A Life Well-Lived

After Ryan and I came home from, Wes' Funeral, I placed the program in a magnet clip on our fridge. A simple reminder that there are Christ-like people in this world. People like Wes' wife Lori, who I admire greatly and aspire to be like.

I never blogged about the funeral, each time I think about it, a sense of peace comes over me. Wes Truman's funeral was one of the most edifying and spiritual experiences of my life. It was uplifting and (even as just a friend) deeply personal. 

When Ryan and I received word of the funeral, we made the arrangements to attend. We decided however, that we would not attend the viewing, because we didn't want to overwhelm Lori with another burden. On the day of the services, we arrived at the chapel about ten minutes before the meeting started. My heart burst when I saw Lori come around the corner, literally glowing. Radiant. Simply angelic. She immediately saw us and greeted us with open arms and a smile. She will never know how much that meant to me. 

The talks and thoughts shared about Wes were spiritual and humorous. I would have loved to have known him in high school. He would have been a wonderful friend and incredible example. 

About a month after the funeral, my father-in-law saw the program on the fridge and inquired as to who he was. Ryan and I explained and shared some of the stories we had heard at the funeral. I didn't give this conversation much thought until my father-in-law approached us on Sunday, September 4th, two months to the day after Wes had passed away, and asked us to share Wes' story in Family Home Evening.

That evening, to remember Wes, we shared stories of our experiences with him. We talked about the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment, peace, love, and spirituality of the funeral. We talked of his beautiful family, of his saintly wife. We talked of his intelligence and friendliness. And my father-in-law specifically asked to hear the story shared by his best friend at his funeral about why their ward had young men who stayed active and faithful in the church and why another ward did not. The reason, Wes Truman. 

The overarching theme of our Family Home Evening that night (unknown to us at the time) was living a fulfilling, righteous life, and what the effects of our lives would be like. Essentially, what do you want your obituary to say? What do you want said at your funeral? Will people actually say those things?

What would I want said? What will actually be said? Faithfulness to faith and family? 

I've thought a lot about that, and I hope mine describes a life like Wes'. A life well-lived.