How can I best describe the atmosphere at the funeral service? It was lovely, peaceful and reverent, but yet it was a joyful celebration of a life well lived, and the CHAPEL WAS PACKED!
The Front Cover of the Program
Please Note: In order to keep this blog site from becoming cumbersome, the talks have been shortened here. The full talks have been posted on another blog. To read the complete talks click here or go to http://talksforhelen.blogspot.com/ The talks are informative, imaginative, uplifting, enjoyable, and heart-felt. They are well worth taking the time to read.
Jim, as the first speaker, elaborated on the order that the program was to follow. In his words: We gave the children the option to speak and pay tribute to their mother and we are going in birth order. You will hear from Michael first and then Matt. You will not hear from Rebecca because being wise, she thought that she would share her talent musically. She will accompany Mandy Armstrong for their presentation, and then you will hear from Rachel. Vicki Carlson speaks as a friend, and then Brother Dunn will give us our thoughts and feeling about life and death and this great Plan of Salvation that allows us to come to earth.…
Then Jim painted a vivid, uplifting, picture for us of Helen’s life: her dreams, her close family ties, the choices that she made, and the qualities she possessed that endeared her to us all. As he said it: She was such a wonderful gift; her love; her friendship, her devotion….
Mike spoke next. As the oldest child, in a heartfelt way, he opened the section of the program about the thoughts and reflections of the children. He shared why he is able to feel peaceful and content, even though he didn’t feel that way at first. “Why don’t I feel a wreck? I’ve just felt content and peaceful. I know why, and I wanted to share with you why I know why.…”
Mike then introduced Matt whose talk was titled MOTHERHOOD. Taking us on several trips back and forth through time in a “way back machine,” Matt shared some insights and observations about his mother, and about the special mission of mothers in general. He gave an imaginative talk about the theory that 'any woman voluntarily entering motherhood is either ignorant or crazy.' He came to the conclusion that “it is, in fact, the theory that is crazy…”
Rachel came next. She shared about her mother's hands--the service Helen had given to her and to others through the use of her hands. In the last few weeks, my mom was alive, I would often hold her hands and reflect on all the gifts I had received from them throughout my life.… During the Korean war, there was a statue of Christ in a Catholic parish church in a small village that was destroyed. After putting the pieces together, they found the hands were missing. They debated whether to have new hands made for it, but the priest of the parish said no, it would remind the people that we are Christ’s hands in helping the needy and uplifting the fallen. My mother served with her hands her whole life…I was lucky enough to hold these unselfish hands as her spirit slipped away. I will always miss having her right here with me, but I hope I can carry her legacy forward by helping those around me with my hands…
Next came a stirring musical Presentation of Amazing Grace Vocal by
Mandy Armstrong Accompanied by
Rebecca Vernon
I wish we had a recording that we could play for you here, but unfortunately we do not. This was one of Helen's favorite songs and Rebecca and Mandy presented it beautifully. Frankly, I was wondering if Mandy would be able to make it through the whole song. (I know I didn't.) She did, up until the very last note. That in itself was, to me, amazing.
Vicki Carlson spoke as a friend:
I look out on the audience and I can see where Helen’s influence has been felt - from family, to church, to the base’s Thrift Shop, to the hospital, to neighbors, to those who knew her on her walk through life. We each could stand and tell stories of their own special times with Helen. In just a few brief minutes, through the examples of her interaction with some of her close friends, a group referred to as the Merry Maidens, I would like to paint a mural of Helen’s influence on all of us!…Thank you Helen for sharing your brave and merry heart with us and for teaching us how to live with style, grace and humor regardless of the situations we are in or regardless of what circumstances life hands us.…Eric Dunn spoke about the Plan of Salvation:
A little over a week ago, I was holding Helen’s hand as we talked softly about everything from the newly fallen snow to the blessings of having the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. In the course of our conversation, she said something that profoundly touched me. She said, “I don’t know how (people that do not have the gospel) do it”. Having the gospel in her life brought her direction and comfort, even in the face of certain death. Today I wish to share what I believe Helen knows.Helen was Helen long before she was born into mortality. She like all of us, is a Spirit child of our Heavenly Father. In His presence we learned and prepared for our life upon this earth. Coming to earth would allow us to grow in ways that we could not without a body. She was not born into this world by chance. In coming to earth, our spirits are united with a physical body. When the time came to leave our Heavenly Fathers presence, a veil was placed over our minds. We could no longer remember where we came from; we would need to learn to develop faith in Him. This life is a time for us to prepare to return to God, a time for us to learn to do what is right.… Heavenly Father is real and he lives. He loves us. He knows us by name and wants us to return and live with Him. He has prepared a way for us to do so. This simple plan, called the plan of salvation, provides for us a Savior. Our Heavenly Father knew that we would make mistakes along our earthly journey, that our choices would frustrate our progression to eternal life. The central figure in that plan is our Savior Jesus Christ. Through the atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross, Christ would take upon Himself our sins. It allows our mistakes to be washed away. It allows us to be happy. The purpose of life is to be happy. Happiness in this life comes through righteous living.…Our Heavenly Father also knew that our mortal bodies would die. Our spirits and our bodies will be separated. After we die, our spirits will enter the spirit world and await the resurrection and judgment. What a comfort it is to know that Helen’s spirit lives on. Through the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our bodies and our spirits will be reunited in a perfect state. All of us will live again, without sickness with our perfected bodies.The greatest gift that God has is for us to be able to have eternal life with Him and share in all that he has. That will depend on the choices we have made in this life. An understanding of the plan of salvation gives us purpose, hope and peace. I believe Helen found strength in these things and so can we.…
The Back Cover of the Program
