The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It was the best of times and the worst of times.  My super, swell weekend of fun and frivolity, with a little bit of pain and torture thrown in for good measure, is now over.  I have returned to real life, but the festivities were remarkably groovy while they lasted.

Diana and I left Vegas, bound for Provo, last Wednesday night.  We traveled up to Cedar City where we spent the night with a dear friend of mine.  Our husbands were in graduate school together in Riverside.  We lived in the student housing there for five years.  And despite the limited budget and cramped living conditions, those years were truly magical.  We shared dinners, played games, cheered our husbands in championship basketball games, held each others' babies, shopped, and walked, and just generally hung out together all the time.  There is something unique about the simplicity of life during the schooling years.  And just like most things, I probably didn't fully appreciate what I had, until it was gone.  And having wonderful friends to share it with made it all the more fantastic.  After those years in school, we parted ways.  They have spent 17 years on the east coast, but have come back to the west.  So it was wonderful to be able to spend the night at her house and catch up.  It is amazing how you just pick up where you left off with really good friends that you haven't seen for a long time.  That was a excellent way to begin the weekend.

Then it was onto Spanish Fork, where we arrived just in time to see my niece perform in a first grade patriotic program.  All the kids were adorable as only 1st graders can be.

That night we headed up to Salt Lake City to see the performance of Mary Poppins.  I heard about the fact that it was playing just the week before and was thrilled when we could fit this into the schedule for the weekend.  I have wanted to see it for at least three years since it first came out on Broadway. 

 Diana and I with Mary herself.  Quite satisfactory!!

Next we have me with the official curtain in the background.  It is hard to see it but it says "Mary Poppins" on it.  Apparently you are not allowed to even take this picture, because we got yelled at by the usher.  Photos are not allowed because of copy right issues.  I got in trouble for taking a similar picture at Wicked, so that is just how I roll at these things, I suppose.  I am not sure if you can see, but we are sitting on the 7th row.  Our seats were amazing.  I have never seen a show so close up before. 

We loved every minute of the performance.  There is just nothing like a professional production.  It was truly sensational. Trust me it was practically perfect in every way.   I would recommend it to anyone, except maybe small children.  There is one number with life size toys that is on the scary side.  Diana thought it might even give her nightmares.  We loved it so much, I am going to start saving up for Beauty in the Beast, that comes in March.  Mary Poppins was really the high light of the weekend, and I enjoyed it to the fullest, blissfully unaware that two days later I would witness a tragedy of mass proportions.  How is that for foreshadowing?


Friday I got my hair done.  And Friday evening I went to the BYU football fireside with my sister and brother-in-law.  The fireside was great as it always is.  Afterwards I took the chance to meet a few players that had not been assaulted by me before.

This is Corby Eason, the safety.  I watched a special about him and how his mom did such a good job raising him by herself.  I was glad to get to meet him.

I also ran into Jaimeson Frazier, who I met at the baseball game after women's conference.  Shockingly enough he recognized me and said he remembered my funny stalking book and turkey bone story.  He may have been saying that to make me feel good, but I suppose in some freakish way, I am memorable.  Not many crazy old ladies running around with turkey bones and books of their stalking pictures.

Here I am with Brandon Olgetree.  He is another defensive player and Coach Mendenhall says that he is a really nice guy, until he gets on the field and then his eyes kind of go in separate directions.  He was very kind to pose for a picture.

And finally the group shot.  Someone else had gotten this group together and taken a picture, so it was easy for me to say "hey don't move, I need a picture with all of you."  Good, good times, people.

Finally Saturday arrived.  There was a terrible downpour on Friday night, and I was worried that it might rain for the game.  But the weather was wonderful, although I did bring my coat with me just because it was a night game.  Here I am so happy and excited to be parked and at the field.  I have no idea that I am about to be run over by a mac truck, so to speak.

And of course this picture was an absolute must.  The girl before me to take her picture with this truck was actually blowing a kiss to this player, so I am capable of some restraint.  Just so you know.

And here I am ready to party.  Kettle corn, cotton candy, and spiced almonds, Oh My!!!  So the evening was not a total loss.

My sister came with me to the game.  This proved to be useful throughout the night when she would remind me that I still needed to keep breathing.  After some plays, I really forgot about things like oxygen.

And even though she is an Aggie, she was kind enough to be supportive and wear one of my BYU shirts and wave her pom and cheer with me.  She was a very good sport. 

And she pointed out this lovely sunset, which was much better to look at than anything going on down on the field.  And at other times she reminded me that yes there is more to life than football and at least no one had died, even though most of us at the stadium probably wished the earth would open up and swallow us whole.

Here is a shot of just how close to the field we were.  Yes nothing like practically a front row seat to the massacre.  It was like watching someone hit your child with their car, and then back over them again and again and again.  Not to mention that the CEO of the bank who gave me the tickets is a Utah fan.  So he with his four daughters were sitting in front of us, and the two Utah fans that won tickets were sitting next to us, and there were 3 other Utah fans right behind us.  So although mildly entertaining, it was rather disturbing and perhaps even more painful watching them bask in the glory of their teams success.  Kind of like pouring lemon juice in my paper cuts, only they felt more like lacerations than paper cuts.

It was quite eye opening to see all of the other BYU fans.  I was with my people, if you know what I mean. Sort of like finally making it to the mother ship.   One fan had a blue football helmet with angel Moroni glued to the top of it.  There were people in completely blue body suits.  My favorite sign that someone was holding said "Hey Jordan, my sister called, she wants her arm back."

Jimmer Fredette was at the game and spent most of it on the sideline just below where we were sitting.  At one point I suggested to the BYU fan sitting next to us, that perhaps we should put Jimmer in the game.  Surely he couldn't have done much worse than the guys on the field.  He seemed to agree and called out "Put some pads on Jimmer."   Here is a shot of him walking out at the end of the game.  You can see the teams on the field in the background.

Overall I would give the ambiance, company, weather, and snacks an A+.  The actual game, well not so good.  However I do still love my team.  I would go to see them again, despite the pain they gave my heart.  My status on facebook that night said "Other than the shooting, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?"  That pretty much sums it all up.   I only hope that they can learn something positive from all of this.  I have the utmost confidence in Coach Mendenhall.  I will be there on my couch Friday night cheering them on to what I seriously hope will be a victory.  One of these days, things will click and they will march up and down the field.  And when that day happens, you can bet that I will be there, turkey bone in hand.

My toilet runneth over!

Once upon a time, (well ok, it was Friday morning, if you must know) there was a grumpy, exhausted maiden who was wont to linger longer in bed.

Alas, her daughter exclaimed, "Arise from thy bedchamber and drive me in the carriage to the house of education. Hasten, for we have languished in bed too long and the time is nigh at hand for the bell of tardiness to ring."

And so the grumpy maiden arose post haste and descended her stairs, whilst rubbing her eyes, longing for a short drive in the carriage, where upon she would return to her bedchamber for a long, lingering, nap, whilst all her children were attending school.

But alas her dream was in vain. Because upon entering her chamber for TV watching, her eyes beheld that an evil wizard had cast a spell turning the laminate floor into a swamp. Yea, verily even the guinea pig hangeth ten as her cage floated across the floor.

In great hast, the grumpy maiden gathereth all the towels of the house and hastened to rescue items of value that were beginning to succumb to the flood. There was much scurrying and bailing. And running to and fro to empty the contents of the room.

And woe, some of the books were soaked to destruction. But by some twisted turn of fate, none of them belongeth to the library, and so no fines of torture were inflicted upon the maiden.

And then the maiden's fair daughter cried out "Woe is me, today is the day scheduled for physical exertion and my running shoes are wet like unto a soggy sponge."

And the grumpy maiden looked and saw that it was true. And verily, the maiden exhorted the fair daughter to wear her slip on footwear and promised to dry the running shoes with the aid of the fire breathing dragon that lives inside the dryer.

Indeed, the grumpy maiden exclaimed for the fair daughter to make haste, for the time was short and the bell ringing was nigh at hand. And so they hastened to the carriage and managed to arrive at the house of education just as the bell ringing started and with out peril to any pedestrians or crossing guards.

The now soggy, grouchy, grumpy maiden returned home to continue her flood fighting efforts. Wielding a broom she did gird up her loins and proceed to sweep as much of the water as possible out of the back door onto the porch.

And hark she heard a rapping at the door. And behold it was her friend with her two small children arriving to harvest her pomegranates, because the grumpy, grouchy maiden hath no time for jelly making. The soggy, grouchy, grumpy maiden exhorted the children to watch out for the slippery floor. And whilst her friend tarried in the pomegranate vineyard, the maiden returned to sopping and mopping.

Whilst sopping and mopping, the telephone rangeth, and the maiden ran to and fro looking for a phone that was fully charged. The phone call informed her of the impending arrival of her new stove from the place of home warranties. This was fortuitous as the maiden could enter a plea to the home warranty place for help in the plumbing department at the very same time. And yea, her plea was of the 911 nature. The soggy, grouchy, grumpy maiden was assured that the plumber would make haste to her rescue.

The maiden was receiving a new stove, because her old stove was old like unto Methuselah and was no longer performing the purpose for which it was intended. Yea, the pilot light did stick whenever the stove was used, and continued clicking for the entire cooking time, whether it be 20 minutes or 2 hours. And the ticking thereof grateth on the grumpy maiden's nerves. And behold the stove repairman declared the old stove to be unfixable, and so a new stove was sent for.

Upon hearing of the new stove's arrival, the maiden redirected her efforts from the sopping and mopping to the pushing and shoving of the furniture to prepare a path for the new stove.

For verily the way from the front door to her kitchen was very narrow and fraught with obstacles.

The maiden searched high and low through out her house for every available towel to be used in the sopping and mopping. Yea even, she began using the magical clothes washing machine, in order to obtain more dry towels.

Shortly thereafter the bell of the door rangeth. And the soggy, grouchy, grumpy maiden hastened to the door and inquired "Are you here for the stove or the plumbing?" And verily it was for the stove.

And whilst the soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden continued the process of sopping and mopping, the workman removed the old stove. And they did bestow pity upon the maiden, for they did have great empathy for her woeful state of dampness.

And whence the ancient stove was removed, the maiden looked and saw years of crumbs collected beneath the old stove. And the maiden put her shoulder to the wheel in removing the scourge of filth found there upon. And yea verily the crumbs were hard like unto cement. After some wailing and gnashing of teeth, the grime was removed.
And behold, the grumpy, grouchy maiden began receiving pleas from her son in the tenth grade. Yea, he did text and call her exceedingly often, saying that he felt light in the head and needed to come home. And verily, the grumpy maiden did exhort her son to sucketh it up and stay at school. Yea, and she was not amused at his persistence in exclaiming his impending death if she did not rescue him. But the grouchy maiden was firm and immovable in her resolve that he would complete the day of his education. And his pleas did fall upon deaf ears. For truly she was otherwise occupied.

The new stove was installed, and the maiden saw that it was good. For it was beautiful to behold, in that it was black like unto the fridge and dishwasher, unlike the old beige stove.

The workmen finally retired to their carriage, and the soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden looked and saw that the time for the daughters physical exertion was nigh at hand, yea even 5 minutes away.

And the maiden took great haste in finding socks and taking the running shoes to the office of the house of education and bestowed the partially dried running shoes upon the fair daughter.

The fair daughter pled with the grumpy maiden saying "Today is the designated day for families to feast with their children during lunch time. Yea, please bringeth me a BIG Mac from the House of McDonalds as a token of your love and devotion." And the silly, soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden replied that she would do her best.

And so she returned to the task of sopping and mopping.

Verily all of her efforts seemed to be in vain, for every time she looked, more water was seeping up through the laminate flooring.

And behold, the phone did ringeth again. And the grumpy maiden received the news of the plumbers longed for arrival. But woe unto the fair daughter because it was at the same time as the hour of lunch.

Yea and verily the fair daughter did call and plead with great vigor for the grouchy maiden to come hither with her BIG Mac. And the maiden had to deny the pleas of her daughter, yea even though they were many, and the daughter did wail and gnash her teeth at the news that she would have to eat hot lunch that day.

And behold, the doorbell ringeth again, and lo it was the plumber. And the soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden did invite him into her abode of sogginess.

And verily, the plumber did search low and high for the source of the flooding, but to no avail. He discovereth not the source of the water. And the grumpy maiden did follow him around and give many suggestions. But alas they could not discover from whence the water was flowing.

Finally, as a last resort, the plumber suggested cutting a whole in the ceiling of the TV watching chamber roon

. Yea, even though the home warranty would not cover repairing the damage done by the hole cutting. And the grumpy maiden did giver her consent for what else could she do?

And the plumber did say unto the distraught soggy maiden, let me run and get a waiver for thee to sign away all thy liabilities. And the maiden did despair, for it is never a good thing when someone says "Let me get a waiver."

And verily, not one hole but two were caused to be cut in the ceiling. But alas, that was not the source of the leaking either. And the soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden began to despair.

For she had mopped up buckets and buckets of water, and still there was no end in sight.

And behold there was a plate of brownies sitting on the kitchen counter which were left over from the enriching event of the previous evening. And the starving, soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden did fall upon the brownies devouring many, yea even until the plate was clean.

And behold the plumber did continue his search for the cause of the problem. Yea, even unto the opening of cupboard doors, whereupon items crammed inside did fall out upon his head.

Yea and he did discover that the water had entered the closet of containment, which was piled high with items without other storage solutions. And it became necessary for the soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden to empty the closet, which was mountainous to behold. And this at great peril to her life.

And the maiden beheld that the carpet on the floor of the closet was soaking and must be disposed of in the waste receptacle. Yea, even it was dripping with excess water.
And the carpet pad was also soaketh, and caused to be removed. But behold it was glued to the floor and was most difficult to remove. And verily, the grouchy maiden thinketh her back would break from the efforts of removing the carpet pad.

And behold next the plumber discovered the water had entered the cavity that we had caused to be cut under the stairs for the purpose of storage.

And much of the contents of the storage chamber were removed, in order to see the damage that had been done.

Yea, even some of the food that the maiden had stored up for the day of famine as foretold by the prophets, yea some of that was touched by the water flowing into the house.
But behold, much of the food was spared.

And it came to pass that the plumber finally after several hours of searching, yea he did discover the problem. There was a clog in the pipe that goeth from the house out into the sewer. And so when the children had showered that morning, the water was unable to get to the sewer and instead did flow out of the downstairs toilet.

Upon hearing this news, the soppy, soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden felt faint of heart. For this news did concern her greatly. But yea, while the plumber did snake out the pipe, the maiden did continue in her efforts to clean up the mess.

And behold the grouchy maiden did look at the clock, and verily it was the time of dismissal for the fair daughter. And the maiden did hasten to fetch the fair daughter and the fair daughter's friend, who was promised to come for a visit that afternoon.

And verily, the fair daughter and her friend did take the large box from the new stove to make a fort. And they requireth sticky Velcro and fabric for the making of their fort. And the making of it did involve a great mess, but verily it did keep them occupied, whilst the maiden took a moment to sit upon her couch.

And verily, the soggy, grumpy, grouchy maiden did make a call to her home owners insurance, and hence then did inform her of her $1000 dollar deductible. And it seemeth a harsh thing. Yea verily, her husband did say that he could repair the damage for much less, and so the claim will be withdrawn.

At the end of the day, the grumpy, grouchy maiden did lay upon her bed in a state of sheer and utter exhaustion. And behold she slept, but her dreams were troubled by visions of waves and toilets and Guinea pigs hanging ten. And verily she did rise the next day and commence in the cleaning process. And yea it will be many fortnights before all is returned to normal in her home.

But behold, all is not in vain, for the events did make for a very entertaining post for her blog.

