What Sad News

I haven't had time to blog. After a long trip to Idaho I am now on a long trip to Salt Lake City. My trip to the Philippines has been canceled, due to unforeseen natural disasters and the ensuing widespread damage in Japan. We will go later, and meanwhile pray for all of the people in Japan who are suffering. A friend recently said that "they must have done something really bad for God to have done that." I don't buy it. That's like saying when I lose a baby it's because I did something wrong, or when anyone has anything bad happen to them for that matter- that they must have offended God. It's a test. Bad things happen to good people and the test is how we react to our own and others' trials. It may be easy to justify not reaching out or loving others by saying they deserved it or brought it on themselves, but in the end it may not only not be true, but that part is none of our business. The part that is our business is comforting, helping, supporting, and loving.
(On a side note comforting others is one of my own mini trials. When I try to comfort others I become tongue-tied, or ramble on, generally saying the wrong thing, about on par with a teenage boy asking for his first date. It's just that I have no idea what to say in most sad situations, and get very tense and nervous. Handing out hugs and holding a hand is especially hard- mostly because I hate it when others do that to me when I'm upset. Hopefully, I'll improve with age.)

Back on track. It's very sad to see others suffering and not quite know what to do about it except pray. In this case, I will trust that my church will know how to distribute contributions.

In other news, I will be home sooner than I thought, unless I decide to stay longer, or go do something else. (Read, as usual, I'm not yet sure what I'm doing. And I'm okay with it.)

Mourn with one who mourns

http://roscommonacres.com/2010/12/what-happened/

Last night I read one of the saddest stories. I cried myself to sleep. I feel like an ungrateful wretch. The dumb little things I worry about when I am blessed far beyond what I deserve right now. Everyone is healthy, we have the gospel, we love each other. I hope never to face what this dear mother is dealing with right now. My bad days are nothing, bad moods over mere trivialities. I feel like most of what I have to say, or have ever said in my life, is trivial. Kind words, words of encouragement, sharing the gospel, telling others how much you love them…these are the important things there are to say.

How can I forget that my precious children are children of God and yell and be cross with them? May I begin now to live up to the expectations of my Heavenly Father regarding how his dear children should be treated every moment. Any occasion could be the last opportunity, to say “I love you,” to give a hug, to go on a walk and watch the spring flowers or the fall leaves.

…It is now much later in the day, and I realize that just because everything I have to say isn’t life-changing, or about the most important topics in life, it doesn’t mean some of what I think and say isn’t important. To me, at least. As I make new discoveries, learn from my mistakes, and understand life better, I grow. Writing about what I learn or feel, or how I’m improving, or my family life, is part of the process of growing. I can review what is going on in my life, what I “used to think” (it does change occasionally!), what I have deemed to be important. The prophet also told us to make a record of our lives. At the moment, this is my record. I used to keep a journal, and I will again, but for now, it’s just my blog and the occasional intended blog that never gets published.

My heart goes out to those who are in need of comfort, who feel guilty (whether they should or not), who feel alone, who experience the loss of a loved one, who never feel like they are "good enough." I pray that they will find peace in Heavenly Father's love and through the angels he sends to help us.