thankful thoughts

Thanksgiving this year was a very bitter-sweet experience. My entire family came out to Ohio to be with us for the holidays, and my sister hosted the big dinner. Ryan and I had come home to give L a nap, and as we were working on making our dessert we got a phone call from a friend telling us that a good friend of ours had passed away while exploring the Nutty-Putty caves in Utah. We had met John and Emily Jones at our BYU ward in Provo when we were both newly weds, and were immediately drawn to them for their goodness. They both simply radiated Christlike love and charity. We became friends with them and built memories and have continued to keep in touch as both John and Ryan have gone to medical school and Emily and I have become mothers. Our hearts and prayers go out to John's family, especially Emily and her daughter (and another on the way). We love them so very much.

With that news, my view of life and what I am thankful for has shifted dramatically. While life here on this earth is temporary, I am grateful for my testimony that families can be together forever, and that Ryan and I are sealed in the temple for time and all eternity. It is through our faith in Jesus Christ and His life, ministry, and atonement that bind us together. The knowledge that this life "shall be but a small moment" encourages and inspires me to try harder to be better and do better. I am thankful for friends like John and Emily who live their lives worthy of the choicest blessings of eternity and for the example they give me. Most importantly, this year, I am grateful for my family. Both my small family of three, our extended families who make life worth living, and for those precious friends who become family. It may be very simple, but the sacred nature of our family is by far the greatest blessing in life we can enjoy.