Friday, February 18, 2011

For My Dear Sister...

Ever since Abby was taken to the hospital, I have been contemplating the virtues of patience, long suffering, and endurance. In the last week, I have heard these words several times as we have all talked about the long road that Abby has ahead of her. I know that whatever Abby has ahead of her, her mother also has ahead of her. After my trip to the grocery store today, I just had to come home and write a little note to my sister who I miss terribly! It has been rough not being able to call you whenever I want and ask your opinion about every little thing. I have had to make all my own decisions this week and it was terrible. I did survive somehow though :) So Abby I hope you will forgive me for taking up space on your blog while I attempt to cheer up your mom.

I went to the grocery store right by my house today that I have been to many times. It is just a little Walmart Marketside store. There are usually only 1 or 2 cashiers that check people out and there is usually a pretty good line at them. I always debate on using the self checkout or taking my chance in line. It is quite the toss-up. Do I fight the stupid self checkout computers that tell me I didn't bag my item 500 times, bag all my own groceries, and try to entertain my 8 month old all at the same time or do I wait in a pretty good sized line and stare in amazement at how slow the cashier is and wait for them to check a price on an item or look up every singe produce item code in a super long list? Well, today they had 3 lanes open and there was only two people in each of the three lines so I decided to pick a line. I got in the line closest to me and realized it was the sweet little old lady I took a chance with the last time I was there and it cost me at least 20 minutes! She was about as slow as a cashier could be and took at least 2 minutes to look up every single produce item I had. Well, as looked in my cart and saw a whole pile of produce items, I decided to get the heck out of that line and go to the next one with a much younger cashier probably in her 20's that looked like she could handle my produce. I was so proud that I took the time to check and get in the right line. So as I relish in my good move, I look up to notice that in the front of the line being helped was a very old little lady, at least in her 90's. Of course, this little old lady is writing out a good old fashioned check for her groceries which takes time, lots of time. When it is finally finished and I think I am in the clear, to my great surprise (I don't know why I am still always surprised), she has a whole other set of groceries that she is paying for on the conveyor belt with yet another check. Until this point, I am thinking that the reason the line is moving so slowly is because of this little old lady and her checks but then I begin to watch the cashier. Wow, is the only word I can think to describe her. This cashier proceeds to check out the little old lady, her daughter, and then me all while pausing a million times to have a conversation with the cashier in the next line, to watch every single customer walk in and out of the door, and pick up each item and examine it over before scanning it. She did however know all of the produce items by heart. It took me 22 minutes to get through the line. Of course, I had to look and see how I would have done in the first line I got in with the old lady cashier. She helped 4 customers in the time the girl I went to helped 3. I would have saved about 8 minutes.

While sitting through this little lesson on patience, my thoughts were turned to you and the much greater lesson you are getting right now while you wait for your daughter to heal. I though about how we are constantly handed lessons in life. I have decided that most of these lessons are to teach us patience, long-suffering, and endurance. These are virtues that are so foreign to the natural man that it takes SEVERAL (millions even) to help us learn our reliance on Him and to wait on His timing. I know that this trial you and Abby are going through right now will bring both of you closer to the Savior and make you even stronger than before. I have watched you struggle daily with numerous trials my whole life Jeni. Even before this I prayed daily for you and some relief of pain you have every day with your back and knee. My first thought when this happened was, "Why are you sending her more? She already has enough!" Then, probably because I have been reading The History of Joseph Smith by his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, I thought of the trials that Joseph, Emma, and the early Saints endured. There was one after another and most of the time there were several at the same time. They were plagued with sicknesses over and over and even lost several family members. They were constantly tried and look at who they became and what they accomplished. I guess what I wanted to tell you is that I think you are given such great trials because He has a great future in store for you that He wants to prepare you for and He knows how amazing you are and that you will handle it all with a cheerful heart. I love you Jeni and I hope you will allow myself and all those around you who love you to serve and support you like you have done for each of us so many times. Brett had some quotes he shared with me that his mom sent him when she was fighting her illness. I wanted to share them with you and then I promise I will stop typing...

"Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. The sufferings of our Savior were part of his education."
- Spencer W. Kimball

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.
- Orson F. Whitney

3 comments:

Lizzie said...

I have to agree with you-your sister is a very special woman :) I am lucky to get to serve with her and learn from her.

JCTJCK said...

Lyndsey that was pretty awesome. Jeni is lucky to have you. I had to smile at your story. Thanks for starting this blog. I check it often to see updates. Keep on posting. Jeni is great. Give her a hug for us.

Hanksica said...

I could live a lifetime and if anyone wrote words about me like you tributed to Jeni in the tongue of angels.... Abby is lucky/blessed to have such wonderful women in her life to love and bless her. Keep getting better, little sweetheart.

Bunches of Love... Ahntie J

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