Twelve years ago, I received a call from my stepmother, Maurine. She asked me to attend a business meeting with her then invited me to go to dinner. I had a church meeting scheduled for that night, so I had a decision to make as to whether I'd go to the meeting or join Maurine. An obligation versus spending time with a loved one. I've always felt family should come first, so I missed the meeting to be with Maurine. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Five days later, Maurine died in a violent plane crash. I've been to many meetings since. I don't remember what was accomplished in most of them. Maybe we changed some lives and helped some people. I'm not anti-meeting, but my life was forever touched by that time with Maurine that night.
Some time ago, a new convert to the Church came to our bishop with a problem. I happened to overhear the conversation. The young man said that he knew he made a commitment to attend Church meetings on Sunday, but that his parents had a camping trip planned for the coming weekend. For him to miss it would cause difficulty with his family. The bishop wisely asked the young man, "What's more important than family?" Sometimes we must set family needs aside, but as a general rule, it is usually best error for the family.
Those who are dear to us should be our priority. Typically, they will not die if we don't see them, but I was certainly impressed by the drama of my decision to spend time with Maurine on that night. She was most important to me. I had my priorities straight. Whenever a loved one passes on, there is a certain level of guilt. Maurine's death was no exception, but a lot of guilt was eliminated as a result of our time together. But the important aspect is that Maurine and I felt a bond that night. She knew I loved her and I knew she loved me. That was significant the last night I spent with her and remains so these twelve years later.
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