EMOTIONS!

I wrote this in my blog as well, but I thought I'd write it here. Feel free to read or skim over.

So I have had a couple weeks of crazy news from friends to family members and since I've also been pretty busy with swimming lessons and all, I haven't had a lot of time to think about it. I have had some time recently, and I have truly learned about tender mercies of the Lord and how important it is to lean on him for comfort and strength, knowing that everything will work out, whether it is what we hope to happen or something different. One of my best friends from high school had some traumatic breastfeeding scares with her 3rd child, and found that she has breast cancer. She's 28 (not that cancer is ok at any age) and has a wonderful family and a wonderful personality, and it was a struggle to learn about this incredible trial of hers. My sister-in-law is pregnant as well (with her 4th) and when she went in for the "exciting" ultrasound, telling the gender, they found out is a girl (which is an exciting thing for my family), but there was a "good chance" that the baby could have Down Syndrome. She has had struggles with pregnancy (her 2nd was born at 26 weeks (1lb 9oz) and is now fine, at 6 1/2 years old) so it is always a constant to pray for her and her baby throughout her entire pregnancies, but to add this mental struggle, worrying about the health of her unborn baby, was a definite trial. You know that girl would be loved no matter what, but you always hope for the best possible outcome where the baby could be relatively normal when born. I have had a few friends in particular, who have struggled with trying to get pregnant and not being able to, and that is very difficult when so many around them or their friends/family post their happy news on their blogs. My cousin's son (about 6-7 months) gave a scare to the family when he had to go to the emergency room, then life-flighted to Primary Children's Hospital in SLC because his small intestine had somehow got sucked inside his large intestine. Usually with these cases, 95% of the kids are able to have it pushed right back out, but this boy was an unlucky one and with two different procedures to try and push it out, it didn't come, so they had to surgically take that part out. It took him a while to be able to poop, and even longer to be able to eat again, but he finally made it home this week.

Ok, so those are the things that have weighed the most heavy on my mind. With each of these trials, it could be easy to get frustrated because they are all wonderful people. It is very difficult for me to care so much about my friends and not know how to be there, what to say, or just to hope for the best, but I have definitely learned to be more grateful for what I have been given, as well as to learn to trust that our Savior definitely knows each of these wonderful people so much better than I do, and he knows how to "succor his people". Jeff and I read Alma 7 this morning, and it is where Alma is the high priest of the church, and goes to the different lands, giving them council. This chapter, he is in Gideon, where the people are righteous, and he tells them about Christ and how He will come and save his people. "...and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy...that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities "(vs. 12). My family's/friends' trials are all known to the Savior; he suffered those same things to know physically how to help them have the comfort and strength to get through them. So many little tender mercies have already been given to them in ways that help them feel the hand of the Lord through it all. I think my little trial of my aching heart for my friends is also something the Lord understands. I sometimes feel very peculiar because I feel things differently than a lot of people and I don't know how to talk about my care. It is often seen that I just take in too much and I shouldn't care that much, to where it affects me. IN my patriarchal blessing, it talks about this "trial" I have been given, that it has a specific purpose in my life. I need to learn how to work through it so I don't get affected so strongly because I'm sure this won't be the last time I have many trials of others come at the same time, but the Savior knows me as well, and he knows how to succor me and help me get through this, even when I feel alone. I am grateful, even more now, for his Atonement and his love for my friends/family and for me.