The Petersons: Living to the Max

The Rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the Rose,
The Moon doth with delight
Look round her when the heavens are bare;
Waters on a starry night
Are beautiful and fair;
The sunshine is a glorious birth;
But yet I know, where'er I go,
That there hath past away a glory from the earth.

We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind.

In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death.

Thanks to the human heart by which we live,

Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,

To me the meanest flower that blows can give

Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.

-William Wordsworth, excerpts from "Ode: Imitations of Immortality"

Who knew a poem I was assigned to read for humanities could capture my thoughts so well. It captures Wordsworth's belief in an immortal soul and his belief in nature's ability to inspire thoughts of heaven and remind us of our immortality. I share these beliefs with him.

I haven't been a member of the Peterson/Pinegar family for very long, but I know I am so blessed to have married into this wonderful and spiritual family. This weekend Grandpa Rex's twin brother passed away and yesterday we attended his funeral. It was a beautiful and bright afternoon filled with stories and tears as we gathered as a family to celebrate Max's life. I had only met Max once, at Spencer and Mckenna's wedding. I'm so lucky I got to meet him. He was very sweet and very interested in getting to know his new family members. From the stories I heard today I learned he has always been that outgoing. He has always deeply cared about others, and "mankind was his business".

I learned he lived "to the Max"and he loved "to the Max". It was not surprising to hear what a dedicated father, patriarch, brother, uncle, friend, and church leader he was. It was fun to hear Grandpa Rex tell stories of their mischievous boyhood days. It was touching for us all to learn that Max kept an index card in his pocket that said "where is thy brother?" to remind him to watch over and care for Rex. And although I did not have the pleasure of knowing him well in this life, I have learned enough to know that Max is still watching out for his brother.

I hope I can be like Max.

I'm grateful for the knowledge that I have as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that we have immortal souls. That families can live forever together! That there is no such thing as death; only a temporary separation. That Christ lives. I know these things are true. And I am grateful for this weekend for reminding me.