Sunday, April 24th

Quote of the Day:  “Don’t ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back”.  Anonymous

EASTER SUNDAY, JOE’S 55th BIRTHDAY!!!

I woke up this morning and the first thought that came into my mind was “He is not here; for he is risen”  Matthew 28:6.   When I had chemo this week, I was talking with one of the nurses, Melissa, I have come to know a little.  She mentioned how important it is to start the day with a positive thought- that one act can have a huge impact over your attitude and how you’ll handle events that take place that day.

Today the title of Music and the Spoken Word- an LDS, Sunday morning broadcast was “HOPE FOR A COMING DAY”. It’s so easy to lose hope when you’re in the grasp of something that seems so difficult and also seems like the difficulty isn’t going to lift for a while.  I am so touched by my sister Lynne’s struggle.  She called last night and is so gracious in acknowledging my situation with the BRCA 1 Gene and what it means to process that.  It feels like someone understands when they acknowledge your pain and can say to you that this is something really hard you are going through and counsel you to take the time to grieve about it.  We all grow up with an understanding and perception about ourselves and then when your world is rocked, you have to reevaluate and try to make sense of what is happening to you.  But what if you don’t deal with it and process the information so you come out with a stronger, healthier mindset?  Then, you’re in trouble in the future because eventually if you don’t deal with it, it will deal with you.  Even though, Lynne is experiencing a lot of pain and heartache, she is always thinking of someone else!

So, for us Lynne, there is hope for a brighter future and brighter world.  We have to believe.  Here’s what else was said on Music and the Spoken Word:

…even in times of trial, against what seem(s) like overwhelming challenges, life goes on.  Now matter how dark the night, the sun rises again in the morning.  No matter how deep the ashes,they can give rise to beauty.  And any burden, no matter how heavy, can ultimately be lifted.

“Even though life can be hard a times, we can trust divine promises and hold on to the hope of a coming day.  On a spring day never to be forgotten, simple words with the most profound message were spoken.  Those words, uttered in a garden near an empty tomb some two thousand years ago, still resound in our hearts with hope an sweet assurance;  “He is not here: for he is risen.”

My favorite part:  “To all who face they ugly realities of life, to any who mourn the loss of a loved one, to all who feel the weight of life’s burdens, consider the glorious promise of an empty tomb; what once was dead is alive, what once was broken is whole, what once was lost is found.”

After bowling in Park City, April 23, 2011