Thursday, November 20, 2008

COME WHAT MAY AND LOVE IT

It was just one yer ago this week that Sharon was diagnosed with leukemia and what a year it has been. We as a family look back on this year with no regrets. We to a person would say that is has been one of, if not the best year of our lives. As we gathered as a family a year ago, we petitioned our Heavenly Father that we be given a chance to fight and fight we did. We left absolutely nothing on the table and reached out and took advantage of everything medical science had to offer. We didn't ultimately win the fight for life, but we won in so many other ways. During this year relationships were strengthened, lessons were taught and learned, and preparations were made that will enable us to move forward. Most of all we gained strength as a family that we never knew that we had. We found out how important friends and friendships are and how you can gain strength from the thoughts and prayers of others.
We are deeply grateful for all of you that have trod this path with us and for all you do every day to make us better individuals. We hope that you have learned and grown from the experiences that we have shared with you. Our wife, mother, nana and friend was a wonderful strong and talented woman and taught us all what it means to have "Courage," Heart," and a "Brain," and to understand that there is "No Place Like Home." Her legacy will live on in the lives of her children and grandchildren and we hope that you will follow them through their blogs and perhaps and occasional post here by Ricky and me. If you need a little "Sharon Fix," we hope you will come back and look at some pictures and read the wonderful tributes give by her children.
The last weekend of her life we spent enjoying General Conference together and sitting at the feet of Prophets and being taught what we should do with our lives. It seemed like every talk was directed at us, but two talks struck both of us as being particularly relevant to where we were in our lives. Elder Joseph Wirthlin spoke of the advice of his mother when she told him; "Come What May and Love It." As we have gone through this past year the principles that he taught have been a big part of our being able to move forward and face our challenges. The four principles are:
  • Learn to Laugh
  • Seek for the Eternal
  • Understand the Principle of Compensation
  • Trust in the Father and the Son

Every day during that last week when anything would happen Sharon would remind me and continues to remind me still; "Come What May and Love It."

I encourage you to read this talk and enjoy the lessons learned as much as we have; www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-9,00.html

Jeff spoke in his talk of Hope and Hope is certainly what sustains us as we go forward with our lives. President Uchtdorf gives some real insight in his talk; "The Infinite Power of Hope" which I believe will benefit us all; www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-7,00.html

As we conclude this chapter of our lives, I would like to leave with you two scriptures. The first from the Prophet Ether in the Book of Mormon in Ether Chapter 12; "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with a surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." This scripture is what brings us peace and assurance of what lies ahead as we go forward with our lives. And the last scripture is Sharon's favorite and the way she led her life. It comes from the Doctrine and Covenants Section 6; "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not....be faithful, keep my commandments and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven." It is this knowledge and this Hope that allows us to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

REMEMBERING SHARON PART4

It's hard to believe that Sharon passed away one month ago today. Although she is gone, as Shalaine said we know that she is with us and helping us to move forward with our lives. We all continue to be amazed at the love and support that we are getting from all of you. I am reminded of the quote that Greg put on the white board at the City of Hope when we went for the bone marrow transplant. "In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincable summer." (Albert Dumas) Every day I understand this more as "WE MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Below is Jeff's talk from Sharons Funeral. It is a perfect statement of our understanding and belief as a family. I hope you enjoy it.

HOPE


Throughout history man has voiced the questions, “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” Ever since I can remember I have known the answers to these questions. My mother taught them to me. As I have grown I have come to know that what she taught me is true. I now know these things, independent of any other person.

The answers to these questions are firmly rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Prophets have called it the plan of salvation and “the great plan of happiness”. Through inspiration we can understand this plan of eternity and use it to guide our path in mortality.

The gospel teaches us that we are the spirit children of heavenly parents. Before our mortal birth we had “a pre-existent, spiritual personality, as the sons and daughters of the Eternal Father”. We were placed here on earth to progress toward our destiny of eternal life. These truths give us a unique perspective and different values to guide our decisions from those who doubt the existence of God and believe that life is the result of random processes.

