Families are forever

A few weeks ago Tristram and I were asked to do a musical item in sacrament meeting the following week. We would be singing families can be together forever along with his mum and sister Paula. We worked out how we were going to do it and who would sing which bit. It was nerve wracking but exciting. Then two days later I received two emails that defined the whole rest of my week, if not longer. They were both family related and both were negative. The first one was from my mum, telling me that my dad had had a heart attack. Even though it wasn't serious and he was okay the words 'heart attack' in relation to a member of my family, or anyone who I loved really scared and upset me. The other email was from a sister in law in response to an email I had sent her, trying to mend the relationship of two family members, but she informed me that the reltionship was at an all time low point and explained why, and that some rather offensive words had been said by one of the people involved. This upset me and Tristram because I hate contention, especially when it involves family and people who I love and just want everyone to get along, and I want to have a good relationship with everyone. Tristram spent the evening making phone calls to various family members to talk about the situation, meanwhile I felt bad about having been part of it. I was just trying to be nice afterall.

The following Sunday we went to Darlington to visit my parents, particularly my dad. It was good to see them and spend time with them, and hearing my dad back to his old self and making light of the whole situation, and informing us it wasn't as bad as it seemed and he was actually in great health. This unfortunately meant we were unable to do our musical item in Chorley as we weren't there, but in sacrament meeting in Darlington we sang families can be together forever, which I thought was quite fitting.

Then the Sunday after that we were back in Chorley, and with my dad back to normal and the other family situation still unresolved the closing hymn in sacrament meeting was families can be together forever. This was too much of a coincidence and by now I knew that someone was trying to tell me something. I think that something was the importance of family. I still worry about my dad and other family members and anything bad happening to them, and while there has been progress in the other situation since, it's still not fully resolved, but I know my family will be together forever, and that's the most important thing.