Perspective

Over the past few days, several friends have been experiencing some really hard times.

One college friend's home caught on fire on Christmas Day--their garage and daughter's room were levelled to the ground, and the rest of the home has major smoke damage.  Thankfully their family is safe.

My high school friend's father had a seizure and stopped breathing the day after Christmas.  He is in the ICU and still unconscious.

A friend in our ward posted on Facebook yesterday about her elderly mother who has been recovering from a neck injury, and now is in the hospital again for a black widow bite.

We learned earlier in the week that some of our Ragnar friends are having a hard time, too; the wife's brother, a CHP officer, was hit on his motorcycle and is very slowly improving in ICU.  Our friends' son has been dealing with constant migraines for several weeks now, too.

My uncle Dave Funk has melanoma cancer that has spread throughout his body, discovered by accident a few weeks ago when he went in to check on a head injury from slipping on ice.

A sweet lady at Wade's school found out over Thanksgiving Break that her husband has a rare form of colon cancer.  One of her sons is in Wade's class.  (On a side note, I learned later that her school family, staff and teachers, gave her family a spectacular Christmas gift--free tickets to Universal Studios plus a free hotel stay--she was blown away by this!)

Several of our extended family members have been sick, sick, sick over Christmas, too.

Another college friend posted a picture of herself with her two cute boys--she was totally bald and had the biggest smile on her face.  I had no idea she was very sick, too.

And on and on and on.


These are all people I know and care about.  It's hard to hear about their suffering, these good people and good families.  It's a reminder that we are not immune from trials and difficulties, too.

I've thought a lot about my Aunt Shirlene, Uncle David's wife.  My mom sent an email sharing something Aunt Shirlene had said:  "Shirlene shared that her Relief Society had been challenged in October to read the Book of Mormon within a two month period and she had accepted that challenge, as well as studying the institute manual for it.  She said it has really been a blessing to have already been immersed in the reading & studying of the scriptures before learning the news of David’s cancer.  It has given her much peace and comfort to help her get through this, whatever the Lord’s will is to be."

This is life.  I'm grateful for the ups and downs of life, for the many blessings that I enjoy, for the gospel, for the Savior's Atonement that covers not just our sins but our sadnesses, too, and for the lessons that I learn from others' faith through their trials.  Their optimism, humor, courage, and strength inspire me to be better and to do more good.