The "C" word (This is a rerun since my dear friend is having surgery this week!)

Why is it that bad things happen to the best people? This is the question I have been asking since one of my girlfriends found out she has breast cancer. I have another friend who has been going through chemo, surgeries, radiation and more chemo for ovarian cancer for almost 5 years. The friend with ovarian cancer has children at home that need their mother and the one with breast cancer is newly empty nested with a new phase in life and plans to really enjoy this time of freedom. Why? Why now?

I keep this one and only comfort in my heart at this time from an Apostle of the Lord , President Henry B. Erying. I loved this quote from the talk. "My purpose today is to assure you that our Heavenly Father and the Savior live and that They love all humanity. The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life. Then our spirits will be changed. We will become able to want what God wants, to think as He thinks...."

As in the story I told about our hike to Delicate Arch in a previous post, some will make it to our heavenly home with out any visual or noticeable hardship, others will have hardships that almost make them give up and wonder how others are making it, but there will be those that need others to help by walking by there side encouraging them along and maybe even carrying them. But we will all have the same reward at the end if we endure it well.

I know this, that whatever we are asked to bear, our Savior will not leave us comfortless. It is not in His nature to abandon us. I have felt comforted by my Savior and by these 2 friends many times in my life. I now hope and pray that I can give them the comfort they will need.