Who Can Overcome Death?

October 4, 1950

 The very first appearance of Snoopy, the beagle who is larger than life, brings a smile and then a tear. Somehow he has acquired a flower on the top of his head which he trots along with such contentment. Only to be let down when a nice little girl chooses to water it, as she has done with her flower bed. Sadly the flower droops and the girl is not even there to see what her actions have caused.

This reminds me of the loss of something truly great. Sometimes illnesses come and the outcome of such illnesses are not exactly what we want or expect. We want to get better, we want the lives of our friends to keep going and for the good thing to last. But that isn't always the thing that happens.

My friend, Spencer, a good man, really the best man; so caring, so kind, and so loving was taken from this life because of pancreatic cancer last year. He was taken from his young wife, Meg. When I had heard that his cancer was nearly always fatal, that I was going to only have a short time to be with him, I sobbed. I remember driving my wife home and explaining to her through tears that I couldn't handle it if my friend, who had his whole life ahead of him, was going to die. I thought, it wasn't fair. How is it that I can live while one of my friends passes away?

His cancer progress and he wasn't getting any better. The free moments that we had, we would visit him and his wife in the hospital. We made a cake to celebrate Meg's birthday in the hospital. I asked myself, if he eats this cake am I even helping him?

I sat with him. Listened to him in his final days. I exercised my priesthood to give him a blessing from Heavenly Father of comfort and to let him know that he is and will continue to be loved. He teared up several times with us there and in the wake of such beautiful blessings of comfort.

Sarah and I sang to him when he wasn't awake in the hospital. Different songs of comfort that had special messages of hope. I have to believe that he heard them, even though he had a breathing tube and his eyes were closed.

I miss him.

I wrote the music for a special musical number at his funeral. The Lord wrote the words:

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

And that, my friends, is the message of hope. One that Snoopy probably didn't even get to find out with his flower drooping on his head. A message that "Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death...goodness and mercy will follow us all our days."

I know that Spencer (and all those who die) will live again! Though tragedy strike us when we least expect it, we do not have to taste the sting of death! No, Jesus Christ made that all possible. When our flowers droop and die, metaphorically, they will be brought back to life.

After this life, we have so much to look forward to. There is so much to look forward to. A goodness that if we have faith and believe in the mercy of an Everlasting God who loves us, we will be blessed with. "He restoreth my soul." The Everlasting Father does this.

Snoopy will smile again!