Anjelica's Life Sketch

Anjelica’s Life Sketch: January 22, 2010

by Hollie Barber and Nancy Randall

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him.
We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things,
and in all places" as we strive to live
the Young Women values, which are:

Faith:

· Anjelica believed what she learned in church and at home. She was baptized when she was 8 by Robert, and sealed to our family the same day Robert was sealed to his wife. He will always remember how strong the spirit was and how beautiful Angelica looked in her white dress, first at her baptism, then at the temple. Anjelica believed that families are forever.

Divine Nature:

· Anjelica knew where she came from. She knew she was a Child of God. Her divine nature radiated from her whenever she sang primary songs – which was quite a lot! :) She always came home singing, “The Priesthood IS Restored!" or "Scripture Power" with Michael, who loved it. Battle Hymn of the Republic was one of her most favorite, -and at the top of her lungs, of course!

Indivual worth:

· Anjelica knew her self- worth, and helped other people know theirs. She was kind to others. I can’t remember a time Anjelica ever made fun of someone. She was nice. When Bri married our brother Bill, Anjelica was in charge of holding the train on Bri’s dress. Bri remembers right before walking down the aisle, Anjelica’s sincere smile and laugh made her feel not as nervous. Anjelica made time for people; she knew that they were important. Her hair and her name were important to her. She loved her hair, and hated haircuts. But whenever Hollie offered to do her hair she was there in a heartbeat.

Knowledge:

· To get this, we are supposed to continually seek opportunities for learning and growth. Anjelica was all over that. She loved learning through books. Kevin recalls that anytime he saw her, she always had a book in her hands. Mom remembers that her favorite author was Charles Dickens. She would get this little twinkle in her eye every time she got to really discuss a book and critically think about it. That is something she and dad had in common. She learned to play the piano very quickly. She loved math and writing. And her handwriting was especially beautiful.

Choice and accountability:

· Anjelica chose to be happy. She loved to laugh things away. Tino and her loved watching funny movies with the family, and they loved joke books. She loved being outdoors no matter the weather. The more wet and messy the better—she was always optimistic. She wasn't afraid of being rough with the boys her age, or dogs or bugs. She chose not to do any that sissy girl stuff....

· She chose to use her spunky, fun-loving personality to overcome challenges and try anything new. IF her ideas failed...she'd try again. She never gave up… even when odds were against her. People were drawn to Anjelica because she made the choice to be happy and fun. We can all learn from Anjelica’s choice to be happy.

Good works:

· Anjelica carried a sweet and tender softness for babies and children. All of us brothers and sisters appreciate Anjelica for loving and playing with our kids.

· Karl had this to say about Anjelica:

“Anjelica was a lot of fun every time we visited. She was always smiling and laughing. She enjoyed my children, and they enjoyed her. I remember her playing games with us and swimming or jumping with the kids. I remember her getting her chores done so she could spend time with us, and how excited my girls were to see her. Anjelica was a lot of fun, courteous, and thoughtful.”

· Anjelica definitely let her light shine through her good works.

Integrity:

· Anjelica never gave up. She was confident and brave in what she thought and believed, and she was not afraid to stand by it. If she was afraid she hid it pretty well. Anjelica always chose for herself. When she did something, it was because she chose to do it, not because someone else told her to. Lisa shared memories of Anjelica always being the first to jump into the freezing cold water on our family vacations, overcoming the scary feelings of just how cold it really was. It never seemed to bother her. She ultimately overcame her challenges in life with integrity.

Virtue:

· Anjelica was excited to learn to drive and she wanted to become a psychologist someday so she could talk, listen, and help others who were struggling. But most of all… she wanted to be virtuous so that she could be married in the temple someday and have an eternal family of her own.

BOTTOM LINE - ANJELICA WAS BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT!!

We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values,
we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants,
receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

Hollie Close:

· I got to talk to Anjelica on Facebook last Friday night. It was probably the last time one of our family got to talk to her.

· Out of the blue she typed to me, “Hi Hollie.” I said, “Hi Anjelica!” And she said, “Guess what? I am going home.” I said, “Going home – to mom and dad’s?” And she said, “Yeah to mom and dad’s.” I said, “Wow! That’s awesome. For how long?” She wrote back to me in all capital letters, “FOREVER” with an exclamation point.

· Anjelica really did go HOME FOREVER!!