Speedy Answers to My Fast

Before I begin, I just have to say how much I love the title I created for this blog post! #ifeelsoclever! Ha ha. Okay, now we may proceed! 😊

Remember how I posted back in December about my issues with some of my extended family members? Well, those separate relationship issues recently came to a head. One of the issues was extremely worrisome and significant enough to my soul that I made an appointment to speak with my bishop about it—I really wanted to get his ecclesiastical take on the situation.

As a side note, I might write about all of this in greater detail someday, but out of respect for my extended family members, I'm going to stay vague for now.

My bishop kindly listened as I very tearfully explained my story and that of my extended family member. After my bishop and I talked for a long time, and he could see that there was truly nothing else I could do on my end with this extended family member, he suggested that I fast for myself to help me through my struggle. My bishop gave a lot of great advice and counsel, but the fasting just for me idea stood out the very most. Here are the scriptures my bishop shared with me—I included some additional verses that I like:

Isaiah 58: 6, 8, 11, 14:

6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
8 ¶ Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth...

Aren't those verses awesome?! I've heard them before, but I'd forgotten them because there are so many great scripture verses to remember! 😇 

Initially, I was surprised at the idea of fasting for myself, but after I thought about it for a few minutes, I decided to try it! I've always had great faith in the law of the fast. I've consistently fasted throughout my life for everyone else—my fasting list for people that I care about is forever long! 😇 Also, I've fasted for Greg and I as a couple, and for our children, but I've never fasted specifically and only for myself.

At first, I felt kind of squirmy inside at the thought of focusing only on me and not fasting for anyone else this past Fast Sunday, but at the same time I knew it was exactly what I should do. So I did it! 😀 I fasted and prayed for my peace of mind, patience, and especially for resolution to my issues with my extended family members. How those things would be resolved, I had no idea, but I fasted for direction and comfort, and I was ready for any answer(s) I would receive!

I say "would receive" because I fully expected Heavenly Father to answer my prayers and fasting through the Holy Ghost. I had patiently endured my issues for a very long time (we're talking months, and years in one instance). I felt like I had done my best with what I had been "given." Yes, it was time for some divine intervention to help me move past those issues because they were starting to affect me in a negative way. And don't even get me started on the dreams (while sleeping) I was having in relation to my issues with those extended family members! Oh, my issue-related dreams were not my favorite! 😬

After Greg and I broke our fast together, I felt much better. Nothing had been resolved yet, but I loved hearing my wonderful husband's voice praying for me—yes, he specifically fasted for me, too, and I'll love him forever for it!! Of course, Greg and I pray together all the time, and I love him for innumerable reasons, but this (him fasting/praying specifically for me) just adds to my adoration of him! Speaking of my husband's wonderful voice, I think Greg should start doing voice-overs! I'm going to see what I can do to get him in that industry! 😃 #randomthoughtsbyAdrie! 😄

The amazing news is, one of my issues with one of my extended family members was resolved literally one day after I fasted!! Said extended-family-member and I had been emailing each other the day before my fast, and cleared up everything by Monday! Yay! Some might say that emailing isn't a great way to resolve conflict, but in our case, emails were the only thing that would have worked because even after seeing each other in person, it was glaringly obvious that we still had issues with each other. I even had a nightmare about said family member a couple of nights after we saw each other in person! When I awoke, I knew it was time for me to take action asap!

I also know that because I fasted that Sunday, I was inspired as to how to respond in my final email. My extended family member might not have particularly liked what I had to say, but, oh my goodness, it felt sooo great(!) to write what I hadn't been able to express in any way for seemingly endless months! I tried to show as much love and compassion with my words as I possibly could without being a door mat. Yes, it's a tricky balance to show love to others while simultaneously standing our ground and staying true to who we are!

The other issue with my other extended family member—the one I met with my bishop about—didn't go away quite so instantly (a one-day turnaround is pretty exciting, right?!!), and it felt like our situation got even more difficult the day after my fast—which was a little concerning, to say the least.

