A letter to Cherry Beth's mom

Dear Sister McBride,

It has come to my attention that your husband has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Your son had shared that with me.  I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts, I hope that I haven’t stepped out of place to share them with you. Your son has been such a great example of faith,  resilience and a great example. He shared with me that he was given the opportunity to give your husband a blessing with his grandfather. He shared with me that he really felt the flow of the spirit strongly as he blessed him. He then mentioned that his grandfather told him to command the cancer to stop growing! When your son told me this small portion of what happened, I was filled with peace.  Days before he had shared with me that your husband might have prostate cancer, he seemed  worried. Yet, as I have gotten to know your son more, I have learned that not many things bother him much. He has a very positive attitude about almost everything. I have only known of a couple of things that have put your son on edge; this was one of them. Yet, as I asked him later when he had let me know about the test results, he seemed very unbothered. It’s sort of funny, because I think I’m more nervous about the test results. Yet, when I asked your son how he felt about the results, he said to me, “I feel really good. I gave my dad a blessing and I feel confident that things will work out. There isn’t much to worry about.”

When he said that to me, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace; what he said was true. My mother always taught me that children are a reflection of their parents. I feel like I’ve had a great glimpse of who you both are. I think, how wonderful you and your husband must be, given that your first born child is such a wonder. I’m very grateful that I’ve been able to get to know him. He’s been so kind to me. My favorite moments of him, have been his dedication to the temple and the gospel. On a trip that we went, he shared with me that one of his favorite memories was all of you but Kayla were able to go to the temple and worship together as a family. He was and still is determined that one day, Kayla will be able to join you all.  He said that you have always loved going there and so has he. He also mentioned on that trip how wonderful your husband has been in being a great example of being a provider of spiritual and physical needs to your family. He said that he admired that your husband is a great dad and a great example.

Your son has been a blessing to me. He has also given me blessings that have brought peace to my soul. I have felt the power of God come from him. For that I am very grateful to you and your husband. Thank you very much. I think you’ve done wonderfully in raising him in the light of the gospel.

I hope this short note will bring you peace and comfort during this time of uncertainty:

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,

The earth and every common sight

To me did seem

Appareled in celestial light,

The glory and the freshness of a dream.

It is not now, as it has been of yore

Turn wherever I may,
By night or day,

The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

But there’s a tree, of many, one,

A single field which I have looked upon,

Both them speak of something that is gone;

The pansy at my feet

Doth the same tale repeat:

Whither is fled the visionary gleam?

Where is it now, the glory and the dream?

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting

The soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home.

Oh Fountains, Meadows, Hills and Groves,

Forebode not any severing of our loves!

Yet in my heart of hearts I feel your might;

I only have relinquished one delight

To live beneath your more habitual sway.

I love the brooks which down their channel’s fret,

Even more than when I ripped lightly as they;

The innocent brightness of a new-born Day

Is lovely yet;

The clouds that gather round the setting sun

Do take a sober coloring from an eye

That hath kept watch over man’s mortality;

Another race has been, and other palms are won.

Thanks to the human heart by which we live,

Thanks to its tenderness, its joys and fears

To me the meanest flower that blows can give

Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.

I hope and pray that you and your husband will always feel God’s love for you. I pray that the surgery on Wednesday will be successful. I pray that Bro. McBride will recover quickly. Above all, I hope that your family will be more fully enveloped in God’s love that no matter the circumstances you’ll always find confidence in His promises, you’ll hear His voice and you’ll all feel His presence and love.

Sincerely,

Joshua Rosen