarkable!

 

We all pray for miracles, we just don’t understand why some of those miracles never materialize and that is when we feel as if our prayers were not answered. Today it hit me, I don’t know everything. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people but I need to trust that the Lord knows.

 

I thought about those dear friends who recently lost their spouse due to cancer or complications from COOVID-19 and each of them were praying for a miracle, however there are times when God wills it and the sick absolutely get healed and the dead are raised. I have seen it happen many times but those miracles have a short shelf life, they don’t last for very long. The sick who are healed get sick again and the dead who are raised will still ultimately have to die. 

 

Perhaps the miracle we were given with the passing of my uncle is not transient, it is permanent and real. His illness is gone! He will never get sick and suffer physically again and best of all, he will never die again. He is at his best, energetic, happy and glorious. He is enjoying close associations with family members and dear friends on the other side. 

 

I imagine him busy like always, teaching and ministering to those who desire to be blessed by the Savior’s gospel plan. There is a plan, you know. And what is the most rewarding aspect of death is where you go. That is if you lived your life in a manner that qualifies you to obtain a life filled with joy that will never go away. All of this has come to pass because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which includes being resurrected and that is the greatest miracle of all. “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. “John 11:25-26 

No doubt we are going to miss Tio Franklin a lot but we draw great comfort from these truths. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loving kindness, concern, and prayers, in behalf of my extended family. 

 

Con amor,

Vero