Hope

Anyone who knows me knows that I love The Lord of the Rings. But tonight when I was watching the Two Towers with my fantastic coworkers, something said by the insightful Samwise meant more to me than normal.

"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something." 

Frodo then asks, "What are we holding on to, Sam?" to which Sam responds, "That there's something good in the world Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for."

Our story is one that matters. Our lives are always full of darkness, and a lot of times, the only ending I can see is definitely not a happy ending. However, our times of shadow will pass. Bad happens in the world everyday to people I know and care for and even more to millions that I am not even aware of. How are we supposed to  press forward and be good people and raise a new generation of good people in this world of awfulness? Sam knew the answer. Find something to hold on to. See the good in the world and realize that the good does make this life worth living. Don't ever turn back. Keep going. So what we really need to do in this life is find something to hold on to. For me its family all the way, present and future. I love my family now so much and want them to be safe and happy. I want them to love and learn and grow together. And that is worth fighting for. I want my future home to be dedicated to living righteously so we can be happy. Which is absolutely worth fighting every day to become better myself for them. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is worth fighting for. Through the Atonement of Christ we are able to overcome all things. All sins, annoyances, weaknesses, hardships, and everything. Having Heavenly Father in my life helps me keep going. All these things and so much more help me see the good in the world. All around me I see friends and family and bishoprics and random people everywhere striving to become better people and to make a difference in the world for good. I mean, just look out your window and look at the miracles of nature that surround us, or at our own bodies that preform hundreds of millions of functions all the time. Somebody sure loves us a whole lot to give us all these amazing blessings. These things give me hope. In the hardest of times, stop and take a look at the good in the world and find something that is worth fighting for. Take heart, for "even darkness must pass." Don't quit. Things will work out so just be happy in the mean time and always, always have hope for something better.