Peace and Comfort

General Conference was so amazing this year!  I always look forward to it, but this time it seemed every talk applied directly to my life.  There were so many talks about people who have lost children, having faith in Heavenly Father and His plan (which includes His timing), and finding joy along the path we are on.  My favorite talk was of course by Elder Bowen.  If you are anyone you know has ever lost a child, please read this talk!  You can find it here.  He quoted Joseph Smith who said, “The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again.”
He goes on to say, "I would like to speak to those who have lost a child and have asked the question, “Why me?” or maybe even questioned your own faith in a loving Father in Heaven. It is my prayer that by the power of the Holy Ghost, I may bring some measure of hope, of peace, and of understanding. It is my desire to be an instrument in bringing about a restoration of your faith in our loving Father in Heaven, who knows all things and allows us to experience trials so that we can come to know and love Him and understand that without Him we have nothing."  I can pretty much guarantee that everyone who has lost a child has said, "Why me?" His comments were so direct and he did such a great job of explaining the real and raw emotions that come along with losing a child.  He talked about the anger, the guilt, the emptiness, and how at times you lose faith in Heavenly Father's plan.  But, he also brought so much hope and happiness to the topic as well. My favorite quote from his talk is when he said, "I had not been robbed but rather that there was a great blessing awaiting me if I would prove faithful." I hope more than anything that I can prove faithful!
I love that he talked about how his son has remained an integral part of their family. He talked about the kindness of a Heavenly Father who has allowed them to feel their son's presence through the years in very tangible ways. I hope that is something we can continue to experience.  That is way we make Zach such a big part of our lives still.  We celebrate his birthday, we have pictures of him in our house, and we talk about him often.  In fact, I just finished his stocking on Monday so it can hang with the rest of ours at Christmas. 
I came away from Conference with a renewed understanding of how much my Heavenly Father loves me.  He wants to bless us and the righteous desires of our hearts will be granted unto us if not in this life, the next.  He wants what's best for us.  We just need to have faith in Him and in His time table!  I can't wait to understand every trial we've experienced and see it through eternal eyes.
I was talking to Tagg's grandparents after Conference (who also lost a baby) and his grandpa told me he's been praying for me a lot.  He said he hoped that I was able to find peace and comfort through the talks that were given at conference. I definitely was and I look forward to reading these talks over and over for the next 6 months!
I just found this amazing video and since I figured we all need a reminder to trust Heavenly Father's will for us, I am posting it here.