Peace Comes Through Hope

Peace Comes through Hope

“Everybody in this life has their challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope.”

James E. Faust, “Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 59

Topics: Adversity, Hope

Looking back, 2009 was a tough year. January brought the awareness of the seriousness of Kim's illness, and every minute was spent in trying to find ways to support him and his family. With February came the realization that he would never have his shot at chemo, that his body was too full of infection, and that we would loose him. March was spent helping Shelley work through the insurance issues- hunting down paperwork, waiting with our heart in our throat, praying that she would be provided for. The first weekend in April Randy broke his back. Three months of recovery followed, wondering, hoping and praying that he would be able to heal enough to live the kind of life he loves, because anything less was unthinkable. The summer months and early fall were filled with the fight for Jake's right to the farm. We wondered how Shelley could possible stand any more stress. The holiday season came and with it Shelly's diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Thankfully, her surgery found no cancer and we ended the year on a positive note.

Lots of good things happened too. Shane got a good job working for Willis, Jamie had a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Shaylyn began teaching again, Kevin has done a fine job being Mr. Mom and Shelly found a great guy and will be married tomorrow. Through all the tough times our extended family has loved each other and been there with a helping hand and a word of encouragement. We have gotten so much closer. Just as things have started to settle down and we have been able to catch a breath, we learned that someone else in our family is in trouble and it's time to pull together again.

It looks like Patti, Randy's baby sister, has stage 3 colon cancer. She had been feeling weak and tired for the past few weeks but went to the doctor for an unrelated problem. Tests revealed that her blood levels were extremely low. She had a transfusion of iron and she began to feel better, but the doctor wanted to know where the blood was going, so she had several tests to discover the answer. The colonoscopy revealed the truth of a tumor, and a biopsy brought back a verdict of cancer. She had a CT scan this morning which showed that the lymph nodes were swollen and that there was a spot on her liver. She was scheduled for surgery next Tuesday, but the cancer doctor wants her to have a PET scan before surgery. So now we are waiting for the earliest appointment somewhere in northern Utah.

We can't believe that we are in this situation again one year later. She is so dear to us. She is the kindest, sweetest girl you could ever meet. She truly lives the council to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. She does several elderly ladies hair and she drives to their home so that they will be comfortable and beautiful. She drove to Logan and did Mom's hair every week until Mom had the stroke, and she would not accept a penny. She gave Mom dignity and pride in knowing that even though her life was out of her control, she still looked pretty. She brought Shandi and John with her because she knew how much Mom loved to have people come to see her- especially children, and their pictures were on the bulletin board with the rest of the grandchildren.

I am not looking forward to the next couple of months, but there is no doubt that we will all rally around Patti and her family. We will do whatever is needed to care for her and her family and Heavenly father will strengthen us.