And it Came to Pass

Six years and one day ago, I was making my way through my first day of class, my first time truly away from home. I laughed with friends I had just met a few days previous. I nervously waited for the mail to see if I had a letter from Spain, yet. That night was the CES fireside with president Hinkley, taped for us since we had been otherwise occupied, the night before, with a fireside about the beautiful architecture of the Nauvoo temple being built across the street. His words were odd, at the time, but truly Prophetic, that we should not fear the future. Not that we should wear rose-colored glasses, he said, but that we should move on anyway. The next morning, I ate breakfast as usual, and was walking down the hall toward class when I popped into the Aycocks' rooms to visit. And there it was, the world engulfed in flames, right there on the TV. Andy, one of our own, watched his aunt and grandmother die on national television, and it was weeks before he lost the haunted look that followed him through the halls. We watched the news coverage for days, read every newspaper we could find. And we did move on. We learned to laugh, again, and to enjoys the beauty around us. I would sit at the top of the bluffs, nearly every day, and watch the Mississppi roll by, always a different color than the day before. Andy found forgiveness in his heart, we all found peace for our souls. The Lord watches over us. Even when it hurts the worst, He's willing and eager to hold you close, to heal your heart. And I don't fear the future. There's plenty of scary things out there, and plenty of them could happen to me, but that's no reason to hunker down, cowering, waiting for life to pass me by. I do the best I can, and that's generally enough.