The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This week I've finished decorating the house and most of the shopping is done.  (A few items still to pick up.) I'm grateful for the plenty I've been blessed with, spiritual plenty and temporal plenty. I'm missing Dad and I've had episodes of grieving but beneath the feelings of sorrow are the feelings of assurance that the Savior lives and has overcome death.  My gratitude deepens and grows as I go through this process.

This week a family in our ward lost their 26 year old son to the ravages of depression.(Depression is an illness.)  This fine young man took his own life, leaving a young, sweet wife behind. It makes my heart hurt to think of the agony his family is going through -- realizing that he was in such great pain that taking his own life seemed like the best option.  When our precious children are suffering so much it's total agony.  When they take this option -- it's worse -- as you realize how much they have suffered.  Our knowledge of the Atonement is the only thing that makes this bearable.

I was deeply moved last week in Relief Society when I was asked to read the story in Mark about the woman who had had an issue of blood for many years and just wanted to touch the garment of the Savior in order to be healed.  She was successful and the Savior acknowledged her great faith. I identified with her desire to be healed and her trust in the Savior that he could heal her.  Both times when I've had cancer I've experienced healing and through Priesthood blessings was assured I need not fear -- I would be healed.  I will never forget the feelings of relief and joy as I experienced the promised healing.  I realized that the healing came about because of faith in Christ. I've also experienced emotional and spiritual healing as I've faced the adversity of life. I've needed to be succored as only the Savior can succor. He's never let me down or left me alone.  He's always healed me. He hasn't always answered my pleas in the way I wished them to be answered and sometimes the answers resulted in deep loss but he's always succored and carried me.

Well, there's more baking and cleaning and shopping and wrapping to be done.There's visiting teaching to complete and friends to visit. There are Christmas songs to be practiced and meals to prepare.  More importantly, there is more pondering to do and more gratitude to express at this most wonderful time of the year.