For-e-ver.

Today, I got to go be with some of my familia as my aunt finished her

LAST chemo treatment (holla!).

I have a big family, and I think they're pretty awesome.

We're soooo not perfect, but I know they would do anything for me, 

and I would do anything for them and that's really what matters.

It's kind of scary to leave my family behind while I go serve the Lord for 18 months. It's so much harder than I thought it would be!

And the truth is, the hardest part isn't even over. There are battles in the future that my family is going to have to fight that will probably be pretty hard.

Big confession here..... it TERRIFIES me that I will be gone for that.

So I was just thinking about these things while at the hospital today,
and then this happened:

My aunt's kids all ran up to the window outside of the hospital holding posters and signs cheering on their momma. All of the other cancer patients in the room, along with their family members and the nurses, started crying and taking pictures of us. Of my family. It made me stop and think. Why were they so impacted by this?

In that moment I realized how truly blessed I am.

Yes my family may be going through something hard right now, but we are still full of faith and love and hope because we know what's up. And that faith and love and hope shows in our actions as a testimony to those around us of the things that we know.

We know that God is watching over us and has a plan. We trust in that plan.

We have the knowledge that, because of the temple and its sealing power, 

we will get to be together

forever.

And forever is a pretty dang long time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

{sorry, i couldn't resist......}