22 September 2024
VOLUME 12 – NUMBER 574
Children at Aura’s funeral
On Saturday, we went to Aura's funeral. It was a really heartfelt funeral. You could see all the people that Aura touched, and there were so many!
After the funeral, we had lunch in the church’s gym. The food there was great. There was such a variety of food, and it was delicious, especially the desserts!
Aura’s funeral invitation
I have been thinking about Aura a lot. I have to remind myself that she is in a better place. It has been really hard for me, because I had never lost anyone so close and dear to me.
But I do have a testimony about we are going to see her again, and that families are forever. Even though Aura is not here on earth, she will always be loved and remembered forever. I am very grateful to have an older sister who was amazing in everything. Aura stayed strong no matter what.
During the funeral, the entire family sang I Am a Child of God—one verse in English and one verse in Spanish. While signing in Spanish, I started to get emotional. I could really feel the spirit of Aura. Even if she’s not here, we will all have the opportunity to see her again.
Gloria and Mattias at Aura’s funeral
The Hale Centre Theatre play that was showing this week was The Magicians Elephant. It was a pretty decent play, and I think the best parts of it were the crazy props.
This weekend, we went to Aura’s celebration of life. It was difficult, but happy at the same time. We as a family got up and sang I Am a Child of God, in English and Spanish. Yaretzie’s words about her mom were also so touching.
The food afterwards looked so good! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to eat a lot of it because I was still recovering from having my wisdom teeth pulled.
During the lunch, they passed around a microphone, and people were able to share some stories of Aura, and talk about how amazing she truly was.
Family waiting for funeral to start
Saturday was Aura’s funeral. It has been hard for me for the past two weeks. We went over early to help set things up with the Olders.
Our Family sang I Am a Child of God, one verse in English and one in Spanish. It was sad, but also had a light mood. I know that Aura is in heaven, and that she is in a better place. Her pain is gone.
After the program, we went into the church’s gym. We ate food and talked with each other. It was very light mooded. The food there was delicious.
Veidi’s chalk drawing of Dora
On Wednesday, I went to youth night. Our activity was planning future activities. Then I asked Mom if I could walk Taylor Danielson and Eisley Horner home. She said yes. Mom and Dad have been helping me get my own group of friends, so I am not always depending on Gloria’s friends.
We walked home together, and we were talking about what to be for Halloween. We decided we are going to do a trio—the three witches of the movie Hocus Pocus.
On Friday, I went to babysit Ellie and Charlie. Braden came and got me, and I did school at their place until Braden and Brooke had to leave. Then I played with Ellie and Charlie. We did Playdoh, and then I turned on a show for them while I was getting dinner ready.
We ate dinner, and then we watched a show until they had to go to bed. I got them ready for bed and read them a book before I put them down to bed. Then I watched a couple of shows until Braden and Brooke came back, and Braden took me home, I had a fun time taking care of them.
Troy, Veidi, and Kai playing cards
Saturday was Aura’s funeral. Mom woke me up early so I could get ready. Then we got to the church and helped finish setting up. We also practiced singing in the chapel.
I did not realize how many people were going to be there, which shows how many people cared about Aura. When we were singing, I did not think I would cry, but I did. It just came out, and I could not stop. The talks also made me cry more. I was so sad, but also happy because she is now in a better place.
We had delicious food after, and we cleaned up once it was over. It was rough, and I miss Aura lot. People shared a lot of memories of Aura, and it made me feel good inside, thinking about how many people she had touched in her life.
Family waiting for funeral to start
Aura’s funeral was this week. It was so good to be together as a family to remember her. Last month, when Mom and Dad old us that Aura only had a few weeks to live, I was worried that Brooke and I might not be able to attend Aura’s funeral. She actually passed away the same weekend we drove out to Utah. I am glad that we were able to be here for her celebration of life.
One of our favorite things about being back in Utah is that we can go to the temple so much more frequently. In North Carolina, we would go probably four times per year, since the closest temple was a two and a half hours away. So far, we’ve been to the temple every week since we’ve been back in Utah.
Attending the Saratoga Springs temple
This week I bought a new game called Khorra. It is a game where you have to build your kingdom, and whoever has the most points in the end wins. Its really fun. Kai and I played it a while ago with our cousin James at a Thanksgiving reunion, and I've been wanting to get it for a while now.
I played a couple games with Braden and Brooke, London, Keaton, Endia, and Cougar. We had a lot of fun every time we played it.
I've only won a couple of times, and it seems that every time Kai plays against us, he always wins. Hopefully the next time I play, I will be able to beat him!
Isaac helping children get ready
The service for Aura was so beautiful. It was so nice to see how the family came together to help prepare everything. Aura’s friends and co-workers also helped so much, including catering very delicious Mexican food for the luncheon.
Natalie did such a good job helping to bring everything together, including hundreds of photos of Aura strung out along the walls, and on tables.
One of my favorite parts was when we all sang I Am a Child of God together as a family, and I was also so impressed by the talk that Yaretzie shared during the service. You did so good, Yaretzie!
Family at Aura’s house after funeral