A little over three years ago, on January 19, 2018 my friend Carin passed away unexpectedly. It was heartbreaking. She is the mother of 7 children. Two of her children are on the autism spectrum. Her youngest was only about 7 months old. My heart ached for all of them, especially her daughter Kate who was a freshman in high school (Michelle's age) and who was one of our Young Women.
I asked friends, family and ward members to share memories and I created a book for her family with these memories and photos. That was a special thing for me to read all these people whose lives she had touched and to read of all the service she had rendered.
I felt so sad, and I also faced some regret. Carin was my friend, but life was busy and after she died I wondered if she knew at all what she meant to me. Did she know how much she had blessed my life? Did she know how much I had learned from her? Did she know how much I loved her?
I still think about her often. I pray for her family regularly. I've tried to be more like Carin and to render service to others as often as I could and to just go about doing good.
I have also tried to be more vocal in expressing appreciation and love to others. I want people to know what they mean to me. I try to tell people I love them, to thank them when they do something kind, to point out their good qualities. I hope that I am a real friend and that if another friend passes, she will know what she meant to me.
LESSONS LEARNED:
This life is short.
Tell people what they mean to you.
Serve others unselfishly.
We touch more lives than we are probably aware of.
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