Today I said good-bye to a very dear friend, and
realized it’s true what they say, “Don’t
put things off, because you never know when it will be too late.”
I haven’t seen Marlene for a year or so, and didn’t
realize how much I missed her until today.
When we moved into our home in Spanish Fork, Richard and Marlene
Peterson lived down the street from us.
The kids loved the Petersons because they could always get a rock from
them. The Petersons were rock hounds and
loved to collect, polish, craft, display and share with their rocks. They were also snow-birds and spend the
winters in Arizona, but they always remembered us and sent Christmas cards.
Dennis was called to be their home teacher for
several years, and for most of those years I accompanied him on his
visits. We loved sitting and visiting
with Richard and Marlene, and our visits often ran longer than we expected because
we had such a good time with them.
Marlene has had many health problems as long as we’ve known her, and was
always in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. It was hard to watch her struggle so much,
but she was always upbeat, and we did our best to visit when we could.
Later, I was called as Relief Society President,
and was given the opportunity to know Marlene even better, and to serve her in
more intimate ways. We became rather
close at that time, and I will always cherish it. When I was released, I promised myself that I
would continue that friendship, and I did try, because I really did care. However, life happens, and my visits got farther
and farther apart. Eventually Marlene had
to be permanently placed in a nursing home, and our visits became even more
scarce. When we moved to Mapleton ( a
whole 5 minutes away), I got more wrapped up in my own life and neglected my
duties as a friend. I am ashamed to
admit that it’s been so long since I’ve visited.
Earlier this year, she suffered a stroke and a
heart attack, and I knew that her health was declining. I felt justified in not visiting, because her
memory and speech were also declining, and I didn’t think she’d know who I
was. A couple of weeks ago, Marlene fell
and broke her one remaining leg quite badly.
For some reason, she then lapsed into a coma. One night, her sweet husband, Richard, gave
her a blessing and told her it was ok if she wanted to go now. Before he could finish the blessing, Marlene
had passed on to the arms of loved ones on the other side.
I always thought I was serving her, I was vain
enough to believe that I was benefiting her.
I realized today, that she served me.
My dear friend taught me so much, and I am so grateful to have had her
in my life. I was the one who was
missing out by not visiting her more, I needed those visits. Thank you Marlene, for teaching me compassion
and positivity. Thank you for helping me
to see what true love and charity were.
I will always remember your sweet spirit and cherish our
friendship. Until we meet again….
