Have you ever had something really, really hard happen in your life? Or had a major change that took months or even years to adjust to? What got you through it?
I was thinking recently about our move to H* and how that first year I thought we had made the wrong decision and how much I HATED our first summer here (maybe because I was pregnant and I don't think I felt cool for 4 months straight). How much I just wanted to leave and go back to life as I knew it before - completely surrounded by family and friends. You know what got me through it? My husband, my kids and my church. I honestly don't know how people in the world move - especially to a totally new place with NO friends, NO family, NOTHING - without the church. We have an exceptional ward, I'll admit. Maybe because most of us are in similar stages of life (young-ish, with young families, LOTS of little kids, and almost all of us are transplants and here without family nearby). But my first week, a girl sat by me, asked for my email address and I got my first email from her that night inviting me to an activity. We're still friends. I got invited to a "girls night out" a few weeks later and really debated going, but I went and had a lot of fun and had my first tiny inkling of "belonging" here. Six months after we got here, I remember a baby shower that I attended for a girl who had just moved in and was about to have her first baby (see, I told you our ward was great - no one knew her but someone threw her a party and everyone came to tell her that we would embrace and love her!) and a girl in my ward said she was happy to see me there and gave me a hug. It still brings tears to my eyes to think about what that meant to me.
So, someone I know is going through a hard thing and when I called her friend yesterday to see how I could help she said, "you know what? There has a been a flurry of calls and so many people are helping right now, I don't know what to tell you to do." Aren't we lucky to be part of something like that? When I was in Young Women's I was not excited about turning 18 and becoming a part of "Relief Society" but now I know better. I could not have survived some things in my life without it and the sisterhood and friendship it has provided for me.
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5 comments:
such a sweet post! I definitely don't have those same experiences however, sad. I seem to get through things by sheer will it feels like.
that is sweet, you are lucky to have such a good ward. my friend lost a baby, has to deal with her husband's ex-wife and kids (the kids are good at least), then their house burned down...they've had a tough marriage, and she said she gets through it with lots of prayer and faith! luckily my life's not that hard (knock on wood) even if i feel like it is sometimes. i also think the only way to get through is the church.
it's so funny to me that you had a hard adjustment to h* when i had a hard adjustment to Utah. the church definitely was the main thing that helped me through, especially wonderful people like your sister emily!
Amen sister! JohnPaul hurt his back at work in October of 2006 and he has been off work since then. It's been a daily battle of pain and worry and meds, etc...and the folks in our ward have been amazing. Our old home teacher came over once a week last year to mow our lawn and our current home teacher checks on JohnPaul every week. We still don't know how long JohnPaul will be off work but our ward members have been wonderful.
Isn't the church wonderful? I especially love the sisterhood we feel in Relief Society (and one reason I get so down on myself if I miss a month of visiting teaching!! We never know when someone needs it - even the "strong")
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