Trials

Last night I did something a little rare and actually completed a crafting project from start to finish. I was a little shocked at myself. I decided to make a temple block for Jake and me and one for little T.  

Then I knew how much my sister Mackenzie loves the San Diego temple so I made her one.

  I wanted to give my family one of the Redlands temple since it is our temple.

I felt a sense of urgency as I did made these blocks. I didn't quite understand why I wanted to get these done so quick. Well as Ty and I were playing on the grass in front of the Provo temple today I realized why. Before I continue I thought I should share one of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis, "He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less".

I should begin by talking about how special my sister Brenna is. Yes she Is extremely unique. We always say she is the smartest stupidest person we know. I could devote a whole month to funny Brenna comments and posts. She loves everything about herself. I honestly wish I felt as good about myself now at 23 as she does at 15. She genuinely likes who she is, and why wouldn't she? She's tall, funny, nice (most of the time), and a true friend with incredibly strong faith. In December she lost a good friend who killed herself because of bullying. And today she lost a best friend who also killed herself. My heart breaks for my sweet sister and her best friend. I wish so desperately that people can see that life is so much more than high school and the challenges faced there. My heart breaks for those people who are so full of sadness that death is their only escape. I wish that those girls could have felt and known how loved they were.

Being a member of the church makes me grateful for the knowledge that I am a loved child of God. That he knows my name. I am also so grateful for temples and the sacred sealing powers in them. I love the peace that comes from knowing I can be with my family forever. I am grateful for my savior Jesus Christ. That he is always there for me. Before leaving for college my mom told me something that has always stuck with me. She said there were going to be times in my life where everyone around me would let me down, but that the savior would never let me down. He was perfect and therefore knows how to be a perfect friend. I hope that Brenna can know how true that statement is. I hope that she can feel how loved she is as she goes through this awful trial. I hope that the families of these two sweet girls can feel comfort. That they are surrounded by angles and can feel the undeniable love from our Heavenly Father. I know that, that love is always there it's just hard to feel it or see it during our times of trials. I also hope that we can all be kinder to one another. We should all follow what Plato said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle".