JOY

I received a note today from a friend. In it she expressed that at this time it may be a struggle to find Joy, but hoped that at some point we would find Joy again.

There is Joy in my life and in the lives of my family now. There is Joy in the knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. There is Joy in the knowledge of where Ethne is. There is Joy in knowing that the Lord knew how much we could bear and gave us no more than that. There is Joy in my daughter still being with us. There is Joy in Edward still being with us. There is Joy in knowing Melissa was the best Mommy she could be to Ethne and still is the best Mommy to Edward. There is Joy in my eternal family. There is Joy in all the support and love that has been shown to our family through this tragedy. There is Joy in being able to see the tender mercies the Lord has given us to prepare us for this day. There is Joy in knowing that Ethne's physical body is in the hands of a loving man who has treated her with kindness since picking her body up and throughout the preparation of her body for burial.

There is Joy in the memories we can share about Ethne.

As we sat and ate dinner as a family tonight there was Joy in the fact that not only could we talk about many little things Ethne did, but know that we will go on, and in some point in time we will see her again.

While this is a hard time the Lord has said: "...Men are that they might have JOY!" (2 Nephi 2:25)

I got 2 years of shear Joy with Ethne. Our family will have many more years of Joy with her in the eternities, and in the meantime, we will think back on all of the wonderful times that brought all of us Joy.

Thank you my friend for reminding me that Joy should be found in all times and in all places. Without it life would be a drudge and I never want to drudge.

Shauna