Interestingly, and not coincidentally (As I've always said, everything happens for a reason!), I went walking with two of my dear friends that same Monday morning after completing my fast (on Sunday). As we were walking and talking about each of our issues with our extended family members, my one friend said, "Have you heard about Bold New Mom?" I was like, "What?" because I had never heard of that bold new mom. My friend then explained about the podcast she had recently found and how she thought of me in my situation with my extended family member that I was struggling with. My other friend immediately chimed in and said, "I love Bold New Mom! She has some great stuff!" And that was the end of our discussion about Bold New Mom.

But later that night, my mind wouldn't let go of the podcast that my friend had told me about. I give full thanks and credit to the Holy Ghost for reminding me of what my soul needed to do! 💛 As I pondered if I should look further into the podcast, I reminded myself that my friend who brought up Bold New Mom is a very easy-going, go-with-the-flow type of girl. She doesn't usually give out advice, recommendations, or her opinions unless she's specifically asked—which is why it surprised me that she brought up the podcast out of the blue. Thus, I knew it was something I should definitely look into. I texted said friend about the podcast information, and the rest is history!

After Googling Bold New Mom, I discovered Jody Moore's website and especially her fabulous podcast—I linked you to her first episodes. Here's the link to her podcast, Better Than Happy, in iTunes. I don't know when she changed the name of her podcast, but I really like the new title! 😊

I never expected any of this to happen(!), but I have spent the last week cocooning myself in Better Than Happy podcasts, extensive note-taking, analyzing, pondering, praying, and writing! This amazing week of self-care has helped me more than I ever could have imagined! In my wildest, most faith-filled dreams, I could not have envisioned this specific result happening! And it was all made possible because of my special fast on Sunday, April 8th, 2018!

I mean, I had complete and utter faith that I would absolutely get the help that I needed from our Heavenly Father through fasting, I just had no clue as to how that help would manifest itself. I also couldn't have possibly fathomed how completely my soul has been healed over this past week! Yet that is exactly what has happened!

In fact, when I was talking with my bishop (two weeks ago), I explained to him how much I hoped I could get a significant/direct answer to my fasting and prayers because if I didn't, my situation with my extended family member was getting to the point that I felt I might need a therapist to help me get over it. Yes, it was that much of an issue for me. My bishop assured me that they (my ward in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) would help me with therapy if my insurance wouldn't cover it. I was grateful for his kind thoughts, but I didn't feel like I was to that point just yet. I was definitely waiting for inspiration from the Holy Ghost as to what I should do.

So yeah, finding life coach Jody Moore was truly an inspired event in my life(!)—one that is not a coincidence and was most definitely meant to happen! Interestingly, that Monday walk-and-talk with my friends was the first time we've gotten together to go walking—and it was my idea! Yay! 😀 Yet when I say "my idea," I totally laugh because I know I was inspired by the Holy Ghost to suggest that my friends and I start walking together! (I texted them in March, and together we set up our walking date for April.) Also, I know my dear friend was fully inspired to tell me about Bold New Mom! If she wouldn't have spoken up, I don't know when or if I ever would have found Jody Moore and her fabulous, amazing podcasts!

Also, I feel strongly that I wasn't meant to find Jody's podcasts until now. That seems so silly to say because she's so helpful, but up until very recently (we're talking within the last month), I really didn't have any extended-family relationship issues that I couldn't deal with—and I was dealing with them just fine in my own way. I am a strong woman. I have confidence. I know who I am. I am spiritually in tune with our Heavenly Father. I study, research, ponder, and pray about everything in my life. I've never felt the need for a therapist or a life coach. I honestly didn't feel there was any issue I've dealt with (or would deal with) that I couldn't find an answer to or work through "on my own."

I say "on my own" because the Holy Ghost has always told/shown me everything that's best for me to do—and I've done it! I'm very much in tune with Heavenly Father as to who I am and what I need to do to make my life work in the very best way possible. Of course, I'm not perfect! That goes without saying! I've definitely had my struggles, but I've always found my way to sunshine and happiness—every time! 🌞😎😁

That said, I was also smack dab in the middle of grieving that specific relationship with my one extended family member (the one I spoke with my bishop about) for several months. Our relationship had changed drastically over the past few years and I needed to grieve all of it first before I could move on in Better Than Happy Land.

