Geneva Branch
Jun 3rd, 2007 by Bethany
Today I got to go to the Geneva Branch in our Stake, a branch that's held at a retirement care center nearby. We had two Sacrament Meetings, one for the old but lucid people and the other for the old and Alzheimer/dementia people. I was asked to give a ten minute talk, which ended up being about five minutes long because I cried, and I spoke on the Plan of Salvation. The rest of the program was taken care of by the Young Men and Young Women in our ward. Rarely do I get to take the Sacrament three times in one day, and it was a good thing to do and especially nice since I didn't have a baby wiggling in my arms for the last two.
Going to the Geneva Branch always makes me think about how mortal I am and reminds me of how generally inexperienced I am compared to these people who will die any time. We sang mostly funeral-appropriate hymns today, I noticed. I wonder if that's what they always sing. Being old does not mean being valueless. In fact, today I saw quite the contrary, and if I'd had the time I would have like to sit down and get some advice from one of the many people there I think would have a better perspective than me on my life and what I should be worrying about and not worrying about.
It also made me appreciate how death is really not a big deal in the scheme of things. The feeling I got today was that death is just like moving away (probably came to mind since we're getting ready to move soon) without email or long distance. Families can be together forever, and that's what it's all about. These old people will die soon, and then a few years/months/days/hours later we'll follow them in death and all get together and have a reunion and a big happy party. Only there won't be the worries about being fat or people not remembering you that there are with high school reunions. Just because people die doesn't mean they cease to exist or that they're lost to us. It's just like moving away for a while.
So, ask your favorite old person for some advice today in honor of this blog post. And remember that they've been where you are now and are impressively valuable even if they can't get out of bed. And try not to be so afraid of people "moving away" because it's not really as bad as you may think it is unless you think you'll never see them again. That would definitely be grounds for a bad attitude.