Our understanding of life begins with a council in heaven. There the spirit children of God were taught his eternal plan for their destiny. We had progressed as far as we could without a physical body and an experience in mortality. To realize a fullness of joy, we had to prove our willingness to keep the commandments of God in a circumstance where we had no memory of what preceded our mortal birth.

In the course of mortality, we would become subject to death, and we would be soiled by sin. To reclaim us from death and sin, our Heavenly Father’s plan provided us a Savior, whose atonement would redeem all from death and pay the price necessary for all to be cleansed from sin on the conditions he prescribed.

Satan had his own plan. He proposed to save all the spirit children of God, assuring that result by removing their power to choose and thus eliminating the possibility of sin. When Satan’s plan was rejected, he and the spirits who followed him opposed the Father’s plan and were cast out.

All mortals who have been born on this earth chose the Father’s plan and fought for it. Many of us also made covenants with the Father concerning what we would do in mortality. In ways that have not been revealed, our actions in the spirit world influence us in mortality.

Although Satan and his followers have lost their opportunity to have a physical body, they are permitted to use their spirit powers to try to frustrate God’s plan. This provides the opposition necessary to test how mortals will use their freedom to choose. Satan’s most strenuous opposition is directed at whatever is most important to the Father’s plan. Satan seeks to discredit the Savior and divine authority, to nullify the effects of the Atonement, to counterfeit revelation, to lead people away from the truth and to contradict individual accountability. He desires all to be “miserable like unto himself”. He would have us loose our faith in our Fathers plan and destroy our hope in Jesus Christ, the Savior of all Mankind.

The loss of my mother has been the most painful experience in my life. While there have been trying and tragic events in my past this has pained my soul deeply.

Since the time my mother was diagnosed with leukemia last November it has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for us as a family. While we were experiencing the highs and lows of this journey there was always hope. I always hoped for something better, a brighter day, for my mom. It was hope that pushed us forward, caused us to take action and move forward with faith.

Alma describes this perfectly when he exclaimed, “And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

The word hope is sometimes misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word often has a hint of uncertainty. For example, we may say that we hope for a change in the weather or a visit from a friend. In the language of the gospel, however, the word hope is sure, unwavering, and active. The prophet Moroni taught, "Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men…" (Ether 12:4).

As I was with my mother this past Sunday afternoon and witnessed her passing from this life into the next, it seemed to me that all hope was lost. The despair was overwhelming. My wife, Jennifer, and I have spoken in quiet times since about this.

As the minutes have inched past since Sunday afternoon, I have reached for hope and have realized that it has never left me. My hope and faith is the “anchor to my soul.”

Our ultimate hope must be anchored to the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”

An understanding of that objective should help us approach the future with faith instead of fear, with a more excellent hope in place of despair.

Samuel Smiles wrote: “ ‘Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.’ … Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination.”


A modern day apostle, listed among my mother’s favorites, if not the favorite, was Neal A. Maxwell. She loved the way he spoke and enjoyed the books he wrote. It seemed as if after every general conference she would say to me, “did you hear Elder Maxwell’s talk, wasn’t it great…I can hardly wait to read and study it when it is published, so hopefully I can understand it.”

Elder Maxwell is not only related to my mother thru her mothers line but he also endured a battle with leukemia, which took his life in 2004.

In closing, I quote Elder Maxwell on the plan of salvation…the great plan of happiness:

“Life turns out, however, to be just what one would expect of a deliberately constructed proving and tutoring experience which features opportunities, choices, and deprivations. Furthermore, there is no way around—the only way to go is through!

And what a “through” it is!

Hence, brothers and sisters, for the faithful, our finest hours are sometimes during or just following our darkest hours.

It is an incredible irony, therefore, that some complainingly attempt to use the very tutoring process of the Lord against Him. Or resent the reality that we are to walk by faith during this mortal experience.

