consider the blessed and happy state

A few nights ago, the Czech received a call that a friend's grandmother had passed away and that this friend was in need of a priesthood blessing. We stopped Slumdog Millionaire and hopped in the car to meet up with the Czech's old roommate on campus. The two men were going to lay their hands on our friend's head and offer her a blessing of comfort. I was there for hugs and moral support.

In the stillness of the eleven o'clock hour, the three of us meandered over to the university hospital and were instantly struck with a predicament; we had no idea where to go. Yes, we had the name of the hall our friend was in, but that didn't help us with knowing what entrance to use or navigating.

Thus ensued a night full of laughter rather than solemn sentiment. "Where's the sign for 'Dead People'?" we asked, full of mirth, which inevitably resulted in quoting Monty Python. "Bring out yer dead!" the three of us chortled as we sauntered into the main entrance of the hospital.

We mellowed out enough to find our dear friend and offer her some comfort, or at least I hope we did. The old roommate spoke the words of the blessing, which were very tender and appropriate for the given situation. They spoke of the Father's Plan, in which family's can and will be together beyond this mortal experience. Our friend was reminded of the experiences she had with her grandmother and the lifetime worth of lessons she had garnered from her example. I offered hugs and moral support. It's what I do.

We parted ways with our friend and her father around midnight and within seconds of the separation, the three of us who had originally come to offer comfort were joking and laughing heartily once more. Our actions seemed utterly disrespectful, but our mirth just could not be contained.

The next day I came across the following scripture from the book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. It reads,

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

A state of never-ending happiness? That sounded very akin to my mood of the night previous, full of merry making. But it was more than that...

The three of us hooligans found joy in helping someone else, bringing companionship to our friend and fellow. The Lord has asked us to look after one another, to comfort the weary and mourn with those that mourn. Inside the hospital, we held a deep reverence for the priesthood power being used. A solemn peace filled the little room we occupied as five of us listened to the words being spoken. The old roommate asked sincere questions about the grandmother's health and the procedures that had been utilized.

Yet we still laughed as we entered and left. By doing good, happicomfortness filled our hearts and we were able to enjoy the peace and effulgence of a few minutes of pure joy. Laughing at our own silliness, we went home happy.