We spent about 36 hours in Buffalo over the weekend for a short vacation. And we had more fun than we have in a lifetime back here in New England. It was perfect! Exactly like I remember. Cold. Blowing Snow. Gray skies. Cop car in front of our old place.
Good old Richard lives next door. He was out firing up his old rusty blue van (the one that I crossed my fingers wouldn't be there every time we showed the house.) He barely recognized us through the snow. He now has one tooth left on the top of his mouth. He told us that he was getting them all out the next month. They were going to fix them but it would cost him $7,000. But as he pointed out, "I can buy a new car with that!" And I guess in order priority his teeth are very last on the list.
The cops were out talking to the new owner of our home. Someone threw a cinder block through her car window the night before and they were out checking out the damage and filing a report. We thought it would be better not to say hi, so we snapped a quick picture and drove on out of there.
Now I am not glorying here too much in any one's pain and anguish. It's just that. . . Could it be any more Buffalo than that? At least the Buffalo we remember. And the thing is those are the fondest memories in the world.
We were in town not only to see the old place, but to attend the memorial service of Susan Dayton who lost her life to cancer at 59. She and her husband were one of the first people to welcome us to Buffalo and tell us how much we were going to love it there.
I have been sitting here about 20 minutes now writing and rewriting something short that I could say about her and all that she did. Not just all of her positions of leadership and she had many. But also all that she did for me and my family and all that she taught me personally. She was my stake relief society president and in the midst of her cancer she trained me to serve the women of Buffalo when I was called as president of our ward organization of women. And she and her husband treated us like we were family. We will never forget the Easter Sunday we had in their home and how fun the Easter Egg game was. We came home with over a hundred dollars hidden in our eggs. They gave us their dishwasher and countertops for our Buffalo home. She always had time for me, though she probably was one of the busiest women in all of Buffalo.
I keep editing this because it is just too long. I want to write all the things I learned about her life at the memorial service. I had no idea how involved she was in helping women all over the world. But I would have to write way more than most of you want to read. So I will just say that she was an angel to the world and her life abounded in good works. I have learned so much from my association with her, and now from the tragic end to her life. I know that there are many questions why someone like her has to die so young. You can tell that I am getting old, because 59 seriously sounds so young. She still had so much to give and her death leaves such a void in so many lives.
But I am so moved by what she did in her short life. None of us know the length of our days. This is why it is so important to make them count through love and service. Knowing Susan and now having to say goodbye to her have touched me deeply and I hope I can remember the example of her full life and not waste my own. I am so sorry for her family and especially her wonderful husband. That's the problem of being so great. How can they now go on with out her? We will be praying for them.
So despite the weather, the funeral, and of course the reminder of our sketchy old neighborhood we were so glad we decided to spend our weekend traveling 9 hours back to Buffalo. We had such a wonderful time catching up with so many people. I did feel bad about disrupting the Buffalo ward. We had planned to leave right after Sacrament meeting and skip the classes because the road ahead was snowy and long, but we ended up spending over an hour talking in the gym and making many others skip class instead. I was amazed that good old Br. Benson didn't send us to class like he was famous for. Next time we need to just throw ourselves a party I guess. But it was really like coming back home. I am so grateful to have known the people living in Buffalo. Maybe someday we will feel like that about this new area.
But first I need to get more involved. Thank you Susan for teaching me that.
2 comments:
I am so jealous (that's not the right emotion, but that's what it feels like) that you went back. I found a copy of Damian's eulogy on his blog and just soaked it up, wishing I had been there to honor such an amazing lady. He listed life lessons she had taught them and it reminded me of several stake conference talks she gave while we were there. 59 is too young, especially for someone who had such an impact on so many people. Glad you got to go back!!
I would love to know what Susan Dayton did in her lifetime to help other women. I have felt this strong, strong desire to do SOMETHING to help others, but I am floundering about what to do. I wouldn't mind the read. Post it!
And I am sorry about your friend's death. I loved the post about the Easter Egg hunt. Makes me realize how selfish I am and how I need to give more to others and think less about myself. Thank you for reminding me.
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