"Each Life that Touches Ours for Good"

I have paused several times the last few weeks thinking of those dear to me. Life can be taken so quickly and unexpectedly sometimes. I am truly grateful for the comfort I receive in knowing Families are Forever.

Over the last couple weeks I have heard of the passing of 2 acquaintances. The first one....Shirley....She was the aid on the bus that one of my daycare boys road on. She would great me 4 times a week. I only saw her less than 5 minutes on those days. Not much time....but enough to make a connection. One day Shirley had a sub. The driver said that Shirley stayed home with some stomach issues and for Shirley to miss, she had to of been pretty bad. She missed 2 days, then was back for a day. The next day she was gone again and the bus driver told me that Shirley wouldn't be back for the year. I paused for a moment thinking of her but then went on about my day. After a week of getting used to the new bus aid, I get the news that Shirley had passed....WHAT? HOW? WHEN? I was shocked. So quickly....Shirley apparently had pancreatic cancer and it took her that quick. It was very strange for me to think that she was gone. She had appeared so healthy the last I had seen her....Thank you Shirley for those few moments you shared with me.

The 2nd passing was of a friend's daughter-in-law. Raysha Neilson (21 years old). She was killed in a snow mobile accident. She was a champion snowmobiler who competed in snowmobile racing. I really had never met her, but I know her in-laws. They are members in our ward and are outstanding people. Maria, the mother-in-law is also the Principal at Millville Elem. where my kids go. Her son (husband to Raysha) was one of Jim's young men a few years back. They have a 3 year old boy together. My heart hurts for the family. I pray for their comfort and peace. To the Neilson family....Your strength lifts each of us. Thanks for touching my heart and sharing your testimony of the gospel with us.

The Results of Prayer and Fasting

I am so overwhelmed with emotion as I see the immediate response to a unified prayer and fast that took place in our valley. Not only was the fasting done in our valley but also Ogden area and in California.

We were asked by church leaders in our stake to include in our fast the blessing of moisture. We have had very little snow. I believe and have faith in prayer and fasting. My thought was, "Oh, we will get more moisture, but it will be a storm for a day here and maybe a week later another day with some snow." Well, it has pretty much snowed everyday since the day before the fast. It is beautiful. It is a testimony to what prayer and fasting can do. 

When ever an opportunity to pray and fast for a specific thing comes about, I try to explain to my girls about fasting. It seems like the more I explain, the more frustrating it is dealing with them. They get after each other for one eating something. They ask questions like, "Can we swallow our spit?" Seriously, I lose my patients  ....But as I went to bed Sunday night after having prayer with my girls 3 times during the day to ask for moisture, I checked the forecast. I wanted to cry. I immediately showed Jim then went and showed the girls that were still awake. 4 of the 7 days had snow in them. I know forecasts can changed and this one did, but with an increase of snow. WOW! So blessed!

I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing us with the moisture, but I also thank him for giving us an opportunity to share with our children how prayer and fasting works with his immediate response to our prayer.