Marlene Peterson

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….