I received an email from my sister-in-law today about someone who I was actually pretty good friends with when they lived here in Lubbock, Geoff and Amy Johnson. At the time, Geoff was going to school to become a CRNA and Amy was hard at work having and raising their first 2 children. They were both very quiet people, so it took a while for us to get to know each other, but Amy and I became pretty good friends once we opened up to one another and Garth was their home teacher.
Geoff passed away yesterday in Iraq. Amy has 4 children.
A while back, I read some blogs that Torrie had links to on her blog and I remember thinking, what a horrible shame that people have to go through these things. We had a lesson yesterday in RS about weathering the storms of life, that Heavenly Father will not put upon you more than you can bear. You may think that you can only bear so much, only to find out that you can bear much more when it is thrust upon you.
I am an enigma when it comes to mindset, I am a person who generally will think "why not me" rather than "why me". I am constantly looking around the bend, looking for that horrible thing that is going to happen without a moments notice, which is no way to live. I try so hard to look at the good things in my life and not expect something horrific to happen just because it's about time for something. Things like this make me even more scared of the endless possibilities of trials that we will have to face in this life, but they also remind me to count my blessings. I need to spend more time revelling in my wonderful blessings than disregarding them, expecting only the worst.
My heart is broken for Amy and her children, also for Geoff's family. I pray that this time will pass swiftly for them and they will be comforted and will be able to feel the prayers that are for them and that they will be uplifted by them. I also pray that they will remember that this life is but a blink in eternity that they will be together again and for eternity. I hope they find comfort in that knowledge. I know that I do and I hope that if I am ever faced with something similar to this that I will be strong enough to remember these things and that "thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment" (D&C 121:7).
5 days ago
3 comments:
We have no guarantee of how much time our loved ones and ourselves get in this earthly life. Isn't such a comfort that this is just a small part of our eternal lives? I know it will be so hard for Amy and her children my heart truely goes out for her and all the others that have lost loved ones over seas. I have so much respect and gratitude to our soldiers and their families.
I'm sorry to hear about your friend. I tend to think like you--that tragedy must be around the corner because life is going too well. But I guess it's not healthy to think that way because it takes away from focusing on the blessings. Like you said, this life is just a blip in eternity so we need to enjoy it while we're here and the blessings we've been given.
I am also so sorry to hear about this. What a sad thing to happen to a family. Truely, my worst fear. I will definitely keep them in my prayers.
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