Conference and Quotes

There were many times during General Conference I felt like they were speaking directly to me. President Uchtdorf's talk on Sunday morning really touched my heart.

Here are some of my favorite quotes and scriptures that have helped us say goodbye to Olivia. 

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“Why do we resist endings? Because we are eternal beings, endings are merely interruptions, a temporary pause in our eternal progression, which will one day seem small in the eternal joy waiting for us.”

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Heavenly Father has perfect foresight, knows each of us, and knows our future. He knows what difficulties we will pass through. He sent His Son to suffer so that He would know how to succor us in all our trails. “

-Henry B. Eyring

“The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”

-Joseph B. Wirthlin (sent to me by Sara, my sister-in-law)

“Only the master knows depths of our trails. He alone offers us eternal peace in that time of adversity. He alone touches our tortured souls.”

-President Monson

I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.

John 14:18 (my favorite scripture)

"If you've got faith you can handle difficulties, knowing that with an ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE all will be well."

-Russell m Nelson

"The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again."
Joseph Smith 

From "The Salvation of Little Children," a General Conference address given April, 1977. 

Bruce R. Mcconkie

Among all the glorious gospel verities given of God to his people there is scarcely a doctrine so sweet, so soul satisfying, and so soul sanctifying, as the one which proclaims—Little children shall be saved. They are alive in Christ and shall have eternal life. For them the family unit will continue, and the fulness of exaltation is theirs. No blessing shall be withheld. They shall rise in immortal glory, grow to full maturity, and live forever in the highest heaven of the celestial kingdom—all through the merits and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah, all because of the atoning sacrifice of Him who died that we might live.

Jesus loves and blesses children. They are the companions of angels. They shall be saved. Of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Because they will receive a celestial inheritance, they will come forth in the first resurrection, President Joseph F. Smith said: “Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: ‘You will have the joy, the pleasure, and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit.’ There is restitution, there is growth, there is development, after the resurrection from death. I love this truth. It speaks volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. Thank the Lord he has revealed these principles to us.” (Gospel Doctrine, pp. 455–56.)

I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee given by President Monson, October 2013

From the bed of pain, from the pillow wet with tears, we are lifted heavenward by that diving assurance and precious promise: "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Such comfort is priceless. 

Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trails through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were- better than we were, more understanding that we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before. This should be our purpose- to persevere and endure, yes, but also to become more spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and sorrow.

"Strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing our lives, even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted."

-Elder David A. Bednar

"We must stand firm and steadfast, having perfect confidence in the Lord's consitency and perfect trust in his promises."

-L. Tom Perry

And I said unto him: I know that he loveth is children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. 1 Nephi 11:17 (sent to me by Erin, my sister-in-law's sister, who also lost a child)

I am sure this list will continue to grow as I continue to study scriptures and talks to ease my heart. I am so thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the peace it brings to me. I am so thankful for the Atonement and the power it gives me to meet my sweet Olivia again. I am also thankful that through the Atonement I don't have to face this alone. He knows exactly how I feel when I feel that no one else could possibly comprehend my sorrow. 

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Yesterday we took Olivia some fresh flowers and visited her. Although I sat next to her and cried I felt such a peace there. I am not crying for her because I know where she is, I am crying because I cannot hold her now.