The Lovells

I've been meaning to blog about this special family for quite some time now.  Darren Lovell (far left) is Burke's boss and a stake president out in Enoch.  He rooted for Burke and secured him the job at Western Ag when the other interviewers were thinking of going another direction.  He has been so good to Burke and our family.  As I learned more about their family, I became even more impressed with them, especially as I heard about the recent trials of their oldest son Cole (holding the baby in yellow).  Cole had returned from an LDS mission at age 21 and married his wife Taleena (standing behind Cole) fairly quickly after coming home.  Within a few months he was diagnosed with cancer and was told they would probably never have children, that his leg would have to be amputated and that his chances for surviving were grim.  Due to many prayers on Cole's behalf and despite all the odds, Cole's leg was spared, he made it through an intense year of treatments and his wife became pregnant and gave birth to their sweet little baby, Aspen, all as Cole fought hard to recover.  The family was elated when they learned Cole was in remission.

Just a week after our move to Cedar City, we were at an Ag dinner sitting across from Darren and his wife Cami when we found out that Cole was having pains in his legs again and would be going in the next day to find out if his cancer had returned.  Tragically, it had.  From August to November, Cole's health rapidly deteriorated until the cancer finally took his life on November 2, 2013.  

During these months, Burke would come home with frequent updates on Cole and the Lovell family.  Each morning when he went to work, Burke felt as though he were able to have a deeply spiritual devotional with Darren and Vicki as they discussed life and death, faith and doubt and a myriad of gospel topics pertaining to this enormous trial.  When it was clear that Cole's life was coming to a close, we were amazed by the peace and strength that was exhibited by their family.  Though I never met Cole myself, my heart ached for the Lovells and especially for Cole's young bride and precious 9-month-old baby girl.  I tried to imagine what it would be like for me to lose my Burkie and was struck with how challenging the road would be for this young widowed mother.  

A few days after Cole's passing, Burke and I had to go to South Jordon for a health screening at Western Ag's headquarters.  To our great surprise, Cami and Darren came with us.  We felt so privileged to have uninterrupted time with them to express our condolences and to hear how they were holding up.  I will never forget the conversation we had that day as they prepared their talks for Cole's funeral in the backseat as we drove the 6 hours to and from Salt Lake.  They told us of all the miracles that had taken place during his illness and at the time of his passing and the great peace that followed, comforting and strengthening the entire family in the wake of the tragedy.  One of their sacred experiences that especially touched my heart was hearing how the entire family sat by his bedside late into the night until he took his final breath sometime around 2:32 AM.  At 2:33, his baby girl, Aspen, who had been slumbering peacefully in the next room suddenly awoke with a series of coos and giggles.  When they went to check on her, she was reaching her little hands out and starring with a fixed grin at a spot in the room, as if her Daddy stood above her, saying his goodbyes.  This, and many other stories, were faith builders for me and brought an extra measure of peace as we attended his funeral on Friday, November 8.

Through this whole process, as we observed second-hand the trial the Lovell family faced with such fortitude and faith, I was struck time and time again with the reality of the eternal nature of our souls and the promise we have been given in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that if we are sealed together by the proper priesthood authority, our families can and will be together for eternity.  Yes, it is heartbreaking to see Cole taken from his family at the tender age of 23.  Yes, there will be grief at the separation.  However, the gospel of Jesus Christ supersedes all that pain and longing with the promise of a joyful reunion some day.  I am so grateful that I know, without doubt, that our spirits live on, even when they are separated from our bodies.  I am grateful for stalwart examples of faith and courage and how my own faith grew from watching them rise above the heartache with full trust in the plan of a loving Heavenly Father.