If you live in the United States, I hope your 4th of July celebrations were safe and joyous ones. I love this holiday because it is an opportunity to train my children to appreciate the sacrifices of others. Without valiant men and women--individuals unafraid of personal suffering--we would not have personal freedoms today.

It is in their honor I present this week's article from the LDS site at BellaOnline.com. Although it does not mention patriotic heros specifically, I had my own personal bout with pain today and it was quite instructive. The article is called, "Pain...a Friend?"

Sometimes the Lord intends us to learn lessons in unique ways. But when we hearken to His word, the payoff always comes--whether for patriotic heroes or simple moms: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art57640.asp

I learned that we sometimes fear suffering because it seems larger than we are. But after today I learned that when we turn to God during pain, He will bring us to the other end of joy.

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback. And feel free to pass this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge.

C.S. Bezas, LDS Editor
http://LDS.bellaonline.com
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