This picture is of Savannah and her best friend cousin, Addie a couple years ago during an Easter Egg hunt. I found this picture a couple weeks ago and I love it. They are so cute!
On January 25th we got a call early in the morning. I was actually downstairs sleeping with Abby because she had been sick in the night. Farris came down to wake me up and told me his mom had just called. His older sister Geri and her husband Cody were lifeflighting their daughter Savannah to the Pocatello hospital. She had some kind of an infection that was spreading through her whole body, and the Burley hospital couldn't handle it. They were letting us know so we could pray and gather things together so we could drive to Idaho if we needed to. Within an couple hours we got an update that Pocatello could not give her the help she needed and she was being prepped to fly to Primary Children's Hospital. Farris immediately began driving to Salt Lake to meet up with his family. I kept the kids home from school and waited. Farris was only gone about 30 minutes when we got one more phone call. Farris' brother in law Scott told us that she hadn't made it. He didn't know very many details, only that they were not in Salt Lake, she had died before making it to Primary's. It was a devastating moment. I can count on one hand all the young children I have personally known or been connected with that have died. I was completely shocked. How could Heavenly Father let this happen? This could not be His plan! Only about ten minutes after I called Farris to let him know, the phone rang again. It was my sister Melissa. She was at a conference in Boise and felt like she needed to call me. I bawled, she bawled, but through it all I was grateful for the tender mercies of our Lord. Melissa has always been the "comforter" in our family, she always seems to be around when anyone needs someone to cry with. And in that tiny moment Heavenly Father knew I needed that. How many other tender mercies were happening in our family at that moment? Melissa called all of my family to let them know. My family loves Farris' family and were always delighted to meet up with Geri and Cody at different places in Twin. Everyone in my family began calling to see what they could do to help. Is it any wonder that families are a part of Heavenly Father's plan? I don't know what any of us would have done without the support from our families. My parents were especially touched, they lost a son when he was only two, before I was born. There's always something especially hard when losing someone that young. I think all the "what would he be doing now?" go through your mind every day. My parents have such strong testimonies of the sealing power of the Temple, and wait for the day they will hold Todd again and be able to watch him grow. Isn't it amazing how Heavenly Father designed our lives so that every little thing that goes wrong or seems unfair will be taken care of through the Atonement? A favorite quote from today's morning session is from Elder Cook's talk on peace: "The Savior's atonement will overcome and compensate for all of the unfairness of mortal life and bring us peace." Yes, it will be so hard, but peace will come from the Savior and someday the last of that sadness will be taken away.
To get back to the story, Farris came back just to pack for the night and then he drove to Ogden to carpool to Idaho with his brother and sister. Since several of our kids were recovering from the flu I stayed with them. Before Farris left we gathered the kids and told them what had happened and talked about how Savannah was with her Grandpa again and with the Savior. We said a prayer for Geri and Cody and all the family. A memory kept coming back to me. A friend of mine had a brother killed in a car accident on the way to stake conference. A car load of the family, including my friend, had gone up earlier for the early morning youth session and they were pulled aside in the church to be told. Immediately they knelt down to pray together as a family. Yes, they were terribly saddened, and it was so hard, and they still miss him today, but they were strengthened through their strong faith in Christ. They felt that it wasn't an accident, that it was something that was supposed to happen and all part of Heavenly Father's plan for him and for their family. I can still picture them in a church classroom kneeling in a circle receiving comfort from their Savior. It is amazing that Heavenly Father does this for each of us that have gone through tragedy!
The funeral was a wonderful celebration of her life. Her viewing took hours longer than it was planned for. Geri and Cody are special to many people in Burley, and Savannah was loved by everyone who knew her. Her school class even sang a song they were learning in class at the funeral. Such sweet little voices who were glad to show how much they missed their friend. The most poignant part of the funeral was when everyone was invited to dance to a song. Cody picked up Addie, Savannah's favorite cousin, and danced with her, like he had done with Savannah. It was a beautiful way to say goodbye.
They picked the prettiest cemetery for her to be buried in. It's an old pioneer cemetery, up in the mountains. It's fairly secluded and not many people even know about it. Because it isn't used very much any more, the people who take care of it let it go mostly wild and they can plant anything they want for her. It's a wonderful place to remember her and feel peace.
Savannah was a happy, busy little girl that I always picture skipping and dancing. Like any kid I'm sure she had her moments, but I only remember her smiling. She was a miracle baby for them. She was prayed for, for a long time. When she did come, she came fast, she was actually delivered by her dad because the midwife didn't make it on time! Maybe Savannah knew her time was limited and wanted to get here as fast as possible. There was a complication with the cord being wrapped around her leg during the delivery, but she was healthy and loved. My mom made the comment that it wasn't that she was taken early, it was that Heavenly Father gave her parents 8 years with her because of their praying so earnestly for her. I do believe that, she was a blessing that they received because of Heavenly Father's love for them. In the obituary that Geri wrote, she asked for everyone to do something special with their family instead of sending flowers. She and Cody are wonderful parents, and are a good example for all of us. They ware great at spending time and serving their kids and really enjoying them. I hope I can focus on my kids as much as Geri and Cody do. And I continue to pray for peace to come to them, even as they continue to love and miss their Savannah Rose.
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