This dream was a preparation and its message was
that one of my children may die but I did not know who and was not
entirely sure the dream was really true until Jean died.
Some time shortly before Jean died my wife Ann had a dream where
Jean told her goodbye.
As Jean achieved more maturity and the independence of a young
woman she and I often had minor clashes. The week before she died
I had occasion to talk with her alone in our kitchen. I told her
how much I admired and appreciated what a wonderful daughter she
was and all the good things she was doing. I told her she was a
great example for others and that she was a very good girl and that
I admired and appreciated her. This was the last personal conversation
we had together. I believe it was the spirit of God who prompted
me to talk to her and that it was a blessing to provide comfort
for the both of us. It has provided me a lot of comfort to have
had this conversation and I am so grateful that she did not die
without the opportunity to let her know how much I loved and admired
her.
A few days before Jean's auto accident she told her boyfriend Jordy
that she had a dream that she was killed in an automobile accident.
In our religion we have a man called as a Patriarch who gives a
special blessing to our members, usually in their teens although
it can be given at any age. Jean had her Patriarchal blessing one
week before her death and we received the typed blessing a day or
so before her accident and death. What is remarkable about this
is that almost always the blessings promise marriage, children and
various information to help in ones life choices. Each blessing
is different and one can look back on them years later and see how
they provided special guidance for their lives that was unknown
at the time of the blessing. We had read Jean's blessing before
her death and it did not provide any warning or information about
a shorter life. It contained lots or information about the good
things she would do and her example and so on. After her death
we read it again and marveled that we had not seen the fact that
it did not contain anything about mortal life like having children
or marriage. Everything in it was about things that an Angel can
do in Heaven though it did not say she would be an Angel and nothing
warned us of her impending death.
This was just one more item to help us know her death though considered
an accident in mortality was God's plan for her and that her life
is not in vain or without a plan and that she has yet to do great
things.
In our faith we give blessings to the sick and gave Jean a blessing
in the emergency room and promised her that she would stabilize.
Then she was rushed to the operating room to remove a ruptured spleen.
The doctors came to us after the operation and told us she was stabilized
and the prognosis looked good. They asked us to go to a waiting
room at intensive care where they would bring her for her recovery.
We moved to the waiting room and waited and waited and eventually
a doctor came to tell us Jean was having serious problems that they
were just discovering. They said her pelvis had numerous breaks,
a broken shoulder, broken ribs and that they may need to remove
a lung. We went into an adjoining hospital chapel and prayed for
her. I was voice and in my prayer I was told very clearly by the
spirit that I needed to release her and let her go. We discovered
later, that was almost the exact time she died.
My wife Ann felt Jean had a choice to remain and live a life without
a lung and probable handicaps, or go to heaven and that she chose
to go.
We developed a close friendship with officer McNeeley of the South
Ogden Police department. He was the first official at the accident
and climbed into the back seat to hold Jean's head from moving and
giver her comfort. In that period of time they communicated and
he encouraged her. We asked him to be with out sons, sons-in law
and Jordy to be the sixth pall bearer for Jean.
Jeans boyfriend Jordy had the hardest time and in many ways a harder
time than the family because they had a great love for each other
and had committed to get married after Jordy went on a church mission
and now it was not to be.
We are so happy that Jordy and Andrea (Jeans best friend) are now
married and are very happy together. They both knew Jean and loved
her and accept and respect each others love for Jean.
Jeans funeral and viewing had some remarkable incidences.
At the viewing one of the first in line was the Dow family (Andreas
family) and they presented to us the picture of Jesus with his arm
around Jean (see her memorial site) This picture has given our family
a lot of comfort as it symbolizes all we believe about Jean and
the Saviors love.
Jean was a Senator and very popular senior in her high school.
As the young girls came through the viewing line most would stand
back and were reticent to get close to the casket or to us. I was
the first in our family at the casket, then my wife and all of our
children. God blessed me with great compassion and strength beyond
my abilities to reach out and give each an embrace and comfort them.
Each of our family myself, my wife and each child were tremendously
strengthened and lifted up with the ability to accept and feel the
comforting spirit. It was almost as if it was us, not the viewers
who offered the greater comfort. Throughout the viewing and funeral
we were lifted up and comforted by God and I am sure Jean as well.
Our family was very close and Jean being the youngest was loved
most by all of us. The passing of Jean has brought our family closer
together than before.
As we planned the location for the funeral we were told the Bonnivile
High School Chorus Jean was in offered to sing at the funeral. There
was over 80 students in the chorus. As we planed the seating arrangements
for the students it became obvious that they would not fit in the
30 choir seats of our chapel. We were asked to reduce the chorus
to that amount and I refused to allow it. We were able to hold the
funeral in another larger chapel and seated them both in the choir
seats and on the right side of the chapel. They sang "How Great
Thou Art" and it sounded as if numerous Angels were singing
with them.
As it turned out there was over 600 in attendance with some in
the halls and standing. We would never have been able to seat or
have that many in our chapel. The funeral was on Monday, a school
day and the school graciously excused the students who wanted to
attend the the funeral.
At the time of Jean's passing our oldest daughter had four children
the youngest was under one. Our oldest son had three children but
lived a long way from us. As you can see in Jean's memorial
our daughter's children and Jean had a great love for each other.
Jean was not just a roll model for them but someone they had a loving
relationship with. What is especially remarkable about this is the
the youngest girl under a year at Jean's passing never had a chance
to know Jean. Yet she now talks about Jean as if she knew her. We
wonder how much the innocence of a child may have allowed her to
communicate with Jean where as we grow up we lose that ability.
Her knowledge of Jean is just too uncanny to explain any other way.
Jean touched a lot of lives in her short time. The high school
students presented to us a 3 foot x 30 foot paper banner with signatures
and notes that completely filled it. Students came to our steps
and placed candles and stood on the street. Students of all classes
those like her and those unlike her all expressed their respect
for her non judgmental love and respect she showed them. One student
wrote, "I never knew Jean but every time she passed me in the
halls she would smile at me."
We inserted this poem in the funeral program. |
