Tribute

Terral and I just got back from a viewing. The funeral is tomorrow, but we both have class. I'm so glad we were able to go and remember our friend and neighbor.

When we were first married, we had an apartment on 500 W. Pretty soon we started noticing an old lady that walked frequently down our street. She looked a little ornery, and I didn't want to intrude, so I just minded my own business at first. Then we started to get settled in, and I felt a need to get to know my neighbors and fellow ward members. So one day I said hi to her as I passed, and we fell into a short conversation. Bit by bit I got to know Irene better. At church, she played the organ in Sacrament meeting and the piano in Relief Society.

When winter came, Terral would often shovel her driveway. Sometimes I helped. We had a hard time avoiding the money she kept trying to give us in return! We also had a hard time convincing her to go back inside when she had already started shovelling. Once, Terral noticed some footprints in the snow by the mailbox. They were made by bare feet. We caught her walking in the snow barefoot a couple of times, but she always said she was fine. We couldn't do much but shake our heads and smile. :)

She was such a people person. Talking to her always brightened my day. I had a few conversations with her about my schooling. She had been a music major once, but she stopped going to school when she got married. She said it was about the only thing in her life she regretted, and she made me promise I would finish. She was a very motivating person. And she was so talented! She accompanied me a few times. She played beautifully, and we were always in sync. She got frustrated sometimes when she was sight reading a piece and she missed a couple notes or a repeat sign. Her fingers, ears, and eyes hindered her from using her full talent, but most people wouldn't notice anything amiss in her playing.

She had several heart attacks in the past year, but she wouldn't go to a nursing home. She had some long stays at the hospital, but she always insisted on going back to the home she and her husband had built. And she couldn't sit still and rest. She was always out walking as much as her body would allow her to--around the block was good. She said that as long as she was alive she wanted to live.

Thank you Irene, for sharing yourself with me. I want to be like you. I want to be generous with my talents and friendship. I want to take advantage of the time given me. I want to make a difference in peoples' lives. I only knew you for two short years, but I don't think I'll ever forget you. Your body was failing, but your bright spirit always shone through.

The viewing wasn't depressing. There were smiles and memories being shared all around. I think Terral said it best: "She lived in the right way, and she died the right way."