Long Departure

As I've seen many others do, I decided that the new year meant I needed to update our blog. Its been a long busy time since we last made an appearance.

November was a whirlwind. I had a quarter break plus Thanksgiving break at school, so it was off to Utah for two weeks. We spent a few pleasant days in Blanding with my folks before loading up and re-entering the Salt Lake Valley for the first time since May.

We spent time with Christina's family and then blessed our little blessing the evening before Thanksgiving. That made an awesome opportunity to see family and even a few long lost friends (Thanks Ben/Mikelle and Ashley/Preston!!)

Before the blessing, we also met my sister Caroline and her family on Temple Square for a little while before the cold got too cold for us Southerners. We did snap this cute picture of McKay in the brisk air.
Thanksgiving held all the usual fares, and we were fortunate enough take part in two! We first ate with my Dad's (nearly) entire family. This is a fairly rare occurrence, and it gave me the opportunity to catch up with uncles, aunts, etc., that I haven't seen for years, including my Uncle Steven and his wife Kaelin. This was important to me, as I lived with Steven and Kaelin for nearly a year before my mission, but like is prone to happen, our lives had diverged and contact had slipped away. I was excited to show off McKay and Kaelin told me how he reminded her of her first son Kyle when he was a baby.

We left the Nielson Thanksgiving just in time to make it to the Meier Thanksgiving at Christina's parents' house. The rolls were good. I was too full to taste much else (but I'm sure it was delicious!).

We returned to Phoenix Sunday night and my traditional check-in call became an unforgettable moment in my life. I was walking Bella to the mail box when my mom told me Aunt Kaelin had died. She had an undiagnosed brain aneurysm that ruptured without any warning.

Forgive me for a moment. My Aunt Kaelin actually played an important and significant role in my life. I often felt guilty because communication between us had slipped away. I was already grateful that I got to see her (and her family) on Thanksgiving. Now I can only attribute it to God's grace.

I am thankful for Thanksgiving this year. It means a lot more than a slice of turkey with the family. Kaelin was 38. She left three teenage sons behind. I remember those sons so well when they were small, and still am surprised sometimes when I see how grown up they are now. I can clearly remember Kaelin and the boys meeting me in the Salt Lake airport when I returned from my LDS mission in Jamaica. The boys were standing there, waving Jamaican flags and wearing these goofy knit hats I had sent them and smiling.

We returned to Utah in less than a week. Unfortunately, I couldn't make to the funeral in Hooper, Utah, but I did make it the graveside service at the cemetary in Blanding. I have a new memory of the boys. They aren't smiling now, but they aren't crying either. They are standing in the cold while their mother is laid to rest and they look, well, they look confident. They look grown up. They look amazingly faithful. They look more like men than I feel like. They look peaceful.

I have a tendency to be a bit more emotional than is fashionable for most men. My emotions must have shown through a little more than I intended, because after the ceremony, Kaelin's middle son Richard came a hugged me. "Are you OK?" he asks. "I'll be alright. I should be asking you. I don't think I could handle this as well as you are," I reply. "I believe in the gospel," he said, looking me in the eyes. "That's my comfort."

It isn't just in his appearance. He is more of a man than I am. Richard also wrote this poem and recited it at the funeral:

My Mother

My mother lying there so peacefully
All the memories I've shared with her
She was there to help very thoroughly
Everyday and all the time together

My mother lying in her hospital bed
Awaiting her journey onward, homeward
She has helped many, and left them in her sted
She was steadfast and very empowered

My mother leaving us physically
I need her more than you can imagine
She is here with me emotionally
She left us so fast so tragically

My mother I will see her again
I don't know how long that will be
I may not have showed it but she was my best friend
I will try to be the man she wanted me to be.

Unbelievable courage.

I didn't intend to spend this long on the funeral. I almost didn't even mention it. But once I started, the words seemed to fall uncontrollably from the keyboard onto the screen in front of me. Again, forgive me. I hope others can be as touched by the faith of Kaelin's sons as I have been.