Little Samantha - Final Farewell

Besides moving Sean and Rachelle to their new place, our weekend was full of preparations for the viewing and funeral. They asked me to play a medley of songs for the funeral, so I spent time putting that together. I offered to design the program for the funeral, so I was honored to put that together. I also had the idea of finding butterfly pins that we could hand out to everyone to wear at the funeral. I was able to have a bunch of purple, yellow, and white nylon butterflies over-nighted, then we glued on pin backs. It was a very busy weekend, but we were able to get everything ready. They asked for everyone to wear purple and yellow to honor Samantha's life as those were her colors. Butterflies were also all over her room so they became very symbolic and meaningful throughout the week.

Tuesday night was the viewing. Once again, it broke our hearts to see little Sammie laying there. Someone custom made her casket and it was beautiful. Sean's mom made her the most gorgeous white dress with purple and yellow accents. She looked like an angel. We took the kids at the beginning of the viewing, then Josh's dad came and got them so we could stay until the end of the viewing. We were able to spend a lot of time with people from our ward as well as friends and family.

Wednesday morning we headed back to the church for the final viewing and funeral. Before they closed the casket, Rachelle handed each of the cousins a special stuffed animal that was Sammie's. So each of the kids now have one of Sammie's animals to always have with them. We said our final goodbye's to Sammie, then Sean and Rachelle had their last moment before they closed the casket. We filed into the cultural hall for the funeral.

The funeral was beautiful, sweet, and a perfect way to celebrate the short but impactful 18 months Samantha was with us. It took such strength and courage for Rachelle to stand up and talk, but hearing from her gave us all strength. She talked about going to the temple during that week and getting the confirmation that this was God's plan for Sammie. I was able to play a medley of I Am A Child of God, I Feel My Savior's Love, My Heavenly Father Loves Me, and God Be With You Til We Meet Again. Before Sean had even asked me to play at the funeral, I had these songs going through my head and I knew I was going to be asked to play. I had the easiest time putting this medley together, because I already knew what songs were meant to be played and how to put them together. I cried the entire time I played, as I could feel Samantha's spirit so close and so strong. It was made evident to me at that moment how happy Samantha was and how happy she had been while living in our home. After the funeral we drove to the cemetery for a sweet graveside service. We prayed, sang a few songs, and enjoyed the time we all had to be together.

 Our wonderful Relief Society held a luncheon for us after the graveside service. It was nice to be able to spend a little more time with family before we all headed home. It was sweet to see all the cousins running around with their "Sammie Animals."

 It was hard to believe that the 2 hardest weeks we've ever gone through were coming to an end. Most people say that it is after the funeral that the hardest part begins, and I now believe them. The amount of people praying for our family was so overwhelming. We felt their strength, the comfort, and peace that the prayers brought. The Lord carried us all through these 2 weeks, and will continue to help us and we each try our best to heal. For us, it means continuing on with life while being reminded of all the good memories in every corner of our house. For Rachelle and Sean, it means starting a new life in a new place...without their little girl. And although they are expecting a new baby in October, nothing can replace the void that has been left behind by a very special girl with a very special heart.