Second year Day 182 - Thursday June 13, 2013

Stephany's graduation was wonderful really.  In addition to all of the normal kinds of things, the kids that spoke all talked about their testimony and faith in Christ and I just thought to myself that it was so nice to hear a graduation that was gospel centered--and that most graduations are not this spiritual!  At the end of graduation, Brother DeGraff said a few things.  One thing really hit me hard.  He was talking about a very hard experience that his family had been through this past year, that affected them so much and also that everyone knew about (he didn't talk about the actual experience although we knew what he was referring to).  Anyway, he said that one trying evening he just sat and was so disheartened and said that he couldn't teach the next day.  Right then he got a phone call from Elder John H. Groberg.  Elder Groberg's granddaughter attends Liahona and was graduating the same night as Stephany.  Anyway, Elder Groberg came and spent two hours with the DeGraff's and one of the things that he said was...paraphrasing of course....sometimes it takes more faith NOT to be healed than it does to be healed.  That really hit me hard at the time, but also in these days that have followed.  Faith is a hard thing.  It's OK to say that you have faith, as long as your prayers are answered the way you want them to be answered, or at least in another good way.  But, its so hard when the Lord's will is not what you want to have happen. Also, its hard when things happen in the Lord's time, which isn't the same as mans time.  But, we do feel the love of the Savior and we know that we are watched over and blessed so much.  We see the blessings all of the time.  We feel blessed when others are touched to say certain things to us as well.