I was barely acquainted with her, to be honest. To be more honest, I was happy to sing but increasingly frustrated as the week went on because there were no clear lines of communication and I was getting frequent texts from three different people to get information on the song title, accompanist, etc. These texts and calls, on top of my work load and during an emotionally draining week, really pushed a lot of buttons.
And then I went to the funeral. I heard her daughters share their memories, stories, and love for their mother. I learned more about her life and felt the great love she had for her family and they for her.
I sang "I Am a Child of God" and, a couple hours before the funeral, talked a friend into singing with me so we could get some harmony and make it more interesting. We decided that on the second verse I would sing alone, in Spanish. After listening to everyone's words I changed the lyrics a tiny bit:
Soy una hija de Dios,
El me envió aquí.
Me ha dado un hogar
Y Familia buena para mi.
Guíenme, enseñame la senda a seguir,
Para que algun día yo
Con él pueda vivir.
(I am a daughter of God,
He has sent me here.
He has given me a home
And a great family.
Guide me, show me the way to go,
So that one day I can live with him.)
I was trying to say what Concepción would have said if she were still with us. As I sang I could feel her family's love, her love, and I felt like I briefly touched our Heavenly Father's and our Savior's love for each of us.
When I said it's been an emotionally draining week that's a major understatement. I won't go into details, but I will say that I am so grateful I was able to sing at Sister Peña's funeral. It was a huge blessing to me, right when I really, really needed it.
We are more than mortal. We are children of a Heavenly Father who loves us, knows us, and is very aware of our needs. I'm grateful to have felt His love today, and I hope you feel it in your day, too.
1 comment:
This is beautiful, Vanessa. Thanks for sharing the message.
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