Steph

It was a hard week. My sweet cousin, Stephanie, passed away just over a week ago. Steph was so beautiful. She was just starting out her life. She had married her high school crush and they just celebrated their one year anniversary. She was pregnant with a little girl she was going to name Aspen. They were in a car accident a week ago Friday. It's been so rough on all of us that are left here. It's really hard to believe she's gone.

Most of the memories I have of her are from when we were kids. Steph, Leslie, and I were the best of friends and loved playing together when our families got together. We played lots of pretend games like school, store, farming, news reporter, lots of dress ups, and of course barbies like little girls do. She once choreographed some dances for us to My Best Friend's Wedding soundtrack, and I think we even performed them for family. She had a great imagination. As we grew older and became busier, we saw each other less and less. But it was always special when we were able to see each other.

You can read her obituary by clicking HERE.

I am having a really hard time putting my feelings into words, so I will just tell you how grateful I am for eternal families. Heavenly Father knew how much we would love each other on earth, so he made it possible for us to always be a family for eternity. What an amazing gift. Although it seems that Steph was taken too soon, she was here long enough to get sealed in the temple to her sweetheart, and to add another member to their eternal family. That must have been what was the most important for her to accomplish before she had a more important work to do in the spirit world. They will be a family again one day! Everyone wants it to happen sooner than it will, but it will happen. My dad remembers a time when Steph was visiting his house with my uncle (her father). Dad says she was just pacing around the house and anxious. She wanted to get home. She had just started to date John and wanted to get home to see him! I thought that was such a sweet story. I'm sure she's busy now, but I bet she's pacing around a little, just waiting for him to join her. It will be a sweet reunion.

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I debated going to the funeral in Utah. I really wanted to be with my family, but I have responsibilities that I can't just leave at the drop of a hat. Derrick and I talked about the options, and then I realized that I was really going to regret it if I didn't go. I was so emotional and couldn't focus on anything else, and I needed to say goodbye. I had to find someone to watch Hayden while Derrick was at school, find a ride to the airport, and find a good price on airline tickets with just two day's notice. It seemed sort of impossible to be honest. But I wrote a message on the google group for women in our area asking for help with babysitters, and also asked if anyone was headed down to Indy so I could get a ride to the airport. I got so many offers. I found cheap airline tickets. I found some friends to watch Hayden and everyone was just offering anything the could. One girl that I had never met wrote an email to me saying that she could take me to the airport. She wasn't already headed down that way, but she just wanted to help. Her name was Stephanie. When I read her name, I could just feel Heavenly Father telling me that everything was going to be ok. He realized that we were all hurting here, and he was going to find ways to make us feel His love and his tender mercies. He sent help. Everything worked out so perfectly.