John B. Dame

It is an honor to speak today as we celebrate the life of Sophie Caroline Wickins. It is clear from the messages delivered in this service today that Sophie was a high achiever, loved by her family and friends. She led a productive life. She had many friends, and she achieved a great deal. Her life in Gainesville impacted all of ours as a part of our departmental family. In her work she was “Excellent”, for that was how she repeatedly performed all of her duties. It was her habit. For many she represented our future. We celebrate her life here, and at the same time must face her unexpected departure, and our personal feelings of profound loss.

With her passing I have pondered, as many of you may have, the question of how well have I cared for and supported Sophie and others of our departmental family? “Sharing friendship while sharing the work” has been the philosophy making my time in this College and Department some of the most pleasant in my career. My wish is for everyone working here to feel this way about their work, and to feel needed and personally rewarded for their efforts and accomplishments. The circumstances of Sophie’s passing has renewed my desire to do even more to let everyone know that they are valued and of unconditional worth. Expressing genuine concern for others while handling our own challenging responsibilities is a difficult balance, but one we must strive to maintain. We may never know how valuable our kind word may be in lifting the spirits and confidence of another.

Sophie’s passing provides the uncomfortable reminder that I, and each of you, will one day leave this mortal existence with our journey here completed. I find myself considering again philosophical questions like:

“Who am I?”

"Where did I come from?"

"Why am I here?"

"Where am I going?"

And I think to some degree or other, all of us ponder and seek answers to these questions. Among those in attendance there are individuals with very different perspectives, which I respect, but I would like to share some of my personal feelings and beliefs.

My view of where we come from is beautifully considered in the poem by William Wordsworth:

"Intimations of Immortality"

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting,

The soul that rises with us, our life's star

Hath had elsewhere its setting

And cometh from afar;

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God who is our home.

I am reassured in my view that all of us are literally brothers and sisters who need to treat each other with love and respect. I also have concluded that God, our Creator, is constant and perfectly benevolent. He loves us, and He answers our prayers. However, I have learned by experience that it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. We are greatly rewarded when we are engaged with our Creator in meeting the needs of His precious ones. Sometimes we do not recognize how valuable we are or what place our contributions will have in this world. These however provide answers to “Why are we here?” Be confident that all of you touch another’s life for good. I wish to thank all of you for the good you do and for the friendship you freely share.

As for our condition here on this earth as brothers and sisters, I believe our Creator, the Father of us all, did not send us here without a purpose or a way to return home to Him. There is opposition in all things, but I believe it is for a grand purpose. You overcome the opposition in the world through the good you do, the love you share, and that which you sacrifice for others. These things develop your character, ennoble you and give you strength to lift others up. Thank you for the strength you lend me and for the strength I see you lend each other, most recently in this time of our loss.

I view our Creator like an earthly parent, dedicated to raising the children; helping to develop their strength, their character, and their full potential. Each of us like children have the freedom to choose, and frequently will learn by making mistakes. Despite our best efforts, our weaknesses and errors result in regrets and loss of self worth. To unload this burden, we must be willing to change, seek forgiveness for our mistakes, and forgive ourselves. At times it is hard to see how we can overcome the mistakes. My faith is in a Creator , who like a loving earthly parent, has a way to forgive us all of our mistakes. As a Christian, I turn to Christ as my Savior and source of relief from the burden of my mistakes, my weaknesses, and my pride. I guess I could summarize my personal philosophy by saying “There is no reason to despair for all will, in the end, be made right, as long as I try to do my part.” I recognize that this requires faith, and our modern world is a challenging place to develop faith. There are many distractions, busy schedules, challenging careers, long hours of work, and many opportunities for entertainment. In my experience a life of faith in a loving God is a joyful one and worth the effort to develop.

The final unanswered question we ponder today especially is: "Where are we going when this life is over?" Sophie has passed through this mysterious gate of death, which lies between this life and the life beyond. Personally, I live each day expecting that life continues beyond the grave. It affects how I live for the better. This is a great leap of faith, but God, through Christ, gave us a sign, when the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected. The resurrected Christ was seen by the apostles, and by many others. I believe that through the atonement of Christ, the resurrection of the body will come to all who have lived upon the earth in the flesh. The Apostle Paul taught that "Whereas in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterwards they that are Christ's at His coming. Then cometh the end when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father." (1 Corinthians 15:22-24). We do not know in detail from this mortal view what the eternities will be like, for as Paul further taught the Corinthians: “… now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Though we have much to learn, I expect that eternal life will be spent assisting our loved ones in reaching their potential much as we are to do here.

There is much to come for each of us, a bright future, if we choose it. We must turn from sadness and mourning to look forward to the marvelous blessings that lie ahead. I encourage each to share my philosophy that “Man is that he might have joy!” Through this positive view of our purpose and destiny, and by doing all we can to aid others, we will overcome the heartache and opposition we currently face. We will bring our loved ones and friends along with us to experience joy again. None are perfect, but this life with its disappointments, its lessons of sacrifice, and daily opportunities to develop moral courage to choose the right even when it is hard; changes us. It makes us better, and better positioned to aid those we love. We have been given the great example of how to do this in the life of the Savior, but we also have many good examples around us every day. Let us vow to be one of those good examples, and seek opportunities to lift one another up. As we do so, there will be Joy again.

May each of us find comfort in these truths. As we move through this time of healing together, let us strengthen and support one another that we may find the peace and comfort we so earnestly seek.