So even if someone would have told me about Jody previously, I wouldn't have felt a particular need to check out her content. Even when I wrote about my extended family issues back in December, 2017, I was handling everything okay; even when I was struggling, I wasn't truly ready to find Jody's brilliant advice. Yes, I had to get to my personal breaking point—and I arrived there about three weeks ago. Thus, last Monday was literally the perfect time for me to discover Better Than Happy!

Do you see how all of this was so meant to be?!

It's mind blowing and humbling in the same moment to think about everything that has transpired in just the past three weeks(!):

1. I was inspired to meet with my bishop.
2. My bishop was inspired to counsel me in the way that he did—and especially in advising me that I should fast and pray for myself.
3. Greg was inspired when he prayed for me as we ended our fast together.
4. I was inspired as to how to respond to my one extended family member over email.
5. I was inspired to set up my walking date with my friends—far in advance of my important week.
6. My walking/talking friends were inspired to take our conversation in the direction it went—about our issues with our extended family members.
7. My one friend, in particular, was so inspired to tell me about Bold New Mom.
8. I was inspired to later ask my friend for information about the podcast, research it, listen to 37 episodes, and do the "self" work that needed to be done.
9. Jody Moore was inspired to become a life coach and begin her own podcast series!
10. Brooke Castillo was inspired to do all of the study and research she did in order to create The Life Coach School (with her husband) in the first place!

Not only has this experience helped me tremendously with resolving my extended family relationship issues, it has strengthened (yet again!) my unshakable testimony of fasting and prayer.

I have never doubted nor questioned my relationship with our Heavenly Father—through our Savior, Jesus Christ—but there have been times when I've felt picked on because I didn't receive the immediate answers from Him that I so desperately desired—answers that I knew He could freely give me if he wanted to! *And yes, I fully acknowledge that Heavenly Father gives us trials to help us grow and become our best selves! That said, there have been times when I've wished my "trial" path was a smidgen of a bit easier! 😉

Several weeks ago, this thought entered my mind so strongly:

Trials are meant to strengthen you and give you compassion for others.

I 100% believe in and agree with that brilliant statement! Again, trials are given to us so that we can truly become our best selves! I've written about trials before in my blog post, "Receiving Our Trials with Thankfulness." So even though we may not want those soul-trying trials at the time, in the end, they are always given to us for our best benefit!

All of that said, I still have some significant work to do in relation to my other extended family member. I'm not out of the woods quite yet, but thanks to this amazing week I've had—of doing the self-care work I know Heavenly Father wants me to do—I can actually see a glimmer of the Road to Resolution that I've been searching for! And I will happily hike the remainder of my journey through the thick trees because I know I can do it! 👊😁🌲

I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for listening to my prayers, accepting my fasting efforts, and blessing my life in exactly the ways I needed! 💛 I'm unbelievably happy (and slightly overwhelmed!) to have received such speedy answers to my fast! It's truly amazing to me!

Finally, here's a wrap-up about my experience with listening to the Better Than Happy podcast:

Even though I could have listened to Better Than Happy through iTunes, or on my iPod Touch, I chose to access Jody's podcast through her website on my smartphone. (My LGV20 is my absolute favorite!) Instead of listening from Episode 1, I started listening at Episode 5—which was my friend's recommendation.

After finishing Episode 5, I knew I wanted to explore more of Jody's awesome thoughts! Thus, I went through the entire Better Than Happy podcast list and opened the links to all of the podcast topics that I felt applied to my situation with my extended family member in any way.

I initially listened to the following episodes (not in this exact order): 3, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 29, 33, 65, 81, 94, 97, and 122. After I finished those episodes, I decided to look at Jody's podcast list again and see if there was anything else that interested me. As you might have guessed, yep(!), I found an additional 17 podcasts to listen to! Here's round two of the Better Than Happy podcasts I listened to (not in this exact order): 27, 36, 37, 47, 50, 53, 73, 77, 81, 83, 85, 86, 87, 107, 110, 114, and 126! After I felt satisfied with my podcast learning, I went back and listened to episodes 1, 2, 4, and 141.

If you're wondering how and why I kept track of the episodes I listened to, I just opened each episode in a new window of my phone's Chrome browser. When I finished listening to everything I was interested in, I went into my Chrome browser again, wrote down all of the podcast episode numbers I had open, and then I closed all of those tabs. I kept track of those podcasts because I want to know which ones I listened to—in case I want to refer back to them at a later date.

I listened to a bunch of the Better Than Happy podcasts out of numerical order, which was fine, but after I take a little break, I'm going to go back and listen to Jody's podcasts from Episode 1 all the way to her most current episode! I can't wait to begin this adventure again! 😊 Her podcasts really are perfect for listening to while doing household chores—they make the time fly by! And they're simultaneously turning listeners into better humans! It's a true win-win!

*If you want to start listening to Better Than Happy, I highly recommend starting right at Episode 1, as she guides you through everything you need to know from there. Yes, you can understand what she's teaching if you start at a different episode, but based on my experience, I believe it's better to start at the beginning because it's a very good place to start! 😁 #DoReMi 🎶

I seriously wish I could recommend the Better Than Happy podcast to every human on planet earth! 😀 Jody Moore is a living example of the parable of the talents. She knows and understands the talents she's been blessed with, she's practiced and honed her skills in marvelous ways, and she is actively blessing humanity by freely sharing her special gifts with us!

As a fun tidbit, Better Than Happy has received 1,671 reviews (to this date—her reviews keep increasing daily) on iTunes and only four of those reviews (0.0024%!) have been negative! Jody should feel ecstatic that she continually produces a five-star podcast! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wow! I'm so happy for her success! And I'm grateful she's continuing to create so many helpful podcasts!

I also researched The Life Coach School, which is where Jody received her life-coaching certification. It looks like a really great program, they've turned out some amazing life coaches! I listened to the first three podcast episodes of The Life Coach School, and they were great, yet I just didn't feel the deep connection to Brooke that I instantly felt with Jody. There might come a day when I feel the urge to listen to more of The Life Coach School's podcasts, but right now isn't the time.

I greatly enjoy Jody's connection to my beloved church; I believe it helps that she's a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because she brings an additional spiritual perspective/dimension that I didn't feel/experience (so far) while listening to Brooke. That isn't meant to be anything negative (not in any way!) against The Life Coach School, it's just that I found the important connection I was looking for in Jody, and I'm sticking with her for the foreseeable future! 😁

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a wonderful day! 😘

Angels With Us

Two Sundays ago, my husband and I took our oldest son to a meeting at our church. Our bishop was speaking to the young men of our ward and their parents. It was a positive experience, and we felt the Spirit very strongly. I love that Greg and I were able to talk to our son during the short drive home about what we felt that night, for our son is still growing in his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and his understanding of how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints benefits our lives.

Even though the meeting was meant mainly for the young men of our ward, I took a wonderful lesson away from our bishop's words as well. Now, I have read the scriptures that our bishop referenced many times before, but that night, I felt something stir within me as I heard him speak about those profound verses.

2 Kings 6:15-17 reads:

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Interestingly, just four days later, those scriptural words rushed into my mind after I experienced a heart-trying event. I know it was not a coincidence that I was instantly reminded of those lovely words in my moment of dejected sorrow. I was immediately buoyed up! My sad tears turned to an intense feeling of warmth and love for me from the other side. Yes, this experience reaffirmed that my ward's bishop is absolutely the right person for that calling.

I feel those verses apply to each and every soul! If people would just open their hearts and minds to the possibility of heavenly help (It's real!), I believe our world would be a much happier place.

I've believed in angels for as long as I can remember, I know they've been with me throughout my life for I have felt their presence. Yet after losing several people I love, heavenly help is that much more real to me. Like anyone, I've experienced the hills and valleys of spirituality. Thankfully, as my life has continued, steady spiritual progression is the norm for me, and my spiritual plateaus are becoming scarce. It's a delightful feeling!

Oh, how I would love it if everyone could internalize the above scriptures and really feel the spirit that comes with them. For I truly believe that we all have angels looking out for us. I don't know if they are with us every minute of every day, but I believe angels are with us quite often. If we could remove the spiritual blinders from our eyes, we would see generations of our extended family members all around us, ready and waiting to help at a moment's notice!

I'd like to continue this happy thought with what is shared in Romans 8:31:

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Yes, God has created this glorious Plan of Happiness for us, which includes the supreme blessing of angelic help. Knowledge that our loved ones—our angels—are with us, gives us much to be joyful about. We truly have nothing to fear! :)

*To learn more about the role that angels (heavenly and mortal) play in our lives, please watch, read, or listen to this uplifting talk, "The Ministry of Angels", by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.

My Amazing Teacher Husband

Today, my wonderful husband, Greg, was released from his church calling as one of our ward's gospel doctrine teachers. He served in his calling for nearly one year and I wasn't ready for him to be released yet! :(

The reason for his release is because he was called to be our bishop's executive secretary, i.e., the Bishop's Sidekick. ;) Don't misunderstand me, I'm thoroughly happy Greg was called to work closely with our bishop because he (our bishop) is a great man. I'm truly so pleased for Greg's association with the many great men in our ward. We have been continually blessed by the stalwart members of this ward! Like I've said before, our wonderful ward members will never fully understand how much they mean to our family! :)

This isn't the first time Greg has been a bishop's sidekick. When we lived in Colorado, Greg was also our ward's executive secretary. Our family was significantly blessed because of Greg's association with our fantastic Colorado bishop—he grew spiritually by leaps and bounds! Greg was already a spiritual giant in my eyes, so his growth was impressive to behold.

Anyway, back to my feelings about Greg as our ward's gospel doctrine teacher. He was an amazing teacher. He captivated his audience throughout each and every one his lessons—at least it felt that way to me! Greg gave us many points to ponder long after the lesson concluded. He connected with as many people as he could. Greg made us laugh, and he made me cry in the best way possible. I'm guessing he brought tears to other people's eyes, but I can't speak for them. :) Although, Greg received the nicest note from a previous gospel doctrine teacher that gushed about his teaching abilities. And he mentioned several folks in our ward who individually thanked him for his lessons, which is always so lovely to hear! I think it's safe to say he made an impact.

Greg was uber dedicated in studying the lesson material four weeks in advance. And he continued to study until the night before he taught the lesson on Sunday. Because he was an early morning seminary teacher when we lived in Texas, I feel he was an even better gospel doctrine teacher! Those Texas high school kids were so blessed to have Greg influence them!

I wanted to digitally record Greg's lesson today, but I refrained because I want to keep my lovely front-row memory of him tucked in my mind for future daydreaming. :) I know, I'm so cheesy! But I can't help it. I love being taught eternal truths by the love of my life! I am a better woman because I've been married to Greg for the past 16+ years. I know he would say the same about me. :) Neither of us are perfect, but we are definitely better because we're together!

If you couldn't tell, I relished and cherished every minute of Greg's lesson presentation today. I wished our Sunday School hour wouldn't end! Alas, all good things must come to a finale. (I just couldn't repeat end one more time, so I wrote finale instead! Ha ha.) I'm just grateful for all of the joyous Sundays I spent listening to my eternal companion teach gospel truths. Now, another wonderful ward member will be able to benefit from the gospel doctrine teaching opportunity.

I meant to take a photo of Greg and I after church today, but I forgot. It didn't help that we were on different schedules. We were also a bit tired from attending to ward/church duties early this morning until late this afternoon. Thus, here is a photo of us on Father's Day. It's a bit fuzzy because it was taken on my smarty phone, but I love it! :) I'm overjoyed that Greg will be standing by my side throughout eternity!

Dear Bishop

Today my ward went through a bishopric change. For those of you not of my faith, my church defines bishop and bishopric as,

"A bishop is the leader of a local congregation (known as a ward) with duties similar to those of a pastor, priest or rabbi. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this position is unpaid. 

