"Brian prayed last night that our children would have good memories of Clara. She has been easily irritated the last month and it has been hard for them. Today she woke up with a spring in her step and so far from where she had been just yesterday. An answered prayer no doubt. We went together to pick out the space we will go to remember her and at her request visited the grounds of the temple. This afternoon we enjoyed swimming together and then we came home and the fever and pain returned. Such a blessed day."
It's so hard to imagine that a family who has already been through so much has to lose their baby in the end. We've been praying so hard for their family for the past year, everyone hoping for a miracle. But Heavenly Father doesn't always answer our prayers in the way we want and sometimes we have to part with one of the earthly angels so they can watch over us from the other side of the veil. I know that family knows that they will see their little Clara again someday in a place where things like cancer won't be able to ever take her away. But watching them prepare to say goodbye for the rest of this life has been so hard. I nearly started crying when I saw what my cousin posted. It's hard to believe they only have a short time left.
Then I read about the horrible shooting in Colorado. I can't imagine how someone could get to a point where they thought shooting a crowd of innocent people was a good idea. While I was working, I kept up to date with the latest information through Twitter, though I probably shouldn't have. Each bit of new information made me more depressed. Stories of people's lives ending so suddenly. The stories of the young victims especially struck me.
So all day I was feeling pretty pessimistic about this world. How are we supposed to bring children into this world when there are so many things, like terrible illness and real-life villains, that we can't protect them from? And if things will only get worse... Well, that doesn't seem like such a bright future.
But, don't worry. This isn't a "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day" post. While walking home from work, my cousin's girlfriend spotted me and gave me a ride home. She's such a sweet girl, and I really appreciated that she didn't just wave and keep driving. So that gave me a little hope. There are really nice people out there who care and serve, even if they don't know you very well.
Then we drove to Manti for a former roommate's wedding reception. It was beautiful. :) I don't know that this is what she was going for, but if kind of reminded me of something from Anne of Green Gables with a little bit of a country flair. Simply elegant with a little old fashioned charm. Her dress had an early-1900s feel, with a layered skirt and flowy sleeves. It was really pretty on her. And she looked gorgeous, as she usually does, but the happiness dancing in her eyes made it so you couldn't help but smile when you saw her.
I loved the wildflowers that were on all the tables. And the dessert table was fun. She had a bunch of different flavors of cake with vanilla ice cream. I took a strawberry cake, a little unsure of how it would taste. Strawberry cake isn't always the most delicious, especially with the gummy jelly they always put in the middle. This stuff was fantastic! I don't know if it was homemade or store bought, but if it was homemade, kudos to whoever made it and if it was store bought, buy cake from that store! The cake was light and fluffy and the filling between layers tasted like real strawberries. It tasted like homemade strawberry jam! Which I love. The frosting wasn't too sweet and there was just enough to be good, but not overpowering. I was sorely tempted to try the lemon cake, but settled with just the strawberry because I wasn't sure anything could beat that. ;)
Being at the reception erased all of the sadness from earlier in the day. This is what life is all about, after all. Family and creating new families like my friend did with her new husband today. I'm so excited for them. :) I think I would have stayed there the whole reception just to feel the warmth and joy that was in that room, but Jeff had an intramural game. While that doesn't seem important, it kind of is. Jeff needs his cool-off, run-around time and it makes me happy when I can give him the opportunity to do it.
While we drove back, we saw a really cool rainbow. It was cut off because of the low clouds and really thick. Thicker than most rainbows I've seen. It was made from a few rays of sunshine that were peeking through the clouds. You could see the rays shining through the rainbow to the hills below. This is pretty cheesy and cliche, but I thought that that's kind of how life is. Even when there are really dark, low clouds and rain and thunder threaten, Heavenly Father sends us little rays of sunshine to remind us that life is beautiful and it isn't all bad. He won't necessarily take all the clouds away. We need rain as much as we need sunshine. But He won't ever leave us completely alone so long as we look heavenward.
I ended up having lots of fun at Jeff's intramural game. I got to know a girl in our new ward that I haven't talked to much before. We had a great time talking. It's nice to have someone I feel I can talk to in the ward. Hopefully it will start feeling more like our ward and not as much like we're just visiting. :)
So, congratulations to my cute friend and her new husband. Please pray for Clara and her family and all those who are suffering right now from the shootings. There's a time for everything, and we can find happiness if we see Heavenly Father's hand in our lives, guiding us through the good and the bad.
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