Remembering

I attended the funeral for my cousin's daughter, Kristan Lusvardi. Her life was short - just 19 years - but the message today was one of hope, faith, the sealing powers of the temple, comfort found only in the eternal perspective the gospel gives us, eternal families and love - most of all love.

As the dedication of the grave concluded, the heavens opened their gates and the rain poured down. A symbol of tears shed over this untimely death but also a reminder of the cleansing power of the Atonement and baptism. That One before us has suffered for us so that we, in our desperate hours, can pray for strength and help in carrying a burden already familiar to Him. Our names are truly graven upon His hand through the Atonement, crucifixion and resurrection. He has chosen to preserve this witness on His palms as a reminder to us of the price He has already paid for our sins, our grief, our loneliness and our pain.

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me.