Goodbyes and Reflections

The past few weekends have felt a bit surreal as I prepare to say goodbye to so many friends who have touched my life deeply.  Last week Jared and I were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting.  As I looked out into the faces of our ward members I was overcome with emotion.
I reflected on the last time I was asked to speak in church a couple of years ago.  It was the Sunday following the death of our Relief Society President, and my good friend Tammy Johnson.  We had been asked as a Relief Society presidency to speak the Sunday following her heart surgery.  I remember looking into the faces of her grieving spouse and children and wondering how I could ever make it through my talk, just a few days after her funeral.  But the Spirit sustained me, I was able to remain composed and I know the Lord guided my thoughts and words on that day.
I saw the faces of faithful primary, scout and young women leaders who have touched the hearts of my children.

I saw Marcella, my neighbor who was on the brink of death last year, but was miraculously healed.  I am lifted when I visit her and am blessed to learn from her calm, positive spirit despite the many challenged thrown her way.  I became her visiting teacher while she was recovering in a care facility, learning to walk again and have learned a lot from her wisdom and experiences she's shared about being a mother and grandmother.  Her husband Dave treated us to a final dinner at Texas Roadhouse with our neighbors the Kirkhams and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation of good friends that we have been blessed to be surrounded by.

This week was the baby blessing for my dear friend and neighbor Jessica's little boy.  As he was blessed to be part of an eternal family, my mind flashed back to the moment when I felt the distinct impression to invite her to come back to church with me.  She accepted the challenge and the ensuing months hold some of the most precious memories of my life as we were blessed to have the missionaries in our home weekly to teach her daughter in preparation for her baptism.

All of these goodbye moments made me think of "living each day as if it were your last."  Why does it take a goodbye moment to help me fully appreciate the relationships I cherish with those around me?  It's given me more motivation to cherish the "nows" and enjoy the current relationships in my life.