Today was going to be a big "Thanksgiving prep" blog post, featuring pictures of me with my hand inside our turkey, stuffing it full! With luck, I'll get to at least some of that tomorrow. I've been cooking all evening, and it would be nice to talk more about it later this week (I hope you're not all "Thanksgiving'd" out by the time it appears).
But tonight, I just can't talk about it. It's been a very somber afternoon around here (mostly for Nathan and I), since we heard some very sad news. A family we know in one of our "sister" LDS wards here in Sahuarita is in the midst of a terrible ordeal. Yesterday, there was an accident in their home that severely injured their 17-month-old son (the youngest of four kids). He was airlifted to the hospital and was in intensive care for about 24 hours before passing away this afternoon. So in other words, while most of us are finishing our pies and preparing casseroles for tomorrow, this family is probably having the longest, saddest night of all their lives.
(Please forgive me if the following ramblings come across as self-serving or offensive in any way. I certainly don't mean them to! I have just got to get some of my jumbled feelings off my chest)
I can't even begin to imagine how this family must feel, or what they must be going through right now. At least, I'm not sure I want to imagine it. All I know is that thinking about it makes my heart break. It also makes me tiptoe upstairs to look at my sleeping children. Over and over again. Too often I forget what a gift my children are, and how fortunate I am that Heavenly Father has sent them to me, so that I might watch over them. I haven't forgotten that today.
I am so, so thankful for my beautiful girls. I am thankful for my husband, who is my dearest friend in all the world. They are my greatest treasures. They are my most profound, lasting joys. I am so honored and blessed to know them all, to learn from them, and to watch them grow. And I am comforted by the knowledge I have of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We don't know why some things happen. It can be so frustrating as mortal beings to contemplate the sorrows of the world. However, I love my Father in Heaven and I love the plan He's given us that enables us to be together forever. I know that our trials and tribulations on this earth, even though they may seem too much to bear at times, are but temporary delays to our eternal life together with the ones we love. I know our Father in Heaven knows and loves every single one of us. Even if we don't know why some of us must leave this life earlier than others, I know God knows why, and I know His reasons are sufficient and perfect for us all.
For many people I know, this will be a very sad Thanksgiving. I sincerely hope the Holy Ghost can bring peace to their souls and comfort to their hearts. I hope the afflicted family can make it through this difficult time with the Lord's help, and that they will find peace in His plan. I know they will see their little boy again, and it will be a joyful day beyond imagining.
I hope all of us will count our blessings and be a little more thankful for them this year. I know I certainly will.
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