In early January, we got some sad news that would set off a chain reaction of difficult things. My mom called one day to say Shirley, her good friend and a family friend, wasn't doing too great. She had cancer as a kid and has a lifetime of complications from the treatments she received for it. She had MANY struggles and she finally succumbed to them. She was such an angel, always smiling, never complaining even though she had plenty of reasons to complain, and being the best mother in the world. Not only that but she was the RS president of her ward and served my family and so many other a ton. She was truly an earth angel. I can only imagine how happy she is now being in heaven. Her kids are all grown now, but here is a cute picture of the ones she left behind.
That same day, when mom was telling me that Shirley had passed, she got another phone call that Uncle Don had just passed. He had been dealing with Alzheimers for years and it finally took him. Covid has been very hard for him because he has been lonely and unable to leave the facility he's in. That day I drank a Pepsi for him. I know he gave me my first pepsi as a kid and I remember him always drinking it. I learned at his funeral he was a Coke drinker though so i don't know when he switched! I learned many things I didn't know about him at his funeral and his funeral was the day after Shirley's.
A week or so passed and we went swimming in Camas to have some happy times. While gone, we got a call asking who's house was on fire on our block. We weren't home so I was unsure. A quick few texts to neighbors and we learned it was our RS Presidents home. She was charging an electric wheel chair for her husband and while she was out running errands, it exploded, blowing out her front windows and starting a fire in the home. John was at home on bed rest from his many health problems and unable to move. Once the fire was out and John was out he was rushed to the burn unit. He wasn't burned from the fire but was unconscious from the smoke. A few days later, the family decided to let him go. He was stuck on a ventilator and no one wanted that for him. What a sad, sad loss! It just hurt my heart.
And a 4th funeral happened in our stake. A young dad from the Tongan branch contracted covid and he passed being only 33 and leaving behind his wife and 4 young children. I also watched the previous funeral and this one from streaming services. What a hard month January was! It has to get better, right?! 
Through it all, I trust God has a plan. I know he needs us all back home at some point and I believe 100% in the plan of salvation. I believe family units extend beyond the veil and I know that they are all in a better place and free of their broken bodies. I know that it hurts to loose friends because we were allowed to love them and if it weren't for love, we wouldn't know heart ache. I pray for these families and their uncomprehendable losses. I hope I can cherish life more!
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