"The Survivors Club"

On Sunday when Spencer called he told me about a book he's reading called "The Survivors Club," by Ben Sherwood. I've been busy, but this morning I woke up early and decided to read a little bit on my I Pad before starting my chores. I'm only in the first chapter but it's really got me thinking about what a "Survivor" is. He says, "Eventually everyone joins the fellowship of men and women who have been knocked around by life." He then defines what a survivor is as "anyone who faces or overcomes adversity, hardships, illness, or physical or emotional trauma." That describes me to a tee, and then I started thinking of others in my life who are survivors. My Dad who has been battling prostate cancer for almost 12 years. When he was diagnosed, they gave him 18 months to live without treatment, but he had courage to do what it took to prolong his life. Another good example is my son Ethan and his wife Jenn, who have survived one of the hardest trials ever in burying one of their children. My niece Mary whose husband Lance, passed away a year ago and left her with three young children to raise. I think of my own trials in suffering from anxiety, depression, a miscarriage, multiple surgeries and the loss of our precious Kamber. The author says, "Survivors keep going despite opposition and setbacks. They may want to quit but they still persevere." Life doesn't stay the same, thank goodness and a few weeks ago we found out Ethan and Jenn are expecting twin boys. The decision to have more children came with lots of prayer and soul searching. My niece Mary is getting married today and we will get to be with her in the Temple as she is sealed to her new husband Jeff. A year ago her life was so sad, and now she is moving forward with her life and we are so happy for her. The other day I was telling a friend of mine that sometimes it seems like it would just be better if I could pass through the veil to the other side. My life seems so hard at times and I wonder if I even deserve to be happy. I guess I fall into that category of wanting to quit and give up. But I also want to be a Survivor. I want my kids and grand kids to know I could do hard things and get past them. I want to belong to the "Survivors Club."