Sad days

Mike and I got news Wed. night that a friend of ours had passed away. Our friends, Catherine and Luke Short moved out of our ward at church a couple of years ago, and even though they didn't move far, we really didn't see them as often as before. We still kept in contact via e-mail and children. They have 3 daughters and 1 son. Their oldest daughter is Sammi's age, and their youngest daughter is Jessi's age, and the girls have been pretty good friends. So every so often they would come to birthday parties or visa versa. Well, on Wed. Luke died of an anerism at the young age of 38(?). This news shocked us and all around us. It's the one thing we all fear, but never want to happen, especially to anyone we know. I can't help but think of Catherine when she had to tell her children the news. My heart literally breaks at the thought of any child getting that news let alone children I know. When you get news like this, it is hard not to put yourself in their place and really ponder how you would cope. But also you think about the person and how he touched your life. We met Luke and Catherine at church. Our children were really close in ages, so it made sense that we started to hang out. Luke always seemed really quiet and mellow, but he was always so nice to everyone. I remember one time we had a few families over to play cranium. We played in couples and Luke and Catherine got the question "What was the first video played on MTV?" I remember the question so clearly because instead of just answering it, Luke started singing "Video killed the radio star" Catherine joined in and they were swaying to the beat, and I was so shocked to see this normally quiet guy not afraid to sing out in front of everyone. From then on, I knew the quiet was just a facade. He went paintballing with Mike several times over the years too, and somehow the guys seem to form a bond while shooting each other. Mike and Luke both worked on construction sites often and would occasionally run into each other at work too. So they both could relate to each other on a work level as well. But the real bond comes from knowing the Savior, Jesus Christ. Luke lived his faith on a daily basis. He went to church every Sunday, accepted callings, served in the community, and spent lots of time with his family. He was a good example to all who knew him. He coached soccer, I think, every year that I knew him, and last year my 8 year old brother was on his team. My step mom talked about how during the games, all the other coaches would yell at the kids to run, or shout at them to do this or that. But not Luke, he always found a way to let the kids know what they should do in a kind manner. I know that though his family will miss him deeply, that this is not the end for them. They have the blessing of their family being sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. In my LDS religion, we believe that the power to bind on earth and in heaven inside the Lord's temple has been restored to the Earth in the the latter days by the prophet Elijah himself. This is a great comfort during times like these, to know with every fiber of your being that you will be with your family again. I know that Heavenly Father loves us enough to make this possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ. And I testify that families truly can be together forever. In Jesus Christ's name, Amen.

For those of you that knew them here is the funeral information:
Funeral Services for Luke Short
will be
Monday, January 14, 2008
9:30 am - Viewing
11:00 am Funeral
at
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
79th Avenue and Acoma
Peoria, AZ 85381

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Donations can be made to the

Cathryn Short Fund
account # 1001143272 routing # 122105359

at Johnson Bank
3131 East Camelback Road
Suite 100
Phoenix, AZ 85016