My mother called last night to tell me that the oldest daughter of one of my best childhood friends had died of a brain tumor. I remember when Robin was pregnant with Stephanie 25 years ago. I grew up with Robin and her 2 sisters Lisa and Julie. I guess we were about 13 when we first met. We had a blast growing up together. Robin married my friend Kenny when she was 18. Kenny was from a poor family and used to come by our house to eat dinner on his way out to see Robin. Kenny drowned shortly after they were married. It was a death that greatly saddened all the young people I grew up with.
Stephanie was disfellowshipped for immorality shortly before it was discovered that she had a brain tumor. Gee, did the brain tumor have any effect on her behavior or was she just wicked? She was reinstated 2 weeks before she died. Too frail to get around much, I reckon it was deemed she was no longer wicked. So, she was able to have a funeral in the Kingdom Hall. Of course had she died 2 weeks earlier she would have had to be shunned and one would assume faithful witnesses would not have attended her funeral.
I will call Robin to tell her I am thinking about her and am deeply grieved by her loss. I will do this even though I am wicked.
Disfellowshipped people have hearts. Shocking as that may seem.