We came home from our trip to a tragedy in our next door neighbor’s family. These last 4 days I have had a unique vantage point, being a witness of a huge outpouring of support for our neighbors. Many have called me, asking what they can do. I spent some precious time with my neighbors, crying and reminiscing. I have carried florist deliveries to them in the evenings when they have come home, weary and spent.
We draw strength from one another. So many times I have gone to a funeral or visited a person who is grieving and it is my faith that has been strengthened, when I hoped it would be the other way around. It’s sometimes in our deepest grief that we have an opportunity to testify in the most powerful ways. My neighbors and their family have testified of a loving Heavenly Father who knows all things; of the Son of God, who makes it possible to return to our loved ones; of the Holy Ghost who is a steady comforter, sometimes offering sparks of light in the darkness.
I feel strength from their testimony, shared at this nightmarish time. I feel strength from people around us, willing to mourn, ready to serve, and anxious to lift. Our actions during difficulties define what we really believe. Christ lives! We are his hands. We will be there for one another.