SIX YEARS OLD TODAY.....LOVED AND MISSED EVERYDAY!

EACH FEB 25TH I HAVE A FLOOD OF MEMORIES ABOUT THIS DAY 6 YEARS AGO. I REMEMBER THE JOY WE FINALLY FELT WHEN WE COULD FINALLY RELAX A LITTLE IN FEELING THAT BOTH ANDREA AND BEN WERE GOING TO BE OK.  THEN OUR WORLD FELL A PART AND ALTHOUGH I KNOW BEN WAS OUR FIRST MISSIONARY....I HAVE HAD A FEW UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, BUT I HAVE TRUSTED THE LORD AND KNOWS HE KNOWS MORE THAN ME.   A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO I DID HAVE ONE OF MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED.  I WAS LISTENING TO ONE OF THE WOMEN THAT IS IN A GEN. PRESIDENCY IN AN AUXILIARY (I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE).  SHE WAS SPEAKING AT A WOMEN'S CONFERENCE AND TELLING ABOUT A BLESSING SHE WAS GIVEN AS SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE CALLED TO PRESIDE OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA MISSION.  IN THAT BLESSING SHE WAS TOLD THAT ALL OF HER FAMILY...INCLUDING CHILDREN AND GRAND CHILDREN WOULD BE WATCHED OVER AND PROTECTED AS THEY SERVED.  THEN WHILE THEY WERE SERVING THEY HAD A NEW BORN GRAND DAUGHTER PASS AWAY.  SHE KEPT THINKING ABOUT THE BLESSING SHE HAD BEEN GIVEN AND WONDERED HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN,

I HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE.  WHEN JER WAS SET A PART AS THE BISHOP IN MCALLEN AND WHEN HE WENT TO SAN ANTONIO TO MEET WITH ELDER HOLLAND.....ON BOTH OF THOSE OCCASIONS HE WAS GIVEN THE SAME BLESSING.  ONE AN APOSTPLIC BLESSING THAT HIS FAMILY WOULD BE PROTECTED.  I DID NOT QUESTION THE BLESSINGS BY I DID WONDER HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN,

THE SISTER IN THE WOMEN'S CONFERENCE SAID HER DAUGHTER ASKED HER THE SAME THING AND SHE HAD ALSO BEEN WONDERING.....BUT THEN THE ANSWER CAME..."THIS CHILD WAS PROTECTED IN EVERYWAY.  SHE  WAS PERFECT AND NEEDED NO TEST. SHE WOULD BE PROTECTED FROM ALL THE BAD IN OUR WORLD TODAY AND SHE WAS SAVED.  AS SHE SAID THOSE WORDS I THOUGHT OF OUR SWEET BEN AND HOW HE DOES NOT HAVE TO FACE THE TRIALS AND CHALLENGES WE FACE.  MY EYES WELLED UP WITH TEARS AND I WAS THANKFUL TO FINALLY HAVE MY QUESTION ANSWERED.  THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE LOVE HIM LESS OR MISS HIM LESS.  IT JUST MEANS THAT HE IS THE MOST BLESSED AND ALREADY TEACHING THE GOSPEL. 

THE TEARS COME TO MY EYES AS I WRITE THIS AND THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH WE MISS HIM....BUT I AM THANKFUL TO FINALLY HAVE THAT QUESTIONS ANSWERED AS IF THE WORDS HAD BEEN SPOKEN JUST FOR OUR FAMILY.   HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY BEN.  I SURE YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BE WITH YOUR PARENTS AND BROTHERS ON YOUR SPECIAL DAY.  YOU ARE LOVED AND MISSED BEYOND WORDS.