With Thankful Hearts

Thanksgiving has past now, but I wanted to share what we, our little family, is especially grateful for this year: the Plan of Happiness. This has become more real to us than ever with the loss of our baby, Honey. The day we found out she had died, for FHE we decided to talk about the Plan of Salvation with our kids and talk about what was happening. Ryan did a fabulous job describing it with our Candy Land board game. We all lived together with Heavenly Father before we came to earth. We chose to come here. Then starting on our journey here in mortality, we receive great blessings that help us move forward faster. But we can also feel like we're stuck in the mud, like we're stationary or sometimes even feel like we're moving backwards. Our hearts can hurt, and we face life with sadness and sorrow. Ultimately though, our goal is to live faithfully and return as a family back to Heavenly Father.

The kids seemed to grasp what we were saying, and it was nice to be reminded of why we are here. That we knew there would be tough times and rough patches. We are so grateful for the temple, for the promise of eternal families. The night we went into the hospital, Ryan and I were able to go the temple. What a comfort! To be reminded that as we try our best here on earth, we can be with our families together forever. That not being able to have our little baby right now, we can look forward to being with her and enjoy her on the other side.

There is no way we could have done this alone. It is such an amazing experience to feel (and I mean really FEEL) all of the love, support, fasting and prayers that have been said on our behalf. And thank you to all who are still offering this support, who have called us up to see how we're doing, to see how we're managing and offer love and support. Our lives have changed and our hearts are still tender and we appreciate (tremendously!) the thoughtfulness. Our ward has been and still is so supportive and loving. What a great Plan! To not only have families, but ward families. So it is with thankful hearts that we share our love and gratitude for you, not only during this holiday season, but for always.