Loss.

Some hard things have happened lately.

My dear friend Elise lost her father.

I love Elise so much and wanted to cancel everything I needed to do to be with her.

Her family is fantastic.

I miss them.

I always have so much fun when I visit them.

Her dad is amazing!

He is so kind and funny and determined.

Their family has helped me out several times and mean a lot to me.

I pray for them often.

They are strong and will support each other through this.

I will never forget her dad and the wonderful memories I have of him.

Not long after the loss of Elise's father, a boy in my ward passed away.

It was very sudden and unexpected.

He was only nineteen.

About to go off to college and on a mission.

It was incredibly sad.

I attended the funeral to show my support to his family.

It was so powerful.

Each of the boy's six siblings spoke as well as his parents.

It was amazing to hear their memories.

One of the boy's siblings is my friend Pete.

He read some experiences from his journal.

It was so great to hear his thoughts from those moments.

It really showed the power and importance of keeping a journal.

It made me want to write in my journal more and on this blog more.

I know that both of these wonderful people are in a better place.

That there was a plan for them and this was all part of it.

I know that they will be with their families again.

If you would like to know more about my faith, please learn about it here.