Today was Grandpa Chambers funeral.
My cousin's wife, Kara, sang two songs that Grandpa Chambers had asked her to sing years ago at his funeral. They were both songs that were sung at their wedding. When she got up to introduce them to the congregation she mentioned that she felt that the reason he chose them was for Grandma from Grandpa. It was very sweet.
At the grave site there was a bagpiper playing in honor of our Scottish heritage. Grandpa loved the bagpipes. So do I. There was the military gun salute followed by "Taps". His flag was then folded by soldiers and given to my angel grandmother.
A luncheon at the church followed. My cousin Jason told a couple stories about Grandpa during the luncheon. While Jason was on his mission, he happened to go to a woman's home who had just lost her husband. She was raised a Mormon but had since been inactive, but her daughter thought she might get comfort from the Mormon missionaries. It turned out that woman knew my grandparents and had been good friends in North Ogden. In fact, the dead husband, Paul, is who my Uncle Paul was named after. The woman gave my cousin a Book of Mormon from the 1950's that had his testimony written in it. What a priceless treasure.
All the cousins who were able to make it to the luncheon then went outside and got their picture taken. My cousin Amy is planning on giving it to my grandmother for Christmas.
The Chambers kids:
I also wanted to include this excerpt from Aunt Kathy's talk at the funeral. It was very comforting. It is from Gospel Doctrine, by Joseph F. Smith, on pages 435-436:
Our loved ones visit us, aid us, and comfort us.
President Joseph F. Smith said, “When messengers are sent to minister to the inhabitants of this earth, they are not strangers, but from the ranks of our kindred, friends, and fellow-beings and fellow-servants. Our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the ‘Divine Presence’ messages of love, or warning, or reproof and instruction, to those who they had learned to love in the flesh.”
We often quote President Harold B. Lee, who said: “The most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own home.” Death does not change this. In other words, the most important work that dad will yet do will be within the walls of his own loved ones homes. We know that he will be busy preaching the gospel in the world of spirits. He will likely have specific assignments and will be working under the direction of Priesthood leadership.
All of this will be very time consuming. It will be urgent and important. But, none of it will be more important than the work he will yet do within the walls of his own home. Dads ‘means’ of accomplishing this work in his home, or our homes has changed, but dad will continue to be involved in looking after the spiritual and temporal needs of his family. Death has done nothing to relieve him of that responsibility or strip him of that privilege.
Even though most of dads time is likely spent working among friends and extended family on the other side of the veil, nothing is more important than caring for his immediate family on the other side of the veil. So it is with all the righteous who depart this life. Thus, when loved ones die, they are not far from us.
