"Seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal"

I'd like to share just a couple of things that touched me today. My mom sent me a talk by Elder Holland about angels, and the way we're comforted, lifted up, protected, and constantly helped by those around us, both in the visible world and out. I would like you to read it at its source on LDS.org. The talk is called "The Ministry of Angels" (video) and was given in last October's General Conference.

I have taken time each time I was upset about my condition and its consequences to complain here, but I haven't taken enough time to express my joy over that same condition and consequences. Without these experiences, I might never have known the intense and real power of the prayers of family and friends. I may have missed out on the warmth of a hot meal when I really needed it, or kind words I wouldn't have lasted without. I could have remained ignorant of the powerful force beyond the veil that has come to my aid with armies I cannot see, and which has lifted me up with arms I cannot touch.

And I might have forgotten that in His time, the Lord gives his children the weights they need to carry, the strength they need to keep moving, the blessings they need to be lifted, and the healing they need to live.

To put it in terms to which I can relate, God is a writer. In his book, there is terrible sadness. There are war, death, and long waits. But he's a good writer. The kind whose books you often feel wrenched apart by reading, but whole again when you finish them. They're the kind of books where when you get to the end, you cannot question a single plot twist, a conflict, an injustice, or a strange decision without seeing how each thread falls perfectly into place. The well-read know that a good work of literature will take you to hell and back. We are God's work and His glory. If we let our lives be written the way he will write them, we'll find the ending well worth persevering for.

As it says in a hymn we sang in church today,

He sent me here to earth,
by faith to live his plan.
The spirit whispers this to me
and tells me that I can,
and tells me that I can.