Forever grateful

This morning, Gillian gave us the scare of a lifetime. While my in-laws and I were attending a book sale and Elijah was home taking a shower, Gillian, while playing outside with the boys, hit her head straight on the cement ground. She didn't loose consciousness, but she felt every thing else associated with a concussion. Elijah called me and I drove straight home. Gillian looked scared and sick. My heart almost stopped beating. I felt a dreadful forbearing. Elijah and Papa without delay gave her a healing blessing, and then, we called our friend Ben, who is a doctor, to check her out. Thankfully, he came right away. As Ben helped her up and tried to have her do a few exercises, she started throwing up. Ben urged us to take Gillian to the emergency room for a cat scan.

This whole time, I'm frozen. With the exception of asking Ben a few medical questions so I could know how to proceed, I couldn't do anything. My mother-in-law took care of Gillian while she was throwing up and Elijah got Gillian ready to take her to the emergency room. I volunteered to drop them off and park the car. I needed a few minutes to just cry freely without Gillian seeing her mom loose control. I cried and prayed. I couldn't stop crying and praying. I couldn't imagine my life without Gillian, my sweet, loving, righteous, beautiful, smart girl. I collected myself, and joined her and Elijah at the emergency room. After examining her, the doctor was of the opinion that Gillian did have a concussion, and we had to do a cat scan on her to see the severity of it in the brain. Thankfully, the cat scan showed no bleeding of the brain, and we could take Gillian home. I couldn't keep my hands off my daughter. I kept hugging and kissing her, while tears fell on my face. When we got in the car, she said in a matter of fact way that she was happy that she didn't die, because that would have caused us a lot of sadness. My sweet Gillian, always thinking of others.

Later on tonight I kept thinking of the whole thing. How life is so fragile, and in one moment we seem to have every happiness imaginable, and in the next all of it slips away from your hands just like that. It made me be grateful for the one thing that no one can take away from my hands, my testimony of the gospel. My belief that my Heavenly Father loves me so much that He sent his own son to die for me, just so I could return back to my heavenly home. My faith that whatever happens, if I'm righteous and constant in keeping the commandments, I will be able to be with my precious family forever.

I also remembered that when I feared for Gillian's life nothing else mattered, not my own happiness, not money, not any material things. My testimony and my family are truly the most precious things I own in this life. Those two things bring me true joy and peace.

Speaking of my testimony of the gospel, I felt a bit disappointed at myself. The first thing that Elijah did for Gillian was give her a healing priesthood blessing. In the blessing, the Lord expressed His love for Gillian and blessed her with a sound and healthy body for many years to come. At that time, I thought of the blessing as a means of comforting the rest of us, and the mother's heart couldn't understand when Elijah kept telling me that everything will be all right and that the Lord will bless Gillian. Tonight, as I thought of the blessing, I felt it in my heart that it was truly the healing power of God that blessed Gillian. I'm humbly grateful for the priesthood of God that has been restored again on this earth. There may be many fantastic versions for bad or for good of Joseph Smith's First Vision and of his life, but none of them are as real or true to me as the testimony that the Holy Ghost brings into my heart of the restored power of God on earth. Joseph Smith was truly called of God, and he did restore His church. I'm grateful that my husband lives worthy of that power, so he can heal and bless his family through the priesthood.

When I was a little girl, I used to read quite often Plato's Allegory of the Cave. I couldn't help but wonder about what's real and what's not in our daily life. Even today I don't know all of the answers. However, I have no doubts about my faith in God, in His existence, and in His power. A healing miracle may sound fantastic in a world of science and disbelief, but not in my world where God's priesthood power has been demonstrated over and over again.

I'm grateful to the Lord for saving my girl tonight. I'm also grateful to all of you, friends and family members, who have prayed for my Gillian today. Your prayers were heard and felt in our hearts and up above. I'm grateful for this church and the gospel. My life was changed forever that April day as I was immersed in the waters of Adriatic Sea. Lastly, I'm grateful for my family who brings joy to my life each and every day.