Honestly, I should be typing my case study for class. But I keep thinking I need to be typing here. Maybe my thoughts can help someone else. I don't know.
There has been a lot of sadness this week here in this small town. Last week, a young family had lost their first little baby girl. First child period. They buried her this week. The local school had to call a "snow day" just because most of the staff were going to be attending that baby girl's funeral. I wanted to go to the funeral. I really did. But I kept thinking to myself what did I have to offer? I had nothing to give to this family. I can't even imagine what they are dealing with. The closest thing I can relate too is a miscarriage I had two years ago, and honestly, it really sucked, but that is no where close to the same thing.
I decided not to go. Not just because I didn't have anything to offer, but I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to see the family mourn. I didn't want to see a child being put into the ground when a huge snowstorm would be coming. I kept thinking of Lydia and what it would be like to loose her, and I cried. This family must be strong to be able to go through this, because I wouldn't be able too.
This isn't the first time Franklin had to bury a baby. Almost two years ago, a dear friend of mine lost her daughter, they declared her a stillborn. The mother went in for surgery with the baby alive, and woke up finding out that the baby was gone. The child was full term.
These losses of young children has really got me thinking about the gospel. It has put things into a sort of perspective. Heavenly Father knows what he is doing. These little babies are so lucky that they got to return home so soon. This makes me extremely grateful for the Plan of Happiness or the Plan of Salvation. For those of you who are reading and don't know what that is, its okay. Ill be talking about it a little more.
Before we come to Earth, we are just spirits. We have no bodies. Our Heavenly Father had a plan for us and we were aware of the plan. We knew the trials we would be facing, we knew who our families were going to be. We knew everything. But, in order to become the best we can be, and to be perfect like our Heavenly Father, we had to gain physical bodies and learn lessons about life. Lessons about loving, caring, empathy, work, hardships, and enduring to the end. This is where we learn how to become like Heavenly Father and get back home to him. So, we are sent to Earth. We are carefully and beautifully made in our mothers' wombs. Here we gain our bodies. They may not be perfect, we might endure trials with them. But that is part of it. This isn't the whole plan of salvation, but this is what I am thinking on right now.
After this, we grow. We grow and we learn. We endure pain and suffering, but with this pain and suffering we learn what joy and love is. Without pain and suffering, there is no way we can understand true joy and happiness.
I guess that is what I have been trying to get too. It really sucks that both of these families have lost small children. I can't even describe the pain I feel for them. But, how lucky are those two babies that they are already with Christ. They were already perfect. They didn't need to learn the hardships of life. They just had to gain their bodies and then go home. How wonderful is that?! They were already perfect. They will never have to feel pain. They will never have to suffer. They get to be in the gentle arms of Christ instead. What a comfort to know this.
I am extremely grateful for the Plan of Salvation (aka The Plan of Happiness). I love that we are part of a huge plan to become more like our loving Heavenly Father. That we get to experience hardships and suffering so we can learn what real joy and happiness really is. When we endure pain and suffering, it will all be replace with pure joy and happiness.
I have a huge testimony of the Plan of Salvation and I hope you can see that. I will bear this testimony over and over again, and I pray this brings comfort to others who haven't heard this yet. I pray this brings comfort to those who have lost anyone, not just small children. I love this gospel. I love the gospel the LDS church teaches and I am a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And now you know one of the reasons why.
Please remember, we all endure trials. We all have losses and suffering. We can get through it. The lesson truly is how do we handle it and are we able to pick ourselves back up and push forward and just endure to the end. Happiness and Joy are ahead of us, we just need to keep going to get there.
Karin
