January 6

I am emotionally drained. So bear with me! Today's images are of my boys as newborns. Cade is the 1st pic and David is the 2nd. I am SOOOO blessed that I have my little miracles with me today.

I just got back from a very close friend's funeral for her full term baby that died at birth. Marianne was my roomate in college and was a piano major with me at USU. We laughed, we cried, we exercised, we studied, we prayed together and saw each other sometimes for 24 hours straight since we had most all the same classes. (I also can't forget burning school papers, dressing up like Adam Eve and a cow, and putting on nightly musicals together.) Marianne and all my other roomates at USU were like sisters to me. We were very close, and so to watch her go through this kind of painful experience was really hard for me today. This was her 4th child and she knew several months ago that she would have to deliver this baby and it wouldn't live. I stood there in the snow unable to feel my toes, but completely covered in warmth and peace about the resiliency of the human spirit and the beauty of eternal families. Marianne smiled and cried and sang all the words by heart to hymns played by the solo violin. As she sang and hugged her other children it warmed all of us on this cold January day. I was standing next to two other of my roommates. On my left was Jenny, another dear friend and roommate who lost a daughter in a tragic drowning a few years ago. Her daughter's funeral also profoundly influenced me. It is not just the fact that I have seen these women subjected to such great loss that makes me stop and think - it is the way they have handled their loss - with such hope, strength, courage, faith, class, and grace that makes me marvel. A few years ago I never would have guessed that the giddy girls I spent time with, laughing and crying with, and thinking that jury scores were the end of the world with, would be called upon to go through such great trials and struggles. I have to stop and marvel at how we all got here to this point - we are adults with children and sooner or later we all face tragedies and pain, coupled with great joy. Even though I haven't kept in the closest contact with my college roommates - every single one of them has greatly influenced me. They are all amazing women who have been such great examples to me. I remember when we were studying the Book of Mormon together as roommates - and our favorite verse was the one where you, "Arise! Sit down ......put on thy beautiful garments."......or something to that effect. Being the clowns we were would all stand up and all sit down ad nauseum laughing hysterically....but all kidding aside it only illustrates what type of obedient and outstanding women I had the privilege of associating with. They arise to the challenges placed before them and sit down and face their trials with courage and faith.