Come What May

“Though we may feel we are “like a broken vessel,” as the Psalmist says, we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter.  Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken -hearts are healed.  While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.) My 20 th birthday was spent in a bed.  Not because I was lazy, not because I was sleepy, but because I was sick and it hurt too much to move.  I am so blessed so I'm not trying to complain, but needless to say it was not the pleasantest of birthdays and since that day I can see that my illness has aged me.  Loud noises make me cringe, large gatherings make me tired, I prefer to stay at home than not, and sometimes I wish there weren’t quite so many party invitations to turn down.  Some people might think my six months of professional treatment should’ve been enough, that it is time to sna...

I feel we need to devote more of our prayers to expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for blessings already received.  We enjoy so much" (President Ezra Taft Benson). A few weeks ago on one of my daily walks I saw a few runners go by and thought to myself, “I wish I could go on a run!”  After all, I used to be able to; running, backpacking, hiking, all kinds of things.  I started thinking about some of my broken dreams.  Because besides my mediocre health I didn’t finish my mission, I had to abandon a promising military academy application, I still couldn’t go to school, my social life was lame, and my 6 months of partial isolation from the world were making it difficult to function in it.  (Naturally feelings of self-pity began to surface). Then I shook my head and thought about how I lucky I was to be on a walk.  After all, I couldn’t always go walking every day!  Lots of people can’t go on walks.  Lots of people are much less fortun...