There Will Always Be Good

I was living in California and I was in 6th grade.

We were on our way to school, my sister, my dad and I. One of us was telling a story, pointless probably, when my dad told us to stop talking and he turned up the radio (how rude).

He said something about the pentagon, he was shocked but I really didn't understand what he meant. A plane crashed into a building in New York? How far was New York anyway? I was young enough that the weight of what this meant did not effect me right away.

15 years later, with my husband attending the Eastern Missouri Police Academy, my view on the events of September 11, 2001 has drastically changed.

411 emergency workers (60 police, 343 firefighters, 8 paramedics) left their homes on September 11th and never went back home. 411 people gave their lives trying to save the lives of others. 411 people dedicated their careers and thus, their lives to serving the communities in which they lived.

Soon I will be sending my husband out the door everyday, not knowing if he will make it back home alive. He might not be going out to the aftermath of a terrorist attack, but he will be going out to fight for the safety of the civilians in his community.

I know that the world is kind of a scary place to be right now. In the middle of Kyle's 6 month program, Police officers have been at the center of a lot of the hate. There has been ample opportunity to quit. There have been numerous times where I could have told him 'No more. I can't handle it.'

But I also believe the world that we are living in, the heartache and anger that we constantly feel, are part of the plan.

"For thousands of years, followers of Jesus Christ have looked forward to the Second Coming... But before the Savior comes, the people of the earth will experience great trials and calamities. The prophets have warned that the earth will experience great turmoil, wickedness, war and suffering."

"The time before the Second Coming will be a time of trouble such as the earth has never known." Daniel 12:1

"All things shall be in commotion and fear shall come upon all people."

Doctrine and Covenants 88:91

But prophets have given us this counsel "Be not discouraged when we tell you of perilous times for they must shortly come." "The Lord gives us these signs to help us. We can put our lives in order and prepare ourselves and our families for those things yet to come."

Despite the evil out there, I am excited for Kyle's career choice. I think about those emergency workers that responded to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

They didn't back down.

They put on their uniforms and their brave faces, and they gave their lives for a great cause. Those men and woman wanted a career that allowed them to make a difference.

I think of those families left behind. Their heartache was overwhelming. But their pride was overflowing. Pride for their loved ones selflessness.

I hope I never have to feel the heartache of September 11th. But when there is great suffering, there is great love.

If there is anything that those events can teach us, it is that love will always win. Love will shine through the darkness.

Whether you believe in God or not, you can't deny the existence of good and evil.

And if you look for it, there will always, always be good out there.