In the months following Wes's 2005 brain surgery, word of his cancer slowly trickled throughout our general circles of acquaintance. During that time, my mom stopped by for a brief visit and slipped a small beaded bracelet into my hands, describing how Diane Barrus, a dear teacher and friend from my old neighborhood, had taken it off her own wrist one Sunday and asked my mom to deliver it to me.
The bracelet remains a sweet reminder of the hope we've felt (and continue to feel) over the course of Wes's cancer battle. But it's even more dear to me now: several months ago, Diane Barrus died, very suddenly. She was about 55 years old. She was in seemingly perfect health. She was serving as a vivacious Primary president in my parents' ward and was the mother of 4 young adult children - her youngest son was, at the time of her death, serving a mission in Kentucky.
Diane's unexpected passing was a blow to everyone who knew her, and remains, I'm sure, a source of heart-break for her husband and family. But I know that the Barruses would tell you the same thing Wes and I yearn to share with all the word: in spite of the hurt, there is so much hope. And it's not hypothetical hope. It's more than optimism and positive thinking.
I don't present this as new information. Truly, I've belabored the point. But even though you already know, and even though most of you share our feelings, Wes and I want to be direct:
If our experiences with cancer have taught us anything, it is that our faith - our religion - holds up. Trials that could have exposed its holes and limits have only certified it's strength and sufficiency. We believe more surely than ever that Jesus Christ has restored his pure and perfect gospel to the earth. And with it: peace, understanding, and above all, hope.
We constantly feel driven to share what has so successfully sustained us. Last spring, in fact, around Easter, Wes and I designed (ha! doesn't that sound fancy! What I mean is "pushed three buttons to create") this new blog for the purpose of more regularly sharing, as Peter urged, the "reason of the hope that is in [us]."
Not that we're shy about sharing our beliefs on our personal blog, but the new site will be solely, exclusively for the discussion of doctrine. And it's as much for us as for anyone. We need a place to organize our study, to categorize our favorite quotes, to grapple with difficult concepts, and to, generally, "rejoice in the message of the Lord." (See Alma 26:35, quote from D&C Explanatory Introduction.)
We hope you'll stop by from time to time and rejoice with us!
