Earlier this month I received an email from "an overwhelmed wife and mom". I have been thinking about her ever since. And other women (and men) who feel like her. At different moments & seasons in our life I think we are all susceptible to feeling under-appreciated & ignored, wondering where to find purpose in the monotony of life, wishing there was more spark in our relationships, and burdened by influences out of our control. And beyond all that, sometimes we just have really, really hard things on our plates.
I worry for, and my heart saddens when people begin to feel trapped in these circumstances. When it isn't just a moment in life, but it starts to define their lives. I worry because it can lead sadness, loss of self-worth, and apathy.
I have felt like I needed to share a message today. A simple message of hope and encouragement.
You are loved.
(please, read those words again)
You matter.
You are needed and your life has purpose and the people around you need you more than you will ever know and more than they are capable of expressing.
There is no question that your place on this earth, in this life, in your home was meant to be.
And above all, if you still don't believe that people care about you and it seems that the hard parts of life are too much please know, because I know with certainty, that there is hope. There is light. And there is love in the eternal arms of our Heavenly Father.
Go to Him and He will not leave you comfortless.
"Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness. Hope sustains us through despairs. Hope teaches that there is reason to rejoice even when all may seem dark around us. No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives may exceed our grandest expectations." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf
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And to everyone else may I suggest one thing . . . . kindness. Whether we know someone is struggling or not (there are many who put on a smiling front while they are suffering inside), these tiny acts can mean so much. Write the letter, make the phone call, drop off the cookies, offer your help, follow that nudge of inspiration when it comes. Because kindness is always a good idea.
I have wept in the night
For the shortness of sight
That to somebody's need made me blind;
But I never have yet
Felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind.
-author unknown, quoted by Thomas S. Monson
