Today: I am befriended .
I am humbled today by people that have come into my life. Not just recently... but even years ago. It seems like when you need it the absolute most, you either meet someone new or you find out something new about someone you already know.
During the course of the last couple of months, I have had the opportunity to ponder and pray about whether or not it is my time to go through the Temple. This is something that I hope to be able to talk more about farther down the road... but right now I'm just skimming the edge :) Going through the Temple is a huge responsibility and blessing. My husband is not 100% active in the church. While he was born and raised LDS, he had decided after high school to quit going. He goes with the kids and I on Sundays, but going through the Temple is not on his list right now. Which is fine. He totally has his free agency to choose. I, however, have been feeling the promptings more and more. Especially since I've been trying to dig myself out of this anxiety hole. If you are fortunate enough to have an LDS Temple near your home, I strongly encourage you to visit and walk around the Temple grounds. You don't have to be a Mormon to appreciate the architecture, the beauty and the care that goes into the Temple. They are truly gorgeous buildings.
Anyway... I decided instead of making this huge decision right now, that I would start at the beginning and do Baptisms at the Temple. I met with our ward's bishop and was found worthy to receive my Limited Use Temple Recommend. This is big. This is awesome. This means that I have come full circle in my life and I am able to do a small bit of Temple work. The feelings that come from this are incredibly comforting... and exciting! As members of the church, we have to be worthy to attend and do work in the Temple. Once we have done our own work we can go back numerous times and complete work for those who have left this life and did not have the opportunity. It is a truly spiritual way of helping people. It all begins with Baptisms. We serve as proxy to those who need baptism. Please keep in mind that we do not scout out deceased people and just start doing work for them. It is entirely work that the family WANTS done and not that we think needs to be done. Our youth was given the challenge of providing their own family names to do Temple work for not too long ago. I was amazed to hear a young woman in our ward say that she helped a lady in her previous ward that had acquired 9000 names! Can you believe that?? I'm really excited to be able to help out with this great work. Which leads me to my post today... being befriended.
This has come in many ways recently. One of which is through my ancestors. As I have looked into my past and read about some of the amazing people that I come from, I have found that I have a great legacy before me. I can't help but feel that these men and women look down on me and can help through my trials. I also can't help but feel that I really, really want to do better with my own life so that I can continue the legacy that they left for me. The strength, the endurance, the love and the faith that I have come from is amazing. While technically grandpas, grandmas, uncles and aunts... I consider these "heroes" of mine to be some of my best friends. I truly see where I come from now.
Another incident that I had recently involved a good friend in my ward. Together we visit a few of the women in our ward. It's called Visiting Teaching. Some loathe it. Some love it. I'm somewhere in the middle. My partner {this friend that I just mentioned} let me in on something that she had experienced in her life. We were talking about anxiety and I'm telling her how I was just about convinced that I was dying some days. She expressed her understanding to me and that she had also gone through this... but a bit worse than me. She had convinced herself she had MS and had undergone many different tests to determine if she really did. The power of the brain is almost scary. Fortunately, she eventually determined it was anxiety and she's doing much better. Can I tell you the relief I felt?! Here was someone who I consider a good friend, who I look up to, and she knew EXACTLY how I have felt. Exactly. What an incredible thing to have someone in your life and then find out that this person needed to be in your life. Even if it was for something as simple as this. Just to be able to say "I know."
This last one goes back to what I had rambled on about at the beginning... baptisms. I haven't done this for 18 years. Needless to say, I have been a bit nervous about it. Not knowing the process or what to expect or will my makeup run when I come out of the water... it's a big deal! My sweet sister in law and her teenage daughter are coming with and doing baptisms also! These amazing ladies have been in my life for only 5 years now. I've talked to them countless times. I've been to birthday parties with them, kids baptisms, funerals, many family parties. I know these people. They're my peeps. Literally... they're my family. Knowing that they want to be there to not only support me but also to do their own work is so touching and warming to my heart.
When I say "I am befriended", I mean it as today I feel blessed to have the people I do in my life. I'm always thankful for those around me. Especially my family. But I truly and honestly believe that certain people are put in your path for a reason. It could be someone at the grocery store helping you with your groceries, a teacher, a neighbor, a complete stranger that smiles hello at you. These people all have a place in your life. Sometimes the reasons are very clear and you know why you have them. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time and then you receive the "a-hah" moment and you know why you know this person. I have felt this lately. Knowing that there is true understanding with my anxiety, there is true support for me when I need it and that my ancestors at some point had to have felt discouraged but had the strength to continue on... these thoughts and friends all comfort me and help me to be a stronger person than I have been. Smile more at people. For one thing, smiling is easy. More importantly you never know if that person needs to see that smile from you.
xo, Heather
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