Sheri Dew recently shared her thoughts on grief following the loss of her mother earlier this summer. Dew is a former member of the Relief Society General Presidency who now serves as the executive vice president of Deseret Management Corporation and the CEO of Deseret Book Company.
In a Church News article, Dew reflects that grieving is a “kind of enhanced gratitude.”
“I’m coming to realize that grieving is a kind of enhanced gratitude. Surely it is yet another dimension of the spirit of Elijah—hearts of the children turning to their fathers . . . and mothers. Memories have paraded across my mind like a home movie marathon. Hilarious moments, experiences both sweet and somber, times she defended me when I didn’t deserve it, and even her reprimands—all have come back in waves. Along with the reality that when Mother stepped across the veil, the one person who has believed in me from the day I was born is no longer here. No one can take her place.”
Dew relates that when she and her siblings discovered their mother’s condition had suddenly changed, she took the next night shift to watch over her. Hoping her mother could hear her, she expressed her love and gratitude for her. And then Dew wrote she found herself saying something she hadn't expected.
“‘Mother,’ I said, ‘you have given your life to us. You have put our needs ahead of your own again and again. But your body is worn out. There isn’t anything else you can do for your family here. But on the other side of the veil, with Dad, you’ll be able to help us in countless ways. Mom, I think it’s time for you to go.’”
Read more of Dew’s reflections at Church News.
