Til We Meet Again...

Today the world lost one of it's very best, 

while Heaven gained an angel...

Our dear friend Selma Smith, passed away this morning due to complications from surgery that resulted in liver failure.

Selma was an amazing lady. She treated us like queens and made us always want to be better.

We will miss so many things about her... Her beautiful smile, her strong testimony of Jesus Christ, her amazing talent when it came to sewing and crocheting, and her unwavering love for her family. Selma made this world a better place and her memory and legacy will live on!

Here is a photo that was taken just 5 short days ago while we were visiting with her in the hospital. If you notice, Debbie is holding the phone up to Selma's ear as Me'Chel was on the other end singing.

Thank you Selma, for blessing our lives! We love you!

At The End Of The Rainbow...

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! On this day, everyone wears their green and there is much talk of luck and leprechauns and pots of gold and treasure at the end of rainbows...

Here is a picture taken just last week. A beautiful full rainbow that filled the sky...

Now we know that rainbows are a symbol of God's promise to Noah (Genesis 9:9-17). What a beautiful reminder they can be to us as well, that our loving Father in Heaven keeps His promises. If He says it, it shall be. He has promised us that ALL things (every trial, every affliction, every difficulty, every painful challenge and loss...) will work together for our good. Consider what President George Q Cannon had to say:

"No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is [against] His character [to do so.] He is an unchangeable being...He will stand by us. We may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed not overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and the purer for them, if we only trust in our God and keep His commandments."

What comfort is found in these inspired words!

Every rainbow comes after the rain. And so it is with us...the rains of 'adversity' will come throughout our lives. But let us look for the 'rainbows', the gentle reminders that our Father in Heaven loves us more than words can say, that He is with us and always will be, and that all of these things will really work together for our good.

Doctrine & Covenants 58: 3-4 "Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. "For after much tribulation cometh the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand."

As the oft quoted saying goes, 'He never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it.' Our Heavenly Father has promised us blessings and rewards beyond our comprehension if we will but love Him and endure to the end. So on those days that feel so difficult and overwhelming, think of the rainbow and remember His promises...

Our New Friends...

Last night we had the wonderful privilege of doing a program for the Special Needs Young Women. Here are some pictures from the evening...

With their help, we've never sounded better!...

Here we are with our new friends...

Consider these words by President Faust:
"Is it not possible to look beyond the canes, the wheelchairs, the braces, and the crutches into the hearts of the people who have need of these aids? They are human beings and want only to be treated as ordinary people. They may appear differently, move awkwardly, and speak haltingly, but they have the same feelings. They laugh, they cry, they know discouragement and hope. They do not want to be shunned. They want to be loved for what they are inside...
"Those who are close to the handicapped can frequently feel the nobility of the spirits who are confined in differently shaped bodies or who have crippled minds."

What an honor it was to spend the night with these amazing young women. We most certainly did feel of the 'great nobility of their spirits' that President Faust spoke of, and were quite moved by it. Our hearts were deeply touched with the pure joy and love they shared with us.