Furthermore, since this life is such a brief experience, there must be regular exit routes. Some easy. Some hard. Some sudden. Others lingering. Therefore, we cannot presume, even by faith, to block all these exits, all the time, and for all people. Nor, if possessed of full, eternal perspective, would we desire so to do.

Since certain recollections are withheld, we do not now see the end from the beginning. But God does. Meanwhile, we are in what might be called “the murky middle.” Therein, however, we can still truly know that God loves us, individually and perfectly, even though we cannot always explain the meaning of all things happening to us or around us. (See 1 Ne. 11:17.) With an understanding of God’s plan of salvation, we know that the rejoicing, the striving, the suffering, the tutoring, and the enduring experiences of life all play their part in an intelligible process of helping us, if we will, to become, as the Savior beckoningly invited, “even as I am.” (3 Ne. 27:27.) Hence, in submitting knowingly and meekly to this plan, we cannot say to the Lord that we are willing to surrender but only on our terms. There are no conditions in unconditional surrender! The plan always points the way, but does not always smooth the way…

And why not? It is God’s plan—not ours! And, given the unimpressive outcomes of man’s plans to solve the world’s problems, aren’t we glad! Furthermore, of all the things about which we might converse, as Jacob wrote, “Why not speak of the atonement of Christ?” (Jacob 4:12.) Why not, brothers and sisters? This event arches over all of human history, as a Redeeming God and Savior Son pressed onward with the great plan of happiness. Yes, in the plan, God would have us be happy…”


I testify that the things I have spoken of today are true. I also testify that the priesthood and all priesthood keys, have been restored, to the earth, in this the last dispensation of the fullness of times; namely the sealing keys that were restored to the prophet Joseph Smith by Elijah in the Kirtland Temple. These same sealing keys have sealed and bound us together as a family for eternity. I am forever grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for blessing his children by restoring the priesthood to the earth, enabling families to be together forever, never to be divided. This is my hope.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.











Tuesday, November 4, 2008

REMEMBERING SHARON PART 3

It's hard to believe it's already been a month since mom passed away. In some ways it feels like longer and in many other ways I feel like she is still here with us. I guess she is. I had the privilege of being one of the speakers at my mom's funeral and sharing with her family and friends my thoughts, memories, and lessons learned from this wonderful and special woman. Mom and I were the best of friends. And while it is difficult for me to know that I can't have her physical presence with me any longer I'm so grateful for the knowledge that in some ways I can have my friend still with me all the time. The first song we picked for her slideshow was "Angels Among Us". We picked this because mom LOVED this song. When I was younger and this song first came out she recorded it over and over on a tape that she would blast throughout the house every morning for hours on end. Classic Sharon. And now I wonder, how did she know? How did she know how fitting this song would be and how much the words would come to mean to all of us later? She was an angel throughout her life and continues to be one now- helping each one of us as we "move forward with faith". 
Here is my talk from the funeral-

