Sharky was my daughters little aquarium fish.  This epitaph, on the six inch piece of stone which graces her night stand seems very innocent if not humorous to her now.  While it was a very serious thing to her when it happened she later told me that she just knew that she would see Sharky again someday.  Oh, to be young and innocent again with the faith of a child!  As we grow older our experience with death becomes more ominous and sorrowful.  The passing of a friend, loved one, or family member often changes our lives forever and desperately tests our faith.  Consider two very different examples.  At the age of thirty-five my grandfather was the second counselor in the Bishopric of a California LDS ward.  Tragedy struck his life when his beloved wife and only son were killed in an automobile accident.  My Grandfather and my mother survived, but, grandfather never remained in the church as my mother did.  He could not understand how God could let such a thing happen to so happy a family.  Despite this spiritual tragedy my grandfather was one of the most Christian men I have even known.  At his funeral a young couple approached a family member to inquire as to the name of the deceased.  After they were told his name they recounted a ‘Good Samaritan’ story about my grandfather; one of many I have heard over the years.  Only a few short days before the funeral the young couple had been stranded on a remote section of freeway with a flat tire.  No one had stopped to help them for a very long time when my grandfather stopped to see if he could be of assistance.  He took the young couple and their children miles out of his way to their home.  He then bought a new tire for the young couple's car and returned with the young man to help fix it.  This young couple saw Grandfather's picture in the obituaries of a local news paper and came to his funeral to offer  thanks and appreciation to his family.  Despite his leaving the church and blaming God for the sorrow death brought into his life my grandfather was the epitome of Christian living.  However, my grandfather's greatest potential may not have been realized despite his Christian attitudes because of his experience and reaction to death.  The second example came to me as I spoke with a friend, a young father, who witnessed the death his eldest son on an operating table that very day after an automobile accident.  He said that he wanted all to know that the church was still true and that he was thankful for his knowledge of the truth despite this horrible accident.  He was concerned that others my blame God the for awful thing which had happened.  I marvel at his strength during this time of great stress and sorrow!

     Why did my grandfathers experience with death change his life in the way it did, blaming God and the church, when others going through similar experiences reach different conclusions like that of the dead boys father?  I don't pretend to have the answers to such questions.  But, I believe that we will all be tested sooner or later in these matters and that our faith and testimony will determine the outcome of our ‘brush with death’.  Like so many other things in life, we must decide how how we should handle the situation and strive to gain the faith, knowledge and strength to ‘do what is right’ and be 'true' to our decision.  We will all have mighty sorrows in our lives.  I pray that we will each have the faith to respond as the young father did by saying ‘God lives and the church is still true!’.
 
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