Our Reason to Celebrate
Today would be Adrianne's 30th birthday. I can't believe how quickly time passes! It seems like only yesterday that she was born. Yet on the other hand, she has been gone now for 6 1/2 years and sometimes it feels like forever since I've seen her! It's kind of funny how that works. As her family, we will celebrate her birthday, just as we have done every year since she was born. Although the last few years may have had a tear or two shed, there was still so much to celebrate. I remember feeling such a nearness to heaven on the day she was born! She was, as are all of our children, a beautiful gift from Heavenly Father to me! But the most precious gift our Heavenly Father has given to all of us is His Son, Jesus Christ. And because of that gift, the day she died I also felt an undeniable nearness to heaven! Because of my Savior, I know that I will see her again! Every day I am grateful to know families can be eternal, but days like today I am extra grateful! There is such peace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And because of that, there is always reason to celebrate!
As my birthday gift to Adrianne, I have chosen the quotes from two of her favorite speakers - Jeffrey R. Holland and Sheri Dew. That was easy! The hard part was choosing which ones and then only one from each.
Few speakers touch our hearts the way Elder Holland does. He has such a way with his words and such a tenderness in the way he shares them. Some of the most comforting words he has spoken were in his October 1999 LDS General Conference talk. I loved his talk when it was given. I love it even more today! He said:
"Every one of us has times when we need to know things will get better. Moroni spoke of it in the Book of Mormon as 'hope for a better world.' For emotional health and spiritual stamina, everyone needs to be able to look forward to some respite, to something pleasant and renewing and hopeful, whether that blessing be near at hand or still some distance ahead. It is enough just to know we can get there, that however measured or far away, there is the promise of 'good things to come.'
My declaration is that this is precisely what the gospel of Jesus Christ offers us, especially in times of need. There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the 'light that is endless, that can never be darkened.' It is the very Son of God Himself."
"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."
I have added the Mormon Message that corresponds with that talk. I love it! There is something about hearing the emotion in Elder Holland's voice that, to me, makes it so personal. It's definitely worth the five minutes!
Sheri Dew also promises us we will find happiness and hope if we look to the Savior and embrace His gospel. This quote comes from her book "No Doubt About It."
“It is in moments of disappointment, heartache, and loneliness that we often make the decisions that forge our faith, mold our character, and fortify our convictions about the only source of strength and solace that satisfies. And that is Jesus Christ.”
How we respond to our moments of disappointment, heartache and loneliness is our choice. We all have our share of those trying times. We all know people who have had more than their share of those times. I attended a meeting last week where there were about thirty women, several who have been dear friends for a long time. In this setting, there were definitely some things we all had in common. However, we were a pretty diverse group. Thirty women with thirty different stories. I guess it would be safe to say that more often than not life had been a little different than expected. In that room was my friend whose husband recently passed away. She spent the last several years lovingly caring for him. She is in her 50s, with so much of life still ahead of her. There was another friend who has never married. A few women are single moms. One is caring for a sick husband. Another is caring for aging parents. Several have children who are struggling. Many of us have watched our children go through painful divorces. Some of us have lost children.
None of that seems fair. Yet in reality, these are some of the happiest women I know. These women have perspective - eternal perspective. No one is immuned from disappointment and heartache. Everyone experiences trials that test us to our limits. But when we understand that because of our Savior it will all work out in the end, that knowledge can get us through our darkest days.
