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---
title: Some Rain Must Fall
lesson: Some sorrow will be experiences by everyone in this life. It's all part of the plan
---
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The saying goes, \"Into every life some rain must fall.\" As I look back
I would have to say very little rain has fallen into my life. When Lori
and I began our lives together our motto was, \"We\'re so lucky!\" It
seemed like everything was going so well in our early years together
that we were being blessed much more than we deserved. We even
considered etching this motto on the inside of our wedding rings.
Everything was roses and life couldn\'t get much better.\
\
There have been only two times in my adult life when my sorrow was so
great that I was reduced to bitter tears of grief. I have kept these
times to myself. Not even Lori knows about these two times. I feel I can
share them now because it is a part of the point I started out with.
Only two times of overwhelming grief in 45 years of adulthood is still a
pretty good deal.\
\
The first time happened in Windham. I had just returned home after
attending the disciplinary council for Bill Chase which ended in his
being excommunicated from the church. Normally, only high council
members attend these meetings, but I was there as his bishop. I was so
blind-sided by the whole situation that I was in shock. I was his bishop
and home teacher, but had not seen this coming. I was alone in my
bedroom thinking about the gravity of the occasion. The enormity of the
eternal impact on so many lives overcame me to the point that I was
consumed with grief and wept bitterly. I felt like a total failure as
both the spiritual leader and stewardship holder over the welfare of
these people.\
\
The second time happened many years later after Lori and I had moved
back into the homestead house in Ridgefield. Getting laid off in Maine
was a severe shock and a personal tragedy, but I held it together
because there was so much to do to relocate from one coast to the other.
Through the years of figuring out what I was going to do with myself, I
just kept my head down and trudged forward. It was one of the most
difficult challenges I had ever faced. I had to totally re-invent
myself, at least in a worldly career sense. It was a difficult time, but
not one filled with grief. I still had Lori at my side and a wonderful
loving family to fall back on. I actually really enjoyed going back to
school. I felt very fortunate that I was able to do this and not have to
accumulate a staggering pile of debt. Then I landed my dream job with
Hewlett Packard. This was the culmination of three years of struggle and
effort. I finally felt like I had completed the re-invention process. I
fully expected my life to return to the earlier state of bliss and
roses.\
\
Loosing this dream job was a total devastation. My brother Tom and I
were working at the same job site and commuted to and from work
together. After being laid off, I had nowhere to go because Tom had
driven his car that day. Upon hearing the bad news, he offered to take
me home. It was a silent and sober drive home, but I held my grief in.
Lori was not home when I arrived there and my grief finally spilled out
in great waves of sobbing that surprised even me. Once again, my dream
had been shattered. By the time Lori arrived home, I had recovered
sufficiently to appear somewhat normal.\
\
Looking back at these times of sorrow, I can consider them with the
perspective that comes with time. How can I deny that I have had a
wonderful life when I can only remember two times of grief severe enough
to cause me to weep? All the rest has been full of joy and gladness. It
adds up to a colossal, good deal if you ask me. I wouldn\'t want to
trade my life for anyone else\'s, no siree bob.
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