Brother Cosman's passing

I recently learned from a friend that Brother Bill Cosman passed away last Summer. I knew that he was ill with a brain tumor, but didn't know he had died. He was in the Zionsville ward in Indiana and was a very special person to me. I guess this little post on my blog is a small tribute to his kindness and loving ways. I had a very difficult time when my family moved to Zionsville. I had been uprooted from my beloved West Lafayette and had to completely change everything in my life. I also had to attend a new school my senior year which was very hard. Brother Cosman was so nice, so kind and so very genuine. There was just something about his spirit that was exceptional and he had a way of talking to me that really made sense. One night there was a ward party and I didn't want to go. I had very few friends with the Young Men/Young Women and I just didn't feel like I belonged. Something inside me just told me to go and Brother Cosman was there and spent a lot of time talking to me and said some really powerful things to me that I believe actually changed the course of my life. Another time I remember Brother Cosman was I had been asked to lead the music at the Christmas party in the ward. I was fumbling the timing so bad, until I saw Brother Cosman in the front row with his hands leading the music for me to follow. Brother Cosman also helped Ned and I move to West Lafayette. I remember telling him thank-you for his help and I appreciated his time. He said to me that in the end, service is all that really counts. When I was sick with my first pregnancy, Brother Cosman stopped by my parents' house to give me wristbands with pressure-points to see if it would help me feel better. There were many, many other stories and memories I have of Brother Cosman. Too many to share. I wish that I had told brother Cosman what he meant to me when he was still with us. I wish that I had gone beyond my comfort zone to let him know how his small acts of service affected my life. But I didn't. And now I'm just hoping that in some small way Brother Cosman can know what a true friend he was, and how he was a small light in the darkness for me in a difficult time in my life. I hope that I can be a Brother Cosman to someone else in my lifetime. Afterall, in the end...service is all that really counts. Goodbye, old friend. 'Til we meet again.