My Mom

How do you capture the essence of someone in 5-10 minutes who was truly larger than life? The biggest challenge with this talk was not on deciding WHAT to say, but editing it down to what not to say. And for those of you who knew Sharon, you know that she wasn’t big on editing. I’ve never known someone so comfortable in their own skin. She was 100% herself 100% of the time. “Inside voice” was not a term she was familiar with.
If I could pick a phrase to summarize my mom it would be “Go BIG or go home”. Sharon did nothing on the small scale. She didn’t send out a Christmas card to close friends once in awhile, she handmade intricate carefully crafted Valentines each and every year to be sent to an ever growing list of over 250 families. She never just showed up to teach a class or give a talk, she spent hours planning, cutting, gluing, and coloring hundreds of handouts to help drive her message home. If she found a shirt she liked, she bought it in every color. If she was the primary chorister on Halloween, she dressed up as Count Dracula and had the children pick a song from numbered pockets sewn inside her black cape. Every holiday, mom dyed the milk a coordinating color- green milk on St. Patrick’s Day, red milk at Christmas, and black milk on Halloween. And words cannot describe the spectacle that was Christmas decorating in the Hendrickson home. Huge swaths of gold lame hung from the ceiling with glass stars hanging between a hundred bears wearing angel costumes that she hand sewed. Mom never giggled or smiled. She roared, cackled, and beamed. And most of all, mom didn’t just dabble in the gospel, she immersed herself in it. She poured over the scriptures, spent hours in a quiet dark place praying to her Heavenly Father, and knew beyond doubt that Jesus was her savior, brother, and friend.
The prophet Joseph Smith once said “men know rightly the characteristics of God…if we don’t understand him, we don’t understand ourselves.” I believe the reason my mom was so confident and comfortable, was because of how well she knew her Heavenly Father.
Sharon’s testimony was unshakeable. It was a testimony bought at the high price of trial, hardship, and tribulation. But to know her, you would never know that. Because she was always smiling, always laughing, and always filled with joy. She understood that the world had much to offer in the way of easy thrills and chills, but true and everlasting joy came only from living the gospel. And in true mom fashion, she didn’t just live it, she embraced and embodied it.
Everyone loved to be around mom because of this joy that radiated from her. She was fun, vivacious, full of life, and maybe just a little bit crazy. Mom’s greatest joy was in her family and she wanted nothing more than for them to be together. She often talked seriously about her plans for “The Hendrickson Compound”. But even bigger than this was her dream to have a Circus Family. To her, this would be the ultimate. To travel around as a family from town to town working together, playing together, and making people laugh together.
Mom had a saying for everything and most of them described just how she was. Some of my favorites are “Only boring people get bored”, “Be unbugable”, “NOYB”, and of course “Hendrickson’s Never Say Can’t”. Most of these were sayings were also accompanied by a little song and dance. But the phrase she would often say that had the biggest impact on me was “Bad things DON”T happen to Good people”. I learned from mom that hard things happen to good people, difficult things happen to good people, heart-breaking and devastating trials happen to good people, but when are heart is in the right place and we turn our lives over to the Lord, bad things will not happen. For he has promised that when we do what he says, ALL things will work for our GOOD. Mom knew this and mom lived this.
She never asked why. Why is this so difficult, why did I have this child, why have I been given cancer? She only asked what. What would you have me do Lord and what can I learn? Many of you may know that for over 20 years she has been writing a book about her life and experiences with her family and most of all her youngest son, Ricky. Her philosophy for life is best described in the title of this book: “From Trapped to Freedom- Your Choice”. Mom made no excuses. She made no apologies. You never found her complaining or murmering. She just did. Her knee-jerk reaction was to say “yes” and figure out a way to do it later. She knew she had a choice. She knew she was the author of her destiny. And the tale she chose to tell was one of perseverence, sacrifice, service and overwhelming joy.
While mom lived large, she also appreciated the small. She saw the beauty and worth in everyone. When she was younger she used to go around to construction sites near her home and hammer out the knots in the wood. These knots she would take home and carefully sand, buff and then paint with clear nail polish to bring out their individuality in design and texture. Nothing was more beautiful to her than this collection of knots. One day she brought them to school for show and tell. When her teacher saw her collection he laughed at her. He told her that it was a ridiculous and stupid collection. While most children’s response would be embarrassment and hurt, mom felt nothing but sadness. Sadness for this man that he could not see the beauty in these simple unique knots of wood.
Mom had a knack for making everyone she came in contact with feel special and beautiful. She saw and loved the individuality in each of us and through her teachings, example and love, helped sand us, polish us, and make us shine. She saw the worth in us that we often didn’t see in our selves. “For men know rightly the characteristics of God…if we don’t understand him, we don’t understand ourselves.” Mom could see the beauty and worth in us because she knew herself and she knew her God. She lived life big and has now returned to her Heavenly Father. And you know exactly what she would say… “There’s no place like home.”