Some thoughts to share...

I was so touched by a blog that I read this week that I felt I needed to comment about it. Some of you follow Stephanie Neilson's blog...known as NieNie Dialogues. She is a beautiful mother of four who, along with her husband, survived a horrific plane crash back in August. They both suffered severe burns, but Stephanie even more so. She is slowly recovering and is willing to share her experiences during such a trying time in her life. (see the button to the right "I read Nie Nie" to learn more...)

This past week, she wrote about the pain of seeing her own children reject her because they are afraid of her appearance. Her four old will not hug her and her two year old cries out for mommy (who he thinks is his aunt who has been caring for him).

As I have followed her blog over the last seven months, I have thought about the physical pain she must be suffering, but I rarely thought about the emotional suffering. I can't even imagine what she is feeling but to have your children reject you, that is a pain I never want to imagine.

Our own family has been experiencing an array of trials over the last couple of months...but when I read about Stephanie's thoughts and see how grateful she is to be alive, it helps me to put my own difficulties into perspective. She certainly helps me see a brighter side of life that I have a difficult time seeing.

No matter what I might be experiencing, and though I may be sad at times, I am still grateful...grateful for my life, grateful for a precious eternal family, grateful for loving parents and siblings, and grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. These things bring me peace in a time of turmoil, they bring me joy when my heart is breaking, they bring me comfort and the knowledge that everything will be o.k. I am grateful for that...