Come What May and Love It!

What a wonderful Easter weekend! Since we had our Family Fun Easter Celebration last Saturday, we were able to focus on the Resurrection of the Savior this Easter weekend, and enjoyed doing that while listening to the words from the leaders of the church during General Conference. Coudn't get much better than that!

One of the talks that stood out to me was given by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom. It was about Adversity. He gave the example of two families: One family had lost their child in childbirth, and instead of turning to the Lord for comfort, they became angry and spent their time trying to ruin the reputation of the doctor who they felt was to blame. This action affected four generations of this family. The second example was of  Elder Hallstrom's grandparents who lost their only daughter and her twins during childbirth. He said "My grandparents were heartbroken. Their grief, however, immediately turned them to the Lord and His atonement. Without dwelling on why this could happen and who might be to blame, they sought to focus on living a righteous life."

I have faced much adversity in my life. Most notably was the loss of our twins in 1996. I had every reason to be so angry given what we had to go through to have those babies in the first place. But, knowing that the Lord has a plan for us and knowing that someday, I would be with Austin & Spencer again, we were able to move on. Yes, it was devastating and I shed a lot of tears. And I did have moments of anger. And I did ask "Why??!!", but I was blessed with an understanding that this was just how it was meant to be. And knowing that was all I needed to move on with my life. Less than a year later, I was blessed with two more sweet babies. And one more 18 months after that.

I think that any type of adversity is an opportunity for growth. I believe that you learn from every situation, and that it molds you into the person that you are. Take Wendy, for instance. That girl has been through more than anyone else I know. For those that may read her blog, she's full of the funny and embarassing stories (seriously, some really hilarious stuff there!!) but the things she has been through in her life would have made most people run for the hills. But not Wendy. Even though some devastating things have happened to her and her family, she holds her head HIGH, and will be the first to tell you what she has learned from each and every situation. She is amazing.

Anyway, that talk from connference today was definitely on my list of favorites of all time. Kind of reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from Elder Wirthlin...."Come what may and Love It!!" Couldn't have said it better myself.