Letter's to My Kids- Life is sometimes hard

Sometimes life is hard.  Sometimes it is really hard.  Somtimes it is unfairly hard.  Sometimes we can't change what in our life is so hard, but sometimes we can.  I have been thinking about this the last few days.  Some really sad things have happened that have been in the news lately.  A bishop in California was gunned down leaving a wife with six children, the youngest six months old.  It makes me cry.  Grace's preschool teachers daughter is sick.  Really sick.  She has been sick for a long time and they can't figure out what is causing her to be so sick.  Her parents would do anything to take away the pain, which is so debilatating that she can't live a normal life.   Two mothers were travelling to Mt. Everest to fulfill a life long goal of hiking Mt. Everest when their plane went down leaving two husbands and numerous children with out their wife's and mothers.  I want to cry for their pain. 

However, sometimes we can control the hard.  Sometimes our life's are hard because of bad choices which we can change or repent of.  Somtimes life isn't as hard as we give it credit for.  Somtimes if we focus on the good instead of the hard we will realize that life is pretty good and we really are pretty happy. 

When Hannah was going into 3rd grade she cried and cried because she didn't get Mrs. Compton and all of her friends did.  If I would have been willing she would have had me change her teacher, but I was not, I thought it would be good for her, and I was right.  She LOVED Miss Allen (her favorite teacher, and Hannah has a lot of favorites, but she took the cake).  She also became closer friends with her best friend Jessica and now even thought they live hundreds of miles apart they are still inseperable (on the phone).  Well, this year Caroline didn't get the teacher she wanted, Mr. Felt.  Her best friend Hannah did.  This morning she was in tears because she wants Mr. Felt.  She will be ok.  She will love Mrs. Harward.  She will make new friends.  And she will look back and laugh at the tears that were shed.  Just like Hannah did.

I want my kids to know that it is ok that life is sometimes hard.  Somtimes hard is good.  When hard is because of bad choices you can repent and change.  You can make your life better and more happy.  The Savior will help and because of the Atonement you will be forgiven.  When hard is out of your control you can turn to the Savior for endurance to survive and to ease the pain.  The Savior will help us through anything that we go through, the hard that isn't really that hard, the hard because of sin and the hard that is out of our control.  Remember, we have all felt the hard and so has the Savior.  You are not alone.