Hero #4

"Sister Ann"

There are angels who enter your lives whose influence you will feel forever. Ann Steers is one of those angels. The day John's body was found, Emily's sister Tami looked at me and asked "How are you going to tell your children?" I looked back at her realizing the awesome task this was going to be. I had almost forgotten my little ones in Colorado, who only months earlier had been splashing in the Florida ocean and looking at planes with Uncle John. Who every time they saw a plane said "There's Uncle John's plane," and who were so excited about Uncle John's baby growing in Aunt Emily's tummy. Who woke up Saturday morning to find Mommy gone to Florida to help look for Uncle John because he was lost.

I was hundreds of miles away and couldn't hold my little ones and find the words to teach them about the plan of salvation in a way they would understand. All this went through my mind while looking at Tami, and the only thing I knew to do was pick up the phone and call Ann. Ann is Trenton's preschool teacher, Kali's nursery leader and my dear friend. Her LDS preschoolers call her "Sister Ann." As my friend said, "She speaks to children as I imagine Christ would speak to children more than anyone I've ever met." In nursery she had the children playing the ressurection of Christ from the Tomb. Children feel like a million bucks around her, and I feel she was specially prepared to help our little family.

I'll never forget the conversation that ensued. She said calmly, "Julie I know what to do. I have been praying about this and have felt so strongly about what to tell your little ones. I'm going to go over tonight and have a Family Home Evening with Steve and the kids. When my grandpa died we had a family party at the beach. I will tell them about this party we had when Grandpa went up to heaven. I will remind them of the parties you had when Blake came down from Heaven to join your family." And she did just that. She took the kids to the store to buy party supplies. She and Steve held FHE and explained that coming to the earth and returning to heaven are joyous events. She had Steve tell them that John had died and was now in heaven and explained that there were so many people there having a party with him, welcoming him home: Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc. She showed them the picture of the trumpeting angels at Christ's second coming and gave them party blowers. They had a party, lit candles and had treats. The ward had passed around a sign up sheet to watch the kids so Steve could be with me in Florida, but Ann wouldn't hear of it. She did not want them passed from house to house and insisted on keeping them until JeVonne arrived.

Her lesson has shaped my children's testimony in a way I will forever be grateful for. When our fish, Midnight, died, Trenton said with a grin, "It's OK Mom, Midnight's in heaven having a party with Uncle John right now!" We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

For this Sister Ann is my hero.

Ann with Trenton after the "Where the Wild Things Are" Preschool Party.