In all the history of the world there have been many great and wise souls, many of whom claimed special knowledge of God. But when the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived—the just and the unjust.6
When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the firstfruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime act, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones.
I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.
On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.
Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant.
On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.
Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.
On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.
On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.
It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.
I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world's history, that Friday was the darkest.
But the doom of that day did not endure.
The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.
And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.
Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.
But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.
No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.
I testify to you that the Resurrection is not a fable. We have the personal testimonies of those who saw Him. Thousands in the Old and New Worlds witnessed the risen Savior. They felt the wounds in His hands, feet, and side. They shed tears of unrestrained joy as they embraced Him.
After the Resurrection, the disciples became renewed. They traveled throughout the world proclaiming the glorious news of the gospel.
Had they chosen, they could have disappeared and returned to their former lives and occupations. In time, their association with Him would have been forgotten.
They could have denied the divinity of Christ. Yet they did not. In the face of danger, ridicule, and threat of death, they entered palaces, temples, and synagogues boldly proclaiming Jesus the Christ, the resurrected Son of the living God.
Many of them offered as a final testimony their own precious lives. They died as martyrs, the testimony of the risen Christ on their lips as they perished.
The Resurrection transformed the lives of those who witnessed it. Should it not transform ours?
We will all rise from the grave. And on that day my father will embrace my mother. On that day I will once again hold in my arms my beloved Elisa.
Because of the life and eternal sacrifice of the Savior of the world, we will be reunited with those we have cherished.
On that day we will know the love of our Heavenly Father. On that day we will rejoice that the Messiah overcame all that we could live forever.
Because of the sacred ordinances we receive in holy temples, our departure from this brief mortality cannot long separate relationships that have been fastened together with cords made of eternal ties.
It is my solemn testimony that death is not the end of existence. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."7 Because of the risen Christ, "death is swallowed up in victory."8
Because of our beloved Redeemer, we can lift up our voices, even in the midst of our darkest Fridays, and proclaim, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"9
When President Hinckley spoke of the terrible loneliness that comes to those who lose the ones they love, he also promised that in the quiet of the night a still, unheard voice whispers peace to our soul: "All is well."
I am grateful beyond measure for the sublime true doctrines of the gospel and for the gift of the Holy Ghost, which has whispered to my soul the comforting and peaceful words promised by our beloved prophet.
From the depths of my sorrow, I have rejoiced in the glory of the gospel. I rejoice that the Prophet Joseph Smith was chosen to restore the gospel to the earth in this last dispensation. I rejoice that we have a prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, who directs the Lord's Church in our day.
May we understand and live in thanksgiving for the priceless gifts that come to us as sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and for the promise of that bright day when we shall all rise triumphant from the grave.
That we may always know that no matter how dark our Friday, Sunday will come is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
For me this was perfect, because at this time of year I not only think of my mom, someone who was very important to me, but also of my Savior, the person that gave his life, so that I might be able to live, partake in the atonement and be able to live with those I love again.
We were encouraged to read the Book of Mormon and every time "Christ" was referenced, to mark it. At the end of the year we are supposed to look back at the number of times our Savior is mentioned and see that the Book of Mormon is truly another Testament of Christ.
What a great reminder of Christ and the fullness of the Atonement at this time of year!!!!
Alana and her friend Rylin (her mom and I made the tutu's together for them)Alana and her friend Rylin ((we made the tutu's for them together)
All of us at Trunk-or-Treat
Eating the hot dogs and passing out candy
Above is our Bishop...and below are some members of the ward in their costumes.
Wednesday we carved pumpkins as a family. The kids came up with some pretty creative pumpkins and then Tony carved them. We had a yummy spaghetti dinner to boot.
Check out the carving of this pumpkin compared to the picture Rylan drew. Pretty close huh?
Sunday, we went to "Nana's" house for her annual Halloween get together. She went all out this year with Homemade pizzas...made to order. Treat bags, a doughnut eating contest (how cool is that?), pictures in the leaves and let's not forget the leaf fight that somehow ensues after pictures every year. The kids just love this part. They have so much fun running to, jumping in and throwing the leaves. 
All the cousins together in the big pile of leaves
Playing in the leaves/leaf fight
The doughnut eating contest
We celebrated the October birthdays. Then we all got sent home with more food and candy than we came with. Talk about a month of fun! So many fun activities and way too many treats. So if that doesn't frighten you, then I'm not sure what will!
For some reason, I just love lullabies. There is a particular one that my mom taught me when Rylan was little. She would always sing it to him, and then I learned it. Often times we would both sing him to sleep. When Alana was born we would sing it to her as well. I still find myself singing it, now to Kelton. I just sing it. I didn't even know the name of it or anything. I just sung it because my mom and I would sing it together. I love the song, so I finally decided to find out what the name of it was. I found out that it's called Baby's Boat or Slumber Boat. I am so fond of this song and I can still hear my mom singing it. I enjoy singing it to my babies and rocking and snuggling them. I am going to post the lyrics. I guess this song has been around for a while, I hope that me singing it to my kids will keep the tradition going and maybe someday they will sing it to their kiddos also. I sure wish that I could ask my mom where she learned it. Maybe I will have that opportunity someday. Maybe I find it irresistible because it reminds me of my mom, but I hope you adore the lyrics as much as I do. The words and melody are really beautiful....
I want to check it out too. It has a really good rating on Amazon.com. Perhaps I will put it on my wish list. :)
Spread in greased casserole dish.
Crumble package of crackers into small pieces. Sprinkle over the top of chicken mixture in casserole dish. Melt half a stick of butter in the microwave. Pour over top of casserole.
Bake 30 minutes, until crackers are golden brown.Serve and Enjoy!!! Bonn Appetite!
Just a little fun fact that I didn't know, but today is known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.