Getting Mad?

"Mad Hatter: 'Have I gone mad?'
Alice: 'I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret: All the best people are.'"
 -Tim Burton's Johnny Depp Starring as the Mad Hatter of Wonderland, Also Featuring a Character Named Alice Sometimes, but Mostly Johnny Depp: Electric Boogaloo, 2 Furious, Etc., Etc.

Some years ago, I came home from a day of school and then work to the news that one of my younger siblings had become engaged to be married to the person who is now my sister-in-law. After springing the news on me, this person's next question surprised me: "Are you mad?"

I say that this question was surprising because, well, the term mad never entered my brain at any stage in the process. This person, of course, did not mean mad in the Mad Hatter sense of mad, but the angry kind of mad.

Are older siblings supposed to get mad when a younger sibling ties the knot? I tried to consult the sibling handbook and couldn't find anything.

I suppose this happens sometimes for some people. If it didn't, we wouldn't have a number of Lifetime movies on the subject of the fury of a woman scorned and then going bat-crud crazy, or of a man who's some weirdo psycho stalker creep who rummages through a girl's trash and then places her discarded yogurt cups under his pillow when he goes to sleep at night.

As we head in to the Valentine's Day season (yes, folks, it's already coming), I've begun to see some cynicism creep up from my fellow single adults about the whole messy thing. And I understand where they're coming from. I get it, because I've wandered into places like that. I've glanced at others finding sought-for happiness and then compared myself to the situation, feeling lonelier still.

It's not very constructive. There's so much anger, cynicism, and negativity floating around out there in the world, and this is not a pleasant place to linger long(er).

When all is said and done, however, it does my heart and my soul a great deal of good to see family members, friends, and acquaintances find what they're desiring most, and it is especially heartwarming to see it among my fellow mid-singles. These are some of my very favorite things to see on my social media feeds. At these times, I am far, far from mad. Yes, even Paco is a bit of a romantic at heart at times like these.

President Boyd K. Packer taught:

"Watched over by a kind and loving Heavenly Father, (we) will not, in the eternal pattern of things, be denied blessings necessary for (our) exaltation, including marriage and family. And it will be sweeter still because of the waiting and the longing."

Take heart, my friends. If they're not currently visible in your life, I believe that great things are around the corner for us all if we keep moving forward in all of the faith and patience we can muster, even if it's just a centimeter or two ahead some days.

Am I bonkers, though? The answer to that question is easy for those who know me best. Stay tuned for a blog post on that . . . sometime.