Family Crisis

All I remember is the phone ringing and my missionary companion saying, "It was the mission President, should we give him a call back during our studies?" As a missionary for my church, one rule my companions and I always tried to follows was to leave phone calls until after we had finished our morning studies. This was a special occasion however, the mission president never called us. Due to that, we always new it was important if we saw his number pop up on the screen. "Call him back right away," I said giving my companion the go. The next words I heard made my heart stop for a brief moment.....
"Sister Elkington, your mother called, and I'm afraid we have some bad news."
My worst nightmare was coming true. Those are never the right words for someone to say to you when you have been away from your home and family for over a year, knowing that you still have six months before  you will see their faces again.
"Your cousin, Brandon has passed away."
Immediately I started sobbing. Through my tears I heard my mission president say, " We are so very sorry. Tell us more about Brandon. We wish we could be there for your right now, know that we are thinking of your and praying for you."
With tears streaming down my face, I relayed some of my favorite memories I had of my cousin.
"I remember playing on the ditch banks outside my house and building cities in them with Brandon and my brothers. We had so much fun that summer." I found myself smiling at the memory.
"He would always offer to take me to movies with him, and he gave me a nick name when I was little that stuck with me all while I was growing up. I loved it when he called me by my nickname." The list of memories continued......
The following weeks were hard. Some nights I would cry myself to sleep because it was so hard not being with my family at such a difficult time.
Even though this experience was extremely different for each of us in different ways, it has helped us to understand and enjoy life more. We have received comforting knowing that families really are forever and that we will see our loved ones again. If we had reacted differently to the passing of my cousin, it could have had a different outcome entirely on our family. We chose to come together and find strength from each other rather than trying to deal with it alone. Although this experience was pain, it had a bonding effect that has strengthened us as a whole. Each person will face struggles and trials in life. Those trials can seem to be a heavy load, however, if each individual in a family comes together to lift, the load will be lighter for everyone. So give support to others, look for support yourself, and know that by lifting together you will all become stronger.