A Funeral Oration

When I heard the news that Grandma had passed away, I had no words to say. I was speechless, astonished. Then, when I was alone, I prayed. I prayed for Grandma of course as we had been doing in the temple for seven days already, but I also thought about what she had left behind—four children who had to survived to give her eight grandchildren. I prayed that we would continue by honoring her memory through being good to each other in through this rough time and all rough times to come. I prayed that God would grant me the strength and compassion to get through this season. I prayed that God would grant my parents a firmness in order to elevate and uplift souls. I prayed for my younger cousins, as well as my older cousins, who had not yet witnessed the extent of the world’s sorrows. I prayed that God would shield and protect my aunts and uncles, survivors of a genocide which had wiped out one quarter of our homeland’s population, that they would hold their heads up high, never to be ashamed or regretful of the past, but instead to cherish these memories which we have been so blessed to accumulate. Looking back, I see that God has answered my prayers. During this past week, we’ve really come together as a family, being there with one another no matter how much it hurts. Even we though we’ve had our Christmas ruined by this news, we’ve stuck together and made it. This is what would have made Grandma proud. She loved nothing more than to see the bright faces of her family, staying strong and helping eachother. This is what Grandma has left us with—eachother.