Families Are Forever

I believe that families are forever and that we knew those we call family before we came to earth, and can be with them again after this life. I believe this is part of the gospel of Jesus Christ and is covered by His Atonement and in His Mercy and Love for His us, His children.

My  goals for 2018 are to be more regular in my church attendance and to be able to obtain a temple recommend. This will allow me to work on the saving ordinances that allows my family members that have passed over the veil to enter into the spirit world as united family members for all time and eternity. 

I have a chronic illness and disability which went undiagnosed until 2015 and which caused me to hide away. My church attendance and behaviour was effected greatly by this. With the love of the Saviour and fellow members I was restored to my former love of the gospel. I had to move in 2017 and am on permanent disability and a new ward but seek to make new connections and return to the Temple. Both my parents have passed. I am the only member in my family being a convert from the UK. I had the work done for my father but my mother passed during the years I was inactive and I am eager to have her work done and the sealing of my parents to each other. They loved each other with a love that is rarely seen in today's marriages and I am very fortunate to have such parents. I wish to be reunited with them in the eternities. I wish to have my family forever.

Peace I Leave With You.

Life is a never-ending series of challenges but I am so blessed to have the gospel and the Lord to turn to. 

My challenges, or should I saw adventures, in the life of a person no longer able to care for oneself, continues. It has opened my eyes to the lives of many. What do these others do if they don't have the Lord in their life? I try to be pleasant and kind to all I meet at these places and hope in some way I can help them to not be overwhelmed with despair. My son has seen what I have seen and is very aware now of the 'system' and how it is failing far too many. People sleeping and living on the streets without hope. I pray the Lord that this time will bless him and help him to help others when he is in a position to do so. 

We live one month at a time and trust that things will work out so that we can meet our basic needs.

The Lord has promised us peace and I believe in Him.

Hidden Blessings

One of the things that helps me to stay sane with a chronic illness is to see it as a blessing and not a curse. Yes, I would run as far away from it as possible if I could, but I do believe in God and I do believe all things are for a reason. I believe that we are here to learn and to become something, and not just here to have a good time.

I was reading a book about a woman's experience working in hospice. In it, a Jewish woman who was dying of cancer said that we didn't receive all the blessings that were being poured out on us every day because we simply didn't see them. And that made me stop and think...could this illness be a blessing?

I was given a blessing many years ago at the church I go to in which I was told 'many hidden blessings would be poured out on my head.' I have pondered that for many years and came to understand that they were hidden because initially, I would not see them as blessings but as curses. I would not think God loved me but the opposite; that somehow I was so bad He was punishing me.

How can constant pain and exhaustion, and the loss of just about everything that we consider good in life, be a blessing? It is a blessing because it has changed me for the good in so many ways. We can be made bitter by our experiences and stay there, or we can finally let go and trust God and that He does love us, and be made more compassionate and giving towards others.