Last summer, on the priest's summer trip, we stayed at a camp site that was outside of Salina, Utah. The spot belongs to the family of our Young Men president. It was a beautiful spot, and I appreciated the willingness of his family to let us use it.
Near where we camped, in the middle of nowhere, we found this grave site for a girl named Holly Barrett. She died at age 14, a few months before her 15th birthday. The grave has been there for 40 years. It made you feel pretty sober, standing above that headstone surround by sagebrush.
I've asked myself many times since, "Who was Holly? What was she like? How did she die?" Our youngest daughter was 14 at the time, so you can imagine what my thoughts were like.
One morning, we had a little exercise. The priests visited the grave site, and when they got back, we asked them the following questions, and let them take turns answering them.
- Before leaving this life, what is one thing you want to be sure to do?
- How can you make the most of your life today—right now?
- What is the difference between real happiness and fun, satisfaction or pleasure?
- If you knew you would die today, what is one thing you would change today?
P.S. If anyone out there knows who Holly is, please let me know by commenting on this blog. Thank you.