...then to have never loved at all." That is what they tell me.
Today I went to a funeral for my friend, Robert Ashworth. I met him while serving a mission for the LDS church in southern Florida. Robert was one of those people that you can't help but love. An infectious laugh, an optimistic outlook on life, and these darling eyes that were all squinty when he smiled. He was a brilliant baseball player and was drafted to play right out of high school. But he went on a mission instead- and he was a great missionary. He was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago. He had been married to the most darling girl, Ashley, for a year and a half when he was diagnosed. I would hear from them every once in a while and checked up on Robert's status regularly on their
blog. If ever two people were MADLY in love, it was these two. The last time I saw them was in
April, and we had the best time just laughing and having fun. He was battling this terrible disease, yet he still was making us laugh and was so optimistic for the future. He was 25 years old.
Ashley spoke at the funeral and said some things that really touched me that I would like to share. She and Robert had such great faith. She shared Mosiah 24:14-
"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."
I was incredibly touched by this. God really does have a plan for us. And it often seems that life isn't fair or that maybe He doesn't really care. But isn't that what faith is all about? Trusting that He really is there, and that for whatever reason, there are lessons He wants us to learn so that we can become more like Him. Ashley said that she and Robert would often talk about what they had learned through all of this, and what they want other people to learn from their experiences. They want people to learn to
cherish their spouse. Cherish every moment and take every opportunity to say "I love you." These two were crazy about each other- Ashley never left his side. What great examples of love, faith, enduring to the end, and gratitude. I admire them, and am grateful for their example to me of what true love really is. They had pictures up of Rob, and this quote was posted with all the pictures:
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." -Melody Beattie
I was talking with a friend at the end of the funeral and I asked him what he thought about that saying, "Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." He said he would rather not have it at all than have it and lose it. But me... I look at the love between them, and can only hope that I will find that someday. I agree with this saying. I would rather have a few years of that love than never have it at all. But, life isn't always fair. And there are lessons that we all must learn, especially me. I don't know what those lessons are- but with lots of prayer and faith, we just might figure it out.
Private Property! Keep Out! Nope, don't think we will.
