General Update
From Doris:
A Time of Renewal
I have always loved
Spring, except for the years in which I lived in the metropolitan Phoenix area.
In Phoenix, Spring was the beginning of hot weather. Here in Eagle, it is a
time to be celebrated.
Spring is the season
of birth. Certainly, the mother duck nesting in our backyard is proof of that.
Spring is also a season of renewal. The trees that have been in a dormant state
for months are now filled with blossoms. Daffodil bulbs that have been hidden
underground are now showing their glorious flowers. Grass that was brown and
looked dead is now green. Trees, bulbs and grass have not been dead for months
but were awaiting Spring.
I have not been dead
these last few months but have been awaiting a renewal of my health. That
renewal has begun, but I do not know when it will be complete. Will my body
ever return to its former capacity? It
may not, but I believe the spiritual lessons I am being taught are far more
valuable than any of my physical losses.
I know that I
will be forever better because of my cancer journey. The blessings of this
journey are many. Here is one:
In my hours of
heartache, I have come to understand more deeply that I am a beloved daughter
of heavenly parents. Being required to suffer does not mean I am unloved by
God. Suffering is simply part of life. But the capacity to endure suffering
comes from God and is evidence of His love.
The source of all
renewal is the Creator Himself. By Christ’s power, all that is broken will be
made whole. Because of His resurrection, death is not the end. Because of His
Atonement, heartache is not permanent and suffering will one day end. At this
Easter Season, I rejoice in these truths.
Hosanna to Christ
the Lord!
From Paul:
In Doris’ latest
blood lab work the indications are that her on-going treatment is having the
desired intentional effects. We did not meet with a provider for this cycle. Unfortunately,
her treatment also has some undesirable and unwelcome side effects. Because she
felt less of those side effects after the completion of her transfusion
treatment, we are hopeful that these undesirable and unwelcome side effects are
temporary and we will bid them goodbye when her treatment ends. Currently we
are at the beginning of cycle 11 of 24. Come May, we can celebrate the 50% completion
of this treatment regimen.
Easter is a
beautiful season of celebration. In the northern hemisphere it coincides with
the revitalization of the perennial growth around us, and we have passed the
spring equinox. From here through September there will be more hours of light each
day. There is some symbolism in recognizing those two things: 1) Rejuvenation
of life all around us, and 2) More daily light. These are seasonal symbols
consistent with the gifts we have received or will receive through the gifts of
a savior. One of my favorite hymns to celebrate Easter is one that our children
sing in primary. The verse that has been on my mind this week is this one
because today is Palm Sunday.
1.
Tell
me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,
Things
I would ask him to tell me if he were here.
Scenes
by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories
of Jesus, tell them to me.
2.
Oh,
let me hear how the children stood round his knee.
I
shall imagine his blessings resting on me;
Words
full of kindness, deeds full of grace,
All
in the love-light of Jesus’ face.
3.
Tell
me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea,
Tossing
the boat in a tempest on Galilee!
And
how the Master, ready and kind,
Chided
the billows and hushed the wind.
4.
Into
the city I’d follow the children’s band,
Waving
a branch of the palm tree high in my hand;
One
of his heralds, yes, I would sing
Loudest
hosannas, “Jesus is King!”
Hosanna means “save
now”. We find salvation through Jesus Christ both now and in the future. He was
the first to be resurrected, and our Heavenly Father’s plan includes that
resurrection for each of us.
Easter is a significant
celebration, because without Easter there would be less to celebrate at
Christmas. True to all things in our Heavenly Father’s plan, we celebrate
Christmas, and the coming of Jesus Christ to the world was foretold and proclaimed
by heavenly angels because Jesus was perfect, and His Father, and our Heavenly
Father knew that he would fulfill his mission. Even though in Gethsemane, Jesus
was in great sorrow. In His own words, He said about His suffering,
“Which suffering caused myself, even God, the
greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to
suffer both body and spirit – and would that I might not drink the bitter cup,
and shrink-
Nevertheless, glory
be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children
of men.”
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