Return Home

It's December 2nd. That is the day I returned home from my mission 23 years ago. Today also marks 10 years since Shannon Cloward passed away. I still remember the life lessons she shared with us and I try to live by them. 

#1 - Always come to church

#2 - This is not my real home

#3 - Don't be scared about the future - focus on the day you're on

#4 - Read other people's accounts

#5 - Have an attitude of gratitude

#6 - Have confidence in yourself

#7 - Make it a priority to keep moving

#8 - Plan something fun

#9 - Life is a polishing experience

#10 - We don't own our problems, God does

I also felt it was significant when I learned of someone else who was called home to God today, and I want to share a little bit of what I've know about him. His name is Joshua Felton. 

He was just one month and one day younger than our Ethan and he passed away from cancer today at 19 years of age. My little brother Grant lives in Texas, and Joshua's family attends the same congregation as Grant's family. Grant spoke in sacrament meeting on October 24th, after we studied about Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail, and Grant prepared a message about how we can faithfully face our trials. Well there on the front row when he was speaking in his ward in Texas was the Felton family - with Joshua who had been battling cancer for 10 years and had been given a few months to live. His mom was there too - she had recently been released a day earlier from the hospital after having a stroke... Grant felt like they knew trials better than himself, and everyone in the ward knew what they were facing. They had lots of excuses to not be attendance at church that day, but there they were on the front row. Joshua wanted more than anything to serve a mission for the church. He knew he was dying, but wanted a temple recommend and to receive his endowment. This past Tuesday, his dad asked Grant to come and sit with him for a bit while the dad attended to his wife and other things. He told Grant to just enjoy the peace of being in the room with Josh. Josh had also recently had a stroke and struggled to communicate and mostly was just resting, occasionally motioning that he wanted a drink or something. No one knew he was going to pass away today, and Grant also admitted to us (in a family Marco Polo) that at first when he had been asked on that Tuesday to come over and help, it felt a little inconvenient to have to rearrange work calls and other things on his calendar. He considered saying he could help on another day, but also wouldn't have been able to help on another day, since Josh was 36 hours away from passing. Say yes now when the opportunities present themselves. Thankfully, that is what Grant  did - he listened to a prompting to help as he remembered that one of the reasons he wanted to work from home was so that he would be available to offer help at times like this. Grant didn't know that he was with someone who was so close to passing through the veil. He also thought today of how he would have regretted it the rest of his life if he had said no and then Josh passed away. Joshua Felton returned home to God today and now is able to be a missionary for Jesus Christ on the other side (we believe there is missionary work happening among the dead). I have never met Joshua, but he has touched my life, and I'm grateful my little brother Grant shared Joshua's story with us, and so he has touched our lives too. I want to be faithful like Shannon and Josh. December 2nd is the day that I remember that I want to do all I can to be worthy when I return HOME to Jesus and our Father in Heaven.