Marking this day that a beautiful baby girl was born. 
Remembering our sister. 
We love you Beth.

  ~Robyn and Laurie 

When I was cleaning out Beth's apartment, I learned more about Beth's persoonal life through her belongings. She was very minimalistic, she didn't have alot of things, but the things she kept had alot of meaning. She also was very organized and tidy in placement.   She had a photo ablum with family and friends that covered our family history all in one book. She had kept keepsakes of our mother's, grandmother's and of our childhood. 
 
One was that in a little box with partitiions, she kept her jewelry and hairclips in.  In one section there was a red button all by itself.  It was bright red and jelly shaped and I recognized this from our childhood, from our mom's button box, her sewing box.  As children, it was a beautiful little object to look at, play with.
     
I was so touched going through her things, as hard as it was. I realized how much she loved her family, her friends and her life.  This was very obvious.

I remember the times growing up, when we had our bedrooms upstairs and we took turns sharing the one room.  How us sisters would talk every night after lights out. We would talk until Mum would open the downstairs door and tell us to go to sleep.  I am happy now that the house was small enough to share our rooms.

I will never forget my Best Friend Beth.  She was very unassuming and had a very big heart.  Beth was very kind and generous and always ready to listen with empathy.   Although I was new in Seattle and this country, she made me feel welcome and never treated me differently. 

I remember our road trips where we would sing out loud in the car and just talked and laughed and talked and laughed some more.  One time we did this unplanned hiking trip and we walked a lot further than we planned and we didn’t have food or drink and we were both getting tired.  We were half a mile to the car but it was up hill and I was getting dehydrated, she walked up the hill and brought me back some water and helped me hike up the hill.  She literally saved my life.  When we finally get back on the road to go home, we were driving on this never ending road (so it seems)  and we were tired and just want nothing more than  to be home, she started singing “Country Roads Take Me Home” to cheer me up.

We had our laughs but we also cried together.  She was always there when you need her and would never turn you away even when she had a lot of things to deal with.  We shared a lot of things in common but the bond that held us together is our faith in our God Jehovah.   And this shared hope is what gives me comfort  because the Bible promises in John 5:28,29 that “the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out….”  Yes, the Bible says that I could see my friend Beth again right here on earth when God resurrects our dead loved ones and at that time there will be no more death, nor crying nor pain according to Revelations 21:3,4.  I am looking forward to laughing and singing with her again under perfect conditions. 

One of the best times I had with Beth was when I got a call from her when her car was stolen some months back.   She asked me to go car shopping with her.  We spent the day looking at cars and had lunch and looked at cars some more.  I learned how much Beth liked the color red : )  Any car that was red really caught her attention.  Especially this one Red Ford mustang,  she declined with the biggest smile after I asked he if she wanted to test drive it just for fun.  Many car dealerships later at the end of the day she finally settled on one she liked, but just then the police called saying they found her car.  So she did not wind up getting a car that time around, but a short time later what do I see her drive up in?  A new red car.
 Another time I was talking to someone about a new nail salon and Beth walked up.  We told her what we were talking about and said she had never had a pedicure before.  Well I said everyone should try it once. So we planned a girl Spa day before our Assembly.  We had a great time and I learned that Beth is very ticklish.  She was putting her feet in and out of the water saying  " oh uh, oh  oh"  I thought the water was too hot, but she said "No its not too hot, the bubbles are tickling my feet." She also surprised me by picking a red nail polish that kind of matched the color of her red car.  It was a fun time.
 

OUR SISTER BETH was truly a kind-hearted person going about quietly with her life not ever complaining about a thing like so many of us do (me).  Never did I hear anything mean or spiteful from her.  She was always considerate and concerned about others. 
A few years ago during one of our visits up to Dad's, Beth had come over to see us there.  When she was leaving it was drizzling outside and I stepped out with her to say goodbye.  I complimented her on her hooded raincoat saying I liked it.  She took it off and gave it to me!  I still have that coat and will always have it. So many memories...