Doctrine and Covenants 121:7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7)

I want to thank those individuals who responded to my previous post/cry for help. We appreciate the phone calls and the comments and thoughts on our behalf. I sometimes wonder if blogging is dangerous as one can certainly air a bunch of 'bad laundry' on a blog. I also feel sheepish that we weren't strong enough to just call our friends and family and tell them how things were really going in our life. Nonetheless, you all now know everything about our current state in life:)

That being said, Dusty's dad, Gayle, commented on our post and what he said had a strong impact on Dusty. Last night for family home evening Dusty felt inspired that we should watch the Joseph Smith movie that is playing at the Legacy Theater at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah. And as we watched this movie about our beloved prophet and were reminded about the suffering and tribulations that he, as well as the saints, endured, I was humbled. I started taking notes every time I felt the Spirit. I better understand now that our current circumstances shall be but a moment in the grand scheme of things. I also feel humbled because I have so many more things to be grateful for than what I thought I did. The saints suffered intensely; they worked together, cried together, lived together, sometimes under the same roof, nursed each other back to good health and loved each other. I realize that as the saints relied on each other that Dusty and I need to rely on the saints of today for support. We need to eat that slice of 'humble pie' and ask for help if we need it. It is a hard thing to ask for help. We remember times living here before when we helped others who were in need at Christmas time. I remember how great we felt helping them and seeing them smile. And now, we are in the same shoes that the family was in that we helped. It is a hard thing to swallow your pride and let go of the fact that you were once making x amount of dollars and could help others and to now accept the fact that you are making a smaller x amount of dollars and that you now need help. But I know that this is the Lord's church and that he has set it up to help us in time of need.

I am so grateful for the kind reprimand from my father-in-law reminding me that we are not the only individuals without work or going through a hard time. Both Dusty's parents have been out of work for quite some time. Dusty's mother has been looking for work and has not been able to find anything. Both his mother and father are now driving school buses. I am sure this is not their dream job, nor is it bringing in all the money that they need or deisre. I haven't heard them complain and I need to remember that there are many others in similar situations as Dusty and I.

I apologize if I offended our friends and family by saying we didn't want to hear about your lives. In fact, we hardly hear from anyone as it is, so to say that would mean we were in complete darkness about those we care about.

During the movie last night Joseph commented that 'sometimes the Lord brings us lower so that he can raise us higher'. It really struck me that this is the case for us. The Lord has brought us lower so that he can raise us to an even better place. I feel very impressed that I needed to realize that although I am doing righteous things and am reading my scriptures, having family prayer and scripture reading, holding regular family home evening, etc. that there may still be more that I can do to bring myself closer to God and to recognize him in my life. After all I am home resting for 6 weeks not able to do much at all. But I can read and pray and draw closer to the Lord. If I need to pray all day, I will. Which reminds me that I should always have a prayer in my heart.

I know that without the bad there could be no good and that right now things seem really bad, but when the good comes we will be able to better recognize it and thank the Lord for our blessings. This earth life is a test for us. We knew that it would be hard and we knew that we would be tested, but not beyond our limits. So that leads me to trusting in the Lord and in His plan for our family. I will do so humbly; I must.

Thank again to everyone who reached out to us. We are truly grateful to each of you.