Lonely

Nykele and Parker left Thursday to spend some time with her family and watch a couple of Dakota's basketball games. They won't be back till Friday. Unfortunately, I had to stay here in Rexburg because I'm in the middle of doing my student teaching. I just have to finish this so that I can finally graduate and take us away from this frigid place!

It's been a lonely couple of days, and I'm sure that this feeling of loneliness will only worsen as I wait out the rest of this week... but it's given me time to think a lot about the blessings that so many of us take for granted. This short time that I've spent separated from my little family has made me realize how much I hate being without them.

I hope that none of us will ever forfeit the blessing of family. That bond is meant to bring us joy, to strengthen us and pull us toward our Savior and our Heavenly Father. If we are ever unwilling to do all that it takes in this life to make ourselves worthy of our family, then we are foolishly giving up the greatest blessing that's been offered to us. Hypocrisy, pride, selfishness... we all suffer with these thorns in our sides... these are things that make us less than what we want to be, less than who we should be. These are things worth digging out, worth striving daily to overcome, because I want my family with me in the end of all of this... I want them to want to be with me too. We've been provided with the tools to make us whole, we just have to remember to use them. If a week feels this long and lonely without my family, I don't even want to know how awful eternity would be.

4 days down... 5 to go. I can't wait to have my family back.