Two of my all time favorite quotes are:
"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 came here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father & Mother in Heaven." ---Orson Whitney
"Adversity can increase faith or instead can cause the troubling roots of bitterness to spring up in one's life, and we cannot be both faith-filled and stressfree. Therefore, how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, "Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made thee what thou art! Then let me come and dwell with thee and fully share thy joy." ---Neal A. Maxwell
I know that we are given trials for a reason. I'm trying each day to become more like my Father & Mother in heaven, and I know that this requires experiencing many hard things in life in order to gain the experience that they have. I'm so grateful that we have been given the tools to get through these hard times- especially the knowledge that we can always turn to our Savior for the comfort and understanding that we need because he truly understands all that we feel. Today I am feeling so grateful for the miracle of life, and for my precious little family. I know that the little trials that seem so hard to me are really insignificant because I really have been blessed with all I could ever want. I have moments when I feel tired of being a mom and want a little break, or when my sweet little toddler frustrates me so much that I want to scream, but today I've been reminded that I need to love every second that I get to spend with them. I'm so lucky to be their mom!!
