In a talk that I was reading yesterday , in order to find some comfort in the loss of my friend "Frank", I came along this quote from an article entitled Even Though He is Gone, by Kay Lindsay (Ensign Jan. 1988, 53) on the lds.org website under grief and loss. Kay's husband passed away, leaving her to care for their children alone and this is what she had to say about it-
"I have often taken heart in the words of former United States President Woodrow Wilson, spoken in a baccalaureate address to the Princeton University class of 1907:
'To one deep fountain of revelation and renewal, few of you, I take it for granted, have had access yet. I mean the fountain of sorrow, a fountain sweet or bitter according to how it is drunk, in submission or in rebellion, in love or in resentment and deep dismay. I will not tell you of those waters. If you have not tasted them it would be futile. And some of you will understand without word of mine. I only beg that when they are put to your lips, as they must be, you will drink of them as those who seek renewal, and know how to make of sadness a mood of enlightenment and hope.' (In Arthur Walworth, Woodrow Wilson: American Prophet, Easton Press, 1978, pp. 114–15; used by permission of W. W. Norton and Co., Inc.)
She continues...
"We all live in a bubble of blessings, and each of us inevitably will experience some times in our lives when that bubble deflates. Because we are given the ability to help design our own destiny, we can inflate that bubble again. We may not fill it with the same blessings, because sometimes circumstances require us to redefine our concept of happiness. But the bubble can be just as full as ever." End quote.
In the past 18 months, my bubble has been popped, per se, with my diagnosis of having bipolar disorder and then my subsequent miscarriage almost five months ago. I can say that I have drunk out of the fountain of sorrow, just a little, and it has renewed me and strengthened me, taught me lessons I would have never learned before and has caused me to grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding. I know that my bubble will be popped again and when it is, I know that if I so choose, it can be an opportunity of growth and strength for me and my family.
Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
"I have often taken heart in the words of former United States President Woodrow Wilson, spoken in a baccalaureate address to the Princeton University class of 1907:
'To one deep fountain of revelation and renewal, few of you, I take it for granted, have had access yet. I mean the fountain of sorrow, a fountain sweet or bitter according to how it is drunk, in submission or in rebellion, in love or in resentment and deep dismay. I will not tell you of those waters. If you have not tasted them it would be futile. And some of you will understand without word of mine. I only beg that when they are put to your lips, as they must be, you will drink of them as those who seek renewal, and know how to make of sadness a mood of enlightenment and hope.' (In Arthur Walworth, Woodrow Wilson: American Prophet, Easton Press, 1978, pp. 114–15; used by permission of W. W. Norton and Co., Inc.)
She continues...
"We all live in a bubble of blessings, and each of us inevitably will experience some times in our lives when that bubble deflates. Because we are given the ability to help design our own destiny, we can inflate that bubble again. We may not fill it with the same blessings, because sometimes circumstances require us to redefine our concept of happiness. But the bubble can be just as full as ever." End quote.
In the past 18 months, my bubble has been popped, per se, with my diagnosis of having bipolar disorder and then my subsequent miscarriage almost five months ago. I can say that I have drunk out of the fountain of sorrow, just a little, and it has renewed me and strengthened me, taught me lessons I would have never learned before and has caused me to grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding. I know that my bubble will be popped again and when it is, I know that if I so choose, it can be an opportunity of growth and strength for me and my family.
Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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