Half-mast

There is an enormous flag at the end of a road I take multiple times a week
to Grace's preschool. And I absolutely love that I get to see it often, as it
reminds me how much I love my country and how blessed I feel to live here.

But on days like today, when it flies at half-mast, it breaks my heart.
A lot. That has been the case too often lately. And because of those
reasons and others that weigh heavily on my heart, I worry.

And when I do, I have to pause and remind myself Who I worship and
why I worship Him. Because while He will never take our agency away,
I don't believe we truly realize how close He is and how constantly He is
wiping our tears, matching them with His own and extending peace
and love and comfort and hope, where there seems little.

I know God loves His children and that the power of the Savior's Atonement can
cover everything we experience in this life. Not because I want it to be true or
someone told me it was, but because I have experienced it personally and profoundly.
And that knowledge is enough. Even with so many unknowns in this life, it truly is enough.