I have always considered one of the greatest blessings of my life to be the people Heavenly Father has placed in my life. Every time I move I think to myself 'there's no way I'm going to meet people as incredible as the ones I'm leaving. And I definitely won't have such great friends'... then I do.
And lately I've been overwhelmed not just with the calibar of people in my life, but with the importance of the roles we each play in one another's lives. We all have so much to learn from each other. And the love we give and receive allows that to happen.
I have one friend who actually came to me and said 'I think we need to be friends'. And that's how we became friends. Of all the people this angelic