On December 27th of last year, one of the greatest men to
ever live passed away—President Jeffrey R. Holland,
who was a personal friend of my family.
He was an incredible minister to our family and the whole wide world.
I remember right after the accident, when I was still so very sick,
listening to a talk he gave
at a devotional at BYU called " Lessons from Liberty Jail."
I'd lie on my bed and listen to that talk on repeat,
sometimes five times in a row for nearly a year.
It was incredibly comforting and soothing, and
I knew every word he spoke was true.
He spoke to my soul, and in those early dark days after the accident,
his words made everything feel like it was going to be all right.
That reassurance was everything to me.
I will miss him deeply—his wisdom, his sense of humor,
and his unwavering conviction in Christ.
"You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience
with the Lord in the most miserable
experiences of your life—in the worst settings,
while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the
most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced...
So for every one of you in attendance tonight—here in this vast auditorium
or in other locations around the world—I bless every one of you,
each one of you in your individual circumstances,
as if my hands were on your head.
offer that to you as honestly as I offer my testimony.
I bless you in the name of the Lord that God does love you,
does hear your prayers, is at your side, and will never leave you.
Later, he shared our story at the 2013 General Conference
which was one of his most memorable talks, like a Broken Vessel.
What an honor.
"Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters—mental or
emotional or physical or otherwise—do not vote against the preciousness
of life by ending it! Trust in God. Hold on in His love.
Know that one day the dawn will break
brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee.
Though we may feel we are “like a broken vessel,” as the
Psalmist says, we must remember, that vessel is in the
hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the
way broken bones and broken hearts are healed.
While God is at work making those repairs,
the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind."
