Family

On Sunday we were only 5 minutes late to church (yes that is something I'm proud of since we've been at least 10 minutes late every week since we had Rebekah) and I'm so glad that I made it there. We had a wonderful lesson in Relief Society about families and how they prepare us for eternal life. The sister giving the lesson shared a story that gave me happy-bumps (goose-bumps when you're happy, not scared) and I would like to share it here:

A young man and an old man found themselves sitting next to each other on a train with the young man by the window staring out nervously. The old man picked up on the young man's anxiety and gently convinced the young man to confide in him. The young man told a story of how he had disgraced and dishonored the family by doing something wrong and getting put in prison. He spent three long years in prison during which time not one member of his family visited or wrote. He kept trying to convince himself that his family was too poor to travel and too uneducated to write and that they hadn't disowned him, but three years was a long time to try to keep his doubts at bay. He then told the old man that before he left prison he had written one last letter to his family letting them know when he would be let out. He said in the letter that he would like to come and see them but understood if they would rather not see him. His family's house sat next to the railroad tracks about 5 minutes before the station and he told them to tie a white ribbon to the apple tree near the tracks if they would like him to come home and to do nothing if they didn't want to see him, in which case he would simply stay on the tray and exit at some other town to start a new life.
As the train neared his home-town, the young man became increasingly nervous and as the train entered the valley the town was in, he actually turned himself from the window and cried out, "It is too much! I cannot look!" He then asked the old man to switch seats with him and look for the apple tree. The old man agreed and the next several minutes seemed to turn to hours for the young man as the old man peered out the window. Finally, after what seemed like days to the young man, the train pulled into the station and came to a halt.
Hesitantly, hardly daring to ask, the young man said, "Did you see the house?"
The old man nodded.
"Did you see the tree?"
Again, the old man nodded.
"Did...did you see...a ribbon?
The old man shook his head and replied in a voice heavy with emotion, "I did not see one ribbon in the apple tree. I saw hundreds. Each branch of that small tree had at least one white ribbon tied to it!"

I just want to say to all my family, that I love you so much. All the good times and all the trials just bring us closer and I will always love every single member of my family. No matter what. Family is more important to me than anything else in the world, they are the reason to keep pushing through trials, to keep going to church, and to keep smiling. There will always be a white ribbon tied to my apple tree and I hope that you can all keep forgiving me and love me despite all my faults.