Easter Hope -- 4/15/06

And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?

And what is it that ye shall a hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. (Moroni 7:40-42)

This Easter season has special significance as the Taggart family looks forward to the absolute promise of the ressurection because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We pray for His blessings to be with you all. The above scripture goes on to discuss the relationship of Charity, "the pure love of Christ" to faith and hope. We know your feelings of love for our family is a manifestation of that pure love, not because we deserve it, but because God gives you the capacity. We are humbled and uplifted to be the recipients of such love, both from God and our friends.

Joseph is doing well, he continues to make progress as he pushes himself ever harder. One of the highlights of the week was having his sister Elizabeth bring Cheyenne and Ethan, his niece and nephew. One of the things he misses most is getting down on hands and knees to play with them. However, he does manage to keep them giggling and having fun, as they ride on his lap and are chased by his wheelchair.

Among so many, another highlight this week was the visit of the Kearon family from Bristol England. Patrick was called as the Bristol Stake President while we were in the missionfield. He is currently serving as an Area Authority Seventy, and has been over here for General Conference. He and his family are wonderful friends and great examples to us all.

Preparations continue at home:

We continue to scramble to get ready for our returning hero. The room is getting closer. . . They came and sprayed foam insulation all over the room, sealing up any leaks etc. Joseph's room will be the best insulated and quietest room in the house. Pacific Corp came out and hooked up a new power cable to the house and installed a new power meter, they were great to respond quickly as soon as the inspection was completed. Comcast got the cable installed to Joseph's room and Kerry Jewkes, our neighbor and friend, finished repairing and hooking up the phone lines. Jeremy V. (EBM)got the plumbing things fixed up and Doug Miles (HVAC) is moving the gas fireplace vent away from the outside door to Joseph's room on Monday and we will be ready to move forward with batt insulation and drywall next week.

We finally have the Van being picked up in Miami next week on Wed/Thurs and on it's way here. The wheelchair lift is due to be shipped from back East in a couple of weeks (problems at the factory). The insurance check to cover the $25,000 medical expenses from Guatemala was lost in the mail (They can issue new checks after 30 days -- on Monday). Joseph could be released in a week. . . and in the midst of it all we are at peace and know things will work out just fine. We know if we do our best, the Lord will provide. . . and life is an adventure, not just a spectator sport. We love life, the Lord and you. Happy Easter.