Kelsey Alexis Preston

Today we attended our third funeral in 6 weeks... All were children. I feel like my blog is becoming the obituaries...

Kelsey Alexis Preston died Tuesday, March 8th from complications of type 1 diabetes. She was 16 years old. Her family lives around the corner from my parents. I've known her for probably about 10 years, since her family moved there.

I was blessed to have been asked to play prelude music for the funeral on the cello for an hour with my mom on the piano and our friend Eva on the violin. My fingers hurt like crazy (I don't play the cello nearly often enough), but it was totally worth it. I love being able to bring the spirit with music.

As was mentioned several times throughout the funeral, Kelsey had a super cute, quirky personality. She was always smiling and laughing. I don't know the whole story behind her attire, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting; It wasn't "traditional". She was wearing a cute ruffled shirt and a nice cardigan sweater.... and Mr. Potato Head pajama pants with mismatched socks and some super comfy looking slippers. It was awesome! Totally perfect :)

Kelsey was a great journal writer and we got to hear many of her journal entries during the funeral. A quote her mom recently found on her facebook account was, "You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough"

The thing that really struck me was the amazingly HUGE testimony she had of the gospel. At 16 years old, she had an awesome insight into the plan of salvation and everything it involves. Her testimony in a nutshell: "I'm so glad Jesus died and atoned for us. If he didn't, we would not be here right now. He did this because he loved us. I know that no one else could do that but Him. When he went into the Garden of Gethsemane, he bled from every pore for us. Words just don't explain how grateful I am for Heavenly Father letting Christ come down to Earth to atone for our sins and for the other things he did." I know she is going to be a fantastic addition to the missionary efforts in heaven!


At the graveside, Kelsey's mom Kim, was saying a few words, and mentioned how much Kelsey loved babysitting. I immediately thought, "Maybe Brigham needed a babysitter in Heaven so Kelsey went to help out." It's kind of silly, but I thought it was cute and it made me smile.

To Kelsey's family, we are praying for your comfort and peace. A recent quote from her mom's facebook says it all. "Everything in life is temporary, because everything changes. That's why it takes great courage to love, knowing it might end anytime but having the faith it will last forever"

FAMILIES ARE FOREVER!