Easter....

Tomorrow is Easter and I am so grateful for my Savior and the atonement! For all that he did to make it possible for us to live again and to be able to return to his and our Father's presence! Elder Hollands talk in General Conference was very moving and really made me think about the Savior's sacrifice that he had to do all alone and how as Elder Holland said, we never have to be alone. I have included a YouTube of his talk with some very moving visuals. It made me remember once again and I'm so glad that I watched it - it put things back into perspective for me.

To most of you this will seem like such a small thing, but to me it was an emotional experience. Today Allison was having her fitting for the alterations for her Wedding dress! I knew that Anne Marie, my oldest, was going to be with her and I was thankful for that as I would not be able to be with her. All week long Allison and I have been talking as she picked out her shoes and other necessities that she had to have for the dress fitting today. So I called them this morning to see how much and if everything went o.k. when Anne Marie says, "Oh, and John's mom is here, do you want to talk to her?" Of course I said yes, and as we were talking and I was hearing how beautiful she thought the dress was and how beautiful Allison was and looked in it...tears came to my eyes....because I was not there. And I felt sorrow that John's mom was and I wasn't. As soon as I felt sorry for myself I said to myself...."Would I want Allison to be alone?" and of course the answer was absolutely no! So I am really so grateful that John's mother was there and could be apart of this exciting and joyful time! And I also know that the dress will have been fitted correctly with a mom there overseeing what was happening. So I'm grateful that when I couldn't be there someone else who loves Allison almost as much was! And even though this was just about a wedding dress....it is a great lesson for life....when we need someone to be there for us....we always do, the Savior!

Then I watched the video of Elder Hollands talk and and know that it is because of our Savior's gift we are never alone. That we always have his help with us.



to quote Elder Holland, "As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."

May we always stand with Christ!