I just found out tonight that my former Institute teacher, Lolly , just passed away today. I cannot express how much this pains me to even think that I won't ever be able to see her again in this life, to give her a hug, to talk with her, to sing for her again. I treasure all those Wednesday nights when I would have the privilege of being in her Institute class, mostly at the Seminary Building, but every once and a while at her house, to be able to listen to her bear undeniable testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all the blessings she had received for living faithfully. There was this one time many years ago that my brothers and I went over to Lolly's house for a special Institute class. The only thing that I can remember about that night is that at the end of the night we kind of had an impromptu "dance party" in her backyard. Lolly was just such an engaging teacher that I would always find myself caught up in all her stories, mostly about her kids or her husband or any number of her grandkids. My favorite "Lolly-ism" is definitely "Rock-a-diddy!" Lolly was the very first YSA Institute teacher I ever had and I think that's one reason why she always held a special place in my heart. I still remember when I first started school at BYU and telling her in the parking lot after that night's lesson that I wasn't going to be able to come for a while because I was heading down to Provo for school, and she just gave me a hug and said "We'll be waiting for you when you get back!" and that just made me feel so loved and accepted. 💙 I also always loved going to her house on Halloween! I was just there with my family this past Halloween (and it was nice to be there since when I was still going to school at BYU I would never be in town for Halloween) and she had candy and hot chocolate for everyone! That night, she mentioned to me that I should do a musical number in church with Gary sometime, which I said I would, but I feel so sad that we never ended up singing in sacrament meeting together before her passing. 😥 I love you so much, Lolly, and will miss you dearly, but I find comfort in that you have finally been reunited with your sweetheart after so much time apart. At this time of grief, I also pour my heart out for all her family whose suffering I cannot begin to comprehend. May we all find comfort in God's promises of life after death and being able to be with our family and loved ones in the life to come. My dad made the comment that "life is fleeting" before letting us know the news, and I have come to realize that even more in the past year than ever before. May we all treasure the time we are granted to spend with our family and friends in this mortal existence, for we never know which moment will be the last.