Some Things Make Me Sad

There are times when we have experiences that make us sad.  I have had a few of those experiences in my life and another here recently.  Anxiety and depression are real and can be painful to live with and to watch others live with.  My sweet daughter has been having some challenges with anxiety and some depression as well.  There were some things at the beginning of the school year but they seemed to have passed.  I thought it was more situational and had to do with a new school year as a freshman at high school.  She seemed to adjust and do a lot better after a couple of weeks.  There have been moments since then where anxiety was high but isn't that normal?  I get a bit of anxiety now and again myself but have also gotten used to the idea that whatever it is I can get through it.  Well, we have some concerns and Natty has shared some things in relation to wanting to hurt herself.  Having a bit of anxiety about school and wanting to hurt ones self seems like a quick jump to me.  I live with this child and she happens to be a lot of fun and happy so it shocks me when we are suddenly at this point.  Anyway, she did something yesterday that she thought I was going to be mad about when I found out.  I won't go in to detail about what she did because I don't want to embarrass her and I don't want this to define who she is or become her identity.  All I can say is that I wasn't mad but I was very sad.  Sad for my little girl who thinks she is not a very good person and who doesn't like herself.  I think there are times when we beat ourselves up pretty good for every little thing that we do wrong and I think that when we do so we easily forget about the Savior who has suffered for our infirmities, our afflictions, our short comings.  He has taken that upon himself.  He makes up for our short comings and fills our gaps and through him we can be made whole no matter how far from whole we ourselves are.  He makes up the difference.  Some things make me sad.  Seeing my child in pain and suffering, that makes me sad.  In the Savior there is hope and so I will not stay in my sadness and I will do everything in my power as her father to help her fine that hope in Christ, that strength in Christ, that joy in Christ.  I will do my best to help her understand the atonement and I will do my best to help her to be gentle with herself for Christ has borne the awful burden for each of us even for her.  I am grateful for my sweet daughter and I love her dearly.  I am grateful to be her father and hope that I can live up to my responsibilities in our family.