Sally Meservy

I have known Sally since I was about six or seven years old. She has always been a part of my life. I have many memories that include her, but I cannot pinpoint just one event that can really explain how much she meant to me. So I have chosen to write a little about my thoughts and feelings the weekend she died.

We had planned to bless our new baby, Sarah, on 3 November-just two days after Sally's death. That Saturday night (2 November), I was driving home from a restaurant and a thought occurred to me. I knew Sally had delivered her babies without painkillers and that is the way I chose to deliver Sarah. It was an incredible experience for me, and I was excited to share it with someone who not only had experienced it herself but was an important friend and influence to me. As I drove home, I realized that I had not had the chance to discuss Sarah's birth with Sally. It wasn't that big of a deal, but I was disappointed. I tried to comfort myself by saying (aloud), "I'll see Sally again. I will talk to her again," I have always believed in the resurrection as a basic part of the gospel. While I was in the M.T.C. preparing for my mission, I sought and received an undeniable confirmation of the reality of the resurrection. I know I will see Sally again. But that night I started to wonder. I know families are eternal and family relations are forever, but what about the relationship between a former Beehive leader and one of her girls? Would our relationship endure? Sally comes from a big family, and she has a lot of children of her own. Would she be too busy with her own family to talk to me, just a neighbor? And if she did talk to me, would we even care to discuss the pains of mortality-even those associated with the beautiful act of childbearing? As I thought, a scripture came to my mind: "When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves. And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy" (D&C 130:1-2). I believe these verses testify that our relationships are eternal. Largely because of her effort, Sally and I have enjoyed a lasting friendship after all of those sleep-over parties and girls' camp experiences have ended. That friendship can go on even after this life.

The day we blessed Sarah was an interesting one. It was a day of celebration for us as we welcomed our new precious daughter into our lives. But it was a day of mourning for the ward and for our family. DeAnn Lee and Sally always said there are criers and there are noncriers. DeAnn is a crier. Sally feels emotions just as deeply, but she is a noncrier. My sisters and I fancy ourselves noncriers. Except for Kathryn. She has gone to the other side (DeAnn's side) where she can cry freely and often. That weekend, no one could have guessed that we are Rawlins girls and not Kemptons. My husband mentioned that it was a great tribute to Sally that so many people felt a personal loss by her death. We didn't mourn just for the Meservy family. We truly mourned with the Meservy family. As I got up on Sunday to get Sarah ready for her big day, I kept thinking about her name. Sarah is named after my husband's grandma and my great-grandma. Sally was named for her grandma, Sara. Sally is a form of the name Sarah, and her youngest daughter shares that name. I knew that when I chose Sarah for my daughter's name. When Helaman named his sons Nephi and Lehi, he told them the reason: "Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good. Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them" (Helaman 5:6-6). Although technically, Sarah was not named after Sally, because of the timing of her blessing, I will always associate her name with Sally. I hope Sarah can fulfill Helaman's challenge to honor her name that it may be said of her as it has been said of Sally: that she was good. The day our family gathered to celebrate our baby's life became, for me, a personal celebration for Sally's life. She was a gift from God to us.

There are so many little ways Sally has influenced my life I didn't even realize before. The morning of Sarah's blessing I stuck a bow on her head with a little corn syrup. My brother-in-law watched me and asked, "What are you doing?" I realized that was a little trick I learned one Sunday morning watching Sally get Brighton ready for church. Sally told me there were other things you could use to stick bows on baby heads, but she liked to lick her fingers afterwards. Naturally, after Sarah's bow was in place, I licked my fingers. I have learned practical things from Sally: if you want streak-free windows, you should use newspaper to clean them. I have learned social skills from Sally: when I was thirteen, I made a goal that when I grew up, I would always treat thirteen-year-olds the way Sally treated me-like I was a real person and not just another teenager who could be dismissed. She listened to us and treated us like peers, while maintaining a positive authority and respect. This was Sally's talent. This is not my talent. But I remember my goal and am trying. I have learned spiritual things from Sally: it is hard to separate the aspects of my testimony and know who has influenced me. I know I cannot separate Sally's influence on my testimony from the influence of my parents. I have had many leaders in the church, but none I have loved more than Sally. (Although there are some leaders I love just as much.) John the Beloved said of the Savior, "We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:10). I love Sally because I know I am loved by Sally. My mission president taught us that our investigators would first know the love of God for them through us, through our love for them. I learned of Heavenly Father's love for me through Sally. She lived a life filled with service and Christ-like love. My dad said of her that she seemed to have limitless energy, and used it for the benefit of all those around her.

If I had to choose a favorite scripture, it would be Mosiah 16:8-9. Abinadi is teaching the wicked priests of King Noah about the atonement of Christ. Without Christ, death would mean captivity. "But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." For me, the sting of Sally's death is swallowed up by my knowledge of Sally's faith in Christ. I know she believed. I also believe and have faith in Him. I know that because of His resurrection, we will be resurrected and there can be no more death. His life is endless, as is His light. I have a little of my own light inside, but my light is limited and can go out. When I am close to Christ, His endless light can shine in me and through me. He tells us, "Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (3 Nephi 12:16). Later He adds, "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up-that which ye have seen me do" (3 Nephi 18:24). These scriptures typify Sally's life in my eyes. She had faith in Christ and held up His light for us to see. We saw her good works and thank our Heavenly Father for her life. She has glorified Him through the way she lived. I hope to honor her memory by improving myself.