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An Unexpected Trial and a Timely Challenge
Like most mothers, I have a very busy and hectic lifestyle. I have a husband, five children, two of whom are still at home, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren. I had become so busy with everyday life that the spiritual side of me was being neglected. My lamp of spiritual oil was running dry.
During the 2018 October General Conference, I made a concerted effort to watch all of it. From the moment the first speaker began his address, the message from the Spirit was clear: my spirit was starving for the want of spiritual food and I needed to make more of an effort to feed it.
When President Russell M. Nelson invited the sisters to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, I saw an opportunity to fill my lamp and feed my spirit. I immediately began to read and mark the words that referred to the Saviour. I found the more I read, the more I looked forward to the evening when I would retreat into my room and read the scriptures. Answers to questions were coming more easily, and the promptings from the Spirit came more clearly and frequently throughout the day. I felt a sense of calm and peace. I couldn’t have predicted how crucial this state of mind was about to be for me.
Soon after I began reading the Book of Mormon, my dear husband, Daryl, said that his heart was feeling sore. Though he thought he might feel better tomorrow, I was prompted that all was not well and made him discuss the problem with the nurse online service. They immediately called for an ambulance.
Over the next few weeks we found ourselves in an emotional and logistical chaos. We were told that not only had Daryl had another heart attack, but he was going to need a seven-way bypass.
Yes, they said seven!
Calling this major surgery was putting it lightly. The burden on us at the time was immense. I spent many hours at the hospital caring for him, as well as looking after our daughter who has Down syndrome and needs a lot of care, not to mention everything else I needed to juggle at home.
Daryl went on to have the surgery and only needed five bypasses, which was a blessing. Throughout this time, despite the chaos, I was determined to continue reading the Book of Mormon until it was finished. Whether by Daryl’s bedside or early in the morning, I found that I craved the calm that it brought me.
I would read the Book of Mormon in the morning and often find a catch phrase or mantra to repeat during the day that would carry me through. Phrases like ‘Find joy in the journey,’ ‘All things are for your good,’ and ‘Through small and simple things.’
The ordeal of a heart attack, surgery, rehab and recovery should have left us exhausted and depleted. Instead I felt renewed and replenished. Though it was tiring at times, I never felt alone. My daily reading became such a comfort that I ended up finishing the Book of Mormon twice before the end of the year.
Daryl is home now and is doing remarkably well. When the occupational therapist came to our home to tell me what needed to be done for Daryl to come home, she was surprised to discover that I had already done most of it. He would need a chair to fit over the bath so that he could shower, a shower stool for shaving and many other things. I was being prompted, almost daily, to get these things long before the therapist came.
I know that following the counsel of the prophet filled my lamp with spiritual oil. When the hour arrived that I would need these reserves, it was there and ready. Feeling the promptings of the Spirit more clearly, I got my husband help when he wanted to stay home, and I was shown how to prepare the house for his recovery. Feeling the strength of the Spirit more fully I was able to juggle home life with hospital visits and recovery needs without burning out.
I am so grateful for the counsel of an inspired prophet. He knows what we need and if we follow his guidance, we can face any challenge with faith and hope.