February 1, 2013

Tonight I write with a sense of calm and hope.

I know that many of our family and friends have begun their fast for Jake and we can feel that their sacrifice and prayers have already started to descend upon our home, our children, and both of us.

I am so grateful for fasting and the blessing it is for us to sacrifice something we need for the benefit of others.

We have had time the last few days to talk to many people that we love. The initial shock of the situation made it hard to communicate with others, but in the last few days both of us have enjoyed talking with family and friends on the phone, through social media, and at our home.

We are grateful for those who have reached out to us.  It has been therapeutic to talk about what has happened so far and feel the love of other people. We welcome communication and open up our hearts and home to hear from you.

If we can't talk right then we won't. If it is too much, just leave a message and we'll call you back. We welcome just your positive thoughts and feelings and are so appreciative of them.

Gratefully, life has a rhythm that is calming and necessary. We still have laundry to do, dishes to wash, meals to prepare. I've been one to resent the monotony of such daily tasks, but this week they have provided a calming practice that has helped me feel like life is normal and routine. There is also a measure of mind numbing in doing daily chores and tasks that has been a blessing and a welcome distraction.

We have become aware of others in our extended family and circles of friends who are also going through difficult experiences and feel more sympathy for them then was possible a week ago.  Facing your own personal trials does increase your understanding and compassion for the suffering of others.

Finally, we have come to appreciate that the Sunday school answers do provide peace and security in your daily life. Reading scriptures, praying, serving others, attending church, keeping the commandments, etc. really are the substance of our lives and everything else pales in comparison.

Before this experience, we were often distracted with the unimportant things of life that got in the way of doing these essential things. But in the last week have found real peace as we've prayed individually, with our children, and with each other. We've had insights as we've read and pondered the scriptures as a family and individually. We felt the spirit as we held our Family Home Evening. We were able to forget ourselves as we served others and tried to choose the right.

I read a quotation that has been with me for the last few days. It said "although we cannot always control what happens to us, we can always choose our response. Herein lies the power of our agency."

A good friend also wrote to us that "God purifies you and I to the point that He can see His image in our countenance. And we aren't hurt in the process, rather we become like Him."

I am grateful for the lessons that we are learning in these days and for the chance they have, if we allow them, to make us more like Jesus.