A New Life Experience

A couple of weeks ago, I went to my mailbox, and what did I see? A letter from the IRS staring at me. Yes, people, I can now add "Audited by the IRS" to my list of life experiences I could do without.

Of course this came in the middle of all my crazy working weeks. So I just decided to stay in denial and put it to the side.

Today, it has finally made it to the top of my "Things to have a nervous break down over today" list. So I thought I would blog about it.

Another time, the chance to blog about something is the only good thing you have to say about it. Because sitting here at my computer blogging, is so much more productive than say gathering my supporting documentation in order, don't ya think? It's all about priorities, right?

And proving once again that no good deed goes unpunished, the category they have chosen to audit is my charitable contributions for 2007. If I read the paperwork correctly, I have to get copies of all my checks for supporting back up.

The date of my audit is August 12th at 8:00 AM. Are these people saddists or what? Way to ruin my summer vacation. And the letter says to be prepared to be there/be tortured for four hours. Good night nurse! What could they possibly talk to/grill me about for four hours. That is a ways away, but I have plans to be out of town for 10 days in the next two weeks. This weekend to attend a family reunion in Preston Idaho and the next to attend a nephew's baptism in Arizona.

So I better stop typing and get to working on that little project. My husband is a bit of a doomsdayer and he is sure we will loose all we own from penalties. If I go to jail for tax evasion, could someone please send me a cake with a file in it or at the very least a lap top with an Internet card. Think of the possibilities for blogging from jail. Hmmmm. Another time blogging can make the best of a worst case scenario.

The Parable of the Brown Sugar

The other day, Diana requested that we make chewy chocolate chip cookies. I did what anyone would and googled Alton Brown and his recipe on Food Network. One of the key ingredients in the recipe was brown sugar. This took us to the cupboard where we discovered not one, but two bags of brown sugar that resembled bricks of cement.

We gave up the quest for cookies that night, and I put the rock like brown sugar in a zip lock bag with a piece of bread. By the next morning the brown sugar had sucked much of the moisture from the bread. And a day later, the sugar was soft and supple, while the bread could double for a hammer if necessary.

I'm not even sure where I ever learned about this remarkable trick. But it occurs to me that a lesson can be learned from this little science experiment.

This is my problem. I used to be a piece of bread, soft and tender. But I have been sucked dry and now I am a stone.

Even though I have been advised many times to take care of myself first, I have not done that. I have been inappropriately selfless. In other words I have not been appropriately selfish. This is a huge light bulb moment for me.

Somehow naming my problem and believing that it is OK, even appropriate when it comes to my basic needs, well that is a huge way of rethinking how I live my life. It will be hard to fully make this change. I think that it is my nature to be caring and kind and this is not a bad thing, but I have taken it to far.

Part of my selflessness has been a necessary part of caring for a sick child, but at the same time I have given all I had and am left empty and emotionally dead.

Good news, there is a cure and just like restoring the brown sugar to life, I can be healed. This will take time and will require that I meet my basic needs for sleep, diet and exercise to name a few.

Last Sunday, I was studying more about hope. LDS.org has the following definition of hope:

"Hope is the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness."

It reminded me that hope is not happiness. I wonder if I have been confused about that. In looking at that definition, perhaps I am not so hopeless after all. I just forgot to remember that I do have a confident expectation of and longing for future blessings. The Lord has shown me of his tender mercies countless times in the past, and there is no good reason to think this time will be any different. Other than the smoke screen of despair that Satan has managed to generate in my thoughts.

LDS.org goes on to say: The word hope is sometimes misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word often has a hint of uncertainty. For example, we may say that we hope for a change in the weather or a visit from a friend. In the language of the gospel, however, the word hope is sure, unwavering, and active. Prophets speak of having a "firm hope" (Alma 34:41) and a "lively hope" (1 Peter 1:3). The prophet Moroni taught, "Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God" (Ether 12:4).

When we have hope, we trust God's promises. We have a quiet assurance that if we do "the works of righteousness," we "shall receive [our] reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come" (D&C 59:23). Mormon taught that such hope comes only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ: "What is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise" (Moroni 7:41).

As we strive to live the gospel, we grow in our ability to "abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" (Romans 15:13). We increase in hope as we pray and seek God's forgiveness. In the Book of Mormon, a missionary named Aaron assured a Lamanite king, "If thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest" (Alma 22:16). We also gain hope as we study the scriptures and follow their teachings. The Apostle Paul taught, "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4).

The principle of hope extends into the eternities, but it also can sustain us through the everyday challenges of life. "Happy is he," said the Psalmist, "that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God" (Psalm 146:5). With hope, we can find joy in life. We can "have patience, and bear with . . . afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions" (Alma 34:41). We can "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Nephi 31:20).

I also read some great conference talks. Elder Ballad had this to say in the October Conference 1992

"Living in these difficult times, brothers and sisters, requires each one of us to maintain a positive, hopeful perspective about the future. Today, more so than in the past, I am asked about the signs of the times and if I think the end of the world is near."

I am amazed that we felt that things were bad almost 20 years ago. He could be talking about today. He went on to say this most encouraging thing:

"My message to you today, my brothers and sisters, is simply this: the Lord is in control. He knows the end from the beginning. He has given us adequate instruction that, if followed, will see us safely through any crisis. His purposes will be fulfilled, and someday we will understand the eternal reasons for all of these events. Therefore, today we must be careful to not overreact, nor should we be caught up in extreme preparations; but what we must do is keep the commandments of God and never lose hope!

But where do we find hope in the midst of such turmoil and catastrophe? Quite simply, our one hope for spiritual safety during these turbulent times is to turn our minds and our hearts to Jesus Christ. The prophet Mormon taught: "Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

"Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope."

Faith in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ, is absolutely essential for us to maintain a balanced perspective through times of trial and difficulty. Remember, nothing will occur in our lives that He does not understand. Alma taught, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people." (Alma 7:11.)

Please turn to Him if you are discouraged and struggling for direction in your life. Armed with the shield of faith, we can overcome many of our daily challenges and overpower our greatest weaknesses and fears, knowing that if we do our best to keep the commandments of God, come what may, we will be all right.

Of course that does not necessarily mean that we will be spared personal suffering and heartache. Righteousness has never precluded adversity. But faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—real faith, whole-souled and unshakable—is a power to be reckoned with in the universe. It can be a causative force through which miracles are wrought. Or it can be a source of inner strength through which we find peace, comfort, and the courage to cope.

As we put our faith and trust to work, hope is born. Hope grows out of faith and gives meaning and purpose to all that we do. It can even give us the peaceful assurance we need to live happily in a world that is ripe with iniquity, calamity, and injustice."

I love to read that. I need to hear these words because they help me remember what I have forgotten.

Neal A Maxwell said:

"Unsurprisingly, hope is intertwined with other gospel doctrines, especially faith and patience.

Just as doubt, despair, and desensitization go together, so do faith, hope, charity, and patience. The latter qualities must be carefully and constantly nurtured, however, whereas doubt and despair, like dandelions, need little encouragement in order to sprout and spread. Alas, despair comes so naturally to the natural man!

Patience, for example, permits us to deal more evenly with the unevenness of life’s experiences."

That is so true about the despair sprouting like dandelions. I need to pluck daily those little weeds, before they overtake my field of hope and dreams.

Russel M Nelson said this about hope:

"A more excellent hope is mightier than a wistful wish. Hope, fortified by faith and charity, forges a force as strong as steel. Hope becomes an anchor to the soul. To this anchor, the faithful can cling, securely tethered to the Lord. Satan, on the other hand, would have us cast away that anchor and drift with the ebb tide of despair. If we will cling to the anchor of hope, it will be our safeguard forever. As declared in scripture: "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast."

And so the best news of all for me is that the Savior is the Bread of Life. Through the Atonement, he has an unlimited power to soften anyone hardened by life's trials.

So there is hope. Definitely. And I am going to work harder to remember what I have always known and yet somehow forgot.