Sorrow Over Rebekah's Passing

I know that everyone is mourning with the sudden passing of Rebekah Sauter. To say it was unexpected is not nearly enough. Her death seems unimaginable, unreal, impossible. It also has been unexplainable. While knowing a cause of death can't change the fact that she's gone, I think there's additional anxiety in the waiting and wondering why.
Her passing seems so cruel and bizarre and certainly unfair. But reflecting on it over the last day, I can see some tender mercies the Lord has blessed her family with. Last year Rebekah and David moved back to Portland. It was the first Time Rebekah had lived really close to her family in seven years. It is a blessing that she spent so much time with them in the last year, and now David will have the support of both of their families. I am sure she will be watching over her children, but I know they are already so loved by all those around them.
When Nicole was born, Katie, Linette, and Doug drove 12 hours to Portland to congratulate the Sauters and meet Nicole. They only visited for a little while, probably less than an hour, and were soon back on their way to Salt Lake. But how precious a memory that is now, to have shared in Rebekah's joy. She loved her children and David so much, she was a mother bear to her family- never get between her and her cubs.
When I was getting ready to move to Saint Louis, Rebekah gave me some advice from what she had learned living in Bountiful. She told me that by moving away, the two of us would grow closer together, that we would learn that having each other was enough, that each of us would be exactly what the other needed. She was right.
Rebekah was beautiful, smart, funny with a touch of sarcasm, but she was also tough. She was capable of a lot. She could rise to meet any challenge and would do anything for her family. I was always moved by her quiet acts of charity. She was busy doing a lot of good in the world. Her children were her work and her glory. She is loved and will always be missed.