"Each bishop is assisted by two counselors. Together, this bishopric oversees the spiritual and social needs of their ward members. The bishop helps each member of his congregation in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ. In addition to spiritual matters, a bishop helps members who are struggling financially or in other ways to become self-reliant through welfare assistance. A bishop also oversees practical matters such as records, reports, finances and the meetinghouse where members meet. 

"Bishops typically serve for about five years. Bishops report to stake presidents, and these local leaders have a significant amount of local autonomy to make decisions regarding the members in their wards and stakes."

This most recent bishopric change means that my little family has had four bishops over the past year! You see, before we moved from Texas, our previous ward went through a bishopric change as well.

As I enjoyed watching this important ward change take place, my mind drifted through memories of my family's many bishops over the past 16-and-a-half years. My heart swelled with remembrances of dear bishops who have influenced my family members' lives for the better.

This post is dedicated to the 12 incredible bishops who faithfully served, and continually watched over my little family, no matter what city or state we lived in.

*I admit, I don't remember two of our bishops' names, for we were only in their wards for a few months. That said, I absolutely remember their constant care and concern. :) Also, not every paragraph of my letter applies to every bishop we've had - some parts were specifically applicable to just one or two bishops, but my gratitude for each of our bishops is exactly the same.

Dear Bishop __________, 

I want to thank you for your selfless service to the Lord, and to our ward. 

You gave so much of yourself to help the members of our congregation! You sacrificed your free time, and time with your loved ones.

You put your interests on hold, so you could be interested in us. 

You endured eye rolling, crying from children and adults, phone calls in the middle of the night, personal crises of every variety, turned-down callings, whispering and gossip, head-strong teenagers with attitude, torturous confessions, bad etiquette, and many other things I don't have a clue about. 

You smiled endlessly at us, worried about us, and prayed on our behalf more times than you can count. 

You gave great advice! 

You gave us topics to speak about in church that were interesting and helpful to our families.

You laughed at yourself when things didn't turn out as you planned. 

Your never-ending energy was amazing, but I must admit I appreciated it when you seemed tired on the stand, for it showed that you're human...just like us. ;) 

I'm still astounded at how you called Greg and I to the perfect-for-us callings. How did you know that those callings were precisely what we would need at that stage in our lives? How did you know that what we learned from those callings would benefit us for years to come?

Actually, I already know the answer to my previous questions: you lived your life so you were ready and able to understand the inspiration and revelation you received from the Holy Ghost. Thank you for acting on those holy promptings. 

You helped us have the desire to become better people.

Your positive attitude was infectious! I appreciate that you always had time for one more sincere handshake, one more joke, one more story, one more phone call. I hope you saw how the children of our ward admired and looked up to you!

The way you gave hope to the hopeless brought tears to my eyes...

I will ever be awestruck at the answers you gave to me through marvelous priesthood blessings. It's evident you were absolutely in-tune with the Spirit, for there is no way you could have known what was going to happen to my family so many years in advance...there's just no way! I will be forever grateful for your words because they positively affected my life more than you'll ever know.

It was a privilege to watch you grow in your testimony, and as a man. You taught us many gospel truths, and emulated our Savior to the very best of your ability. 

Yes, dear bishop, thank you, thank you for your selfless service. Your loving influence will be felt for generations to come! 

With great love and appreciation,
Sister Peterson

All of that said, I can't wait to see what our new bishop does for our ward! :) That's not meant to pressure him, but I know he is truly called of the Lord - just like it's happened in every other ward my family has lived in. I firmly believe our new bishop is supposed to lead our congregation at this time in our lives.

I'm truly thankful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It's joyous days like today that show me just how true my church really is. It's amazing and heartwarming to see how the Lord can take what seem like ordinary men and turn them into spiritual giants.

I'm also convinced - more than ever - just how much we all need each other. Relationships with our family members, friends, ward members, and neighbors, and faithfully returning home to our Heavenly Father, is what this life is all about. We are so blessed to be in each others' lives! We need to try our very best to be there for each other, just like our Heavenly Father and our Savior would want. :)