One of the Greatest Blessings... Family!

My life started out this year in a bit of  an emotional rollercoaster. To try to help y'all see a little more clearly, I want to share a personal life event that happened to me and so many of my loved ones. On Christmas Day after church my uncle was out on his mink ranch moving snow. My cousin, who lived next door, realized that the loader my uncle was working on had been out there for quite some time in the same spot. The spirit was definitely with him and lead him straight to my aunt. Together they went out and found my uncle. He had been in a tragic accident. After hours of working on him and trying to bring him back, he was pronounced dead. I was at the hospital when the ambulance pulled up. I was there when the doctor came into the room to inform my aunt and her two young daughters that there was nothing else they could do. I watched as so many of my loved ones sat in the hospital and cried and morned together. Weeks have passed and I have witnessed the Lord's hand in this great trial.

   Many of you are probably wondering why I would choose this story to share. This last week we have discussed in my Family Relations class different Trends. There are so many that it would take forever to discuss each one of them. The one that I want to bring to y'alls attention is the increase in divorce rates. Just a little bit of information for you, the number of LDS couples getting divorced has gone up dramatically. Part of my goal in this post is to help inform members of the church to support those around them to fight for love. I know not all relationships can't work, but we must put in a good fight! It may be intriguing to some of you to know that 74% of people that highly consider divorce never end up following through with it. It is proven though that the kids of the couples who are divorced have a much greater chance of living in cohabitation or following through with a divorce. This being said 74% of the people considering divorce somehow realized they still loved their spouse, or found a reason to stay. It was interesting watching my parents after this tragic event. They held each other tighter, they now call each other more frequently through out the day. I love you are words used a lot more in our home. Sadly many of us don't realize what we have. Satan is deceiving, he helps us see all that we don't have. We become blind to what gifts are infant of us. I have realized that I take so much for granted. My plea to all of you who may be reading this. Hold those around you a little closer. Don't be afraid to be the first one every morning to express your love.You never know how long a "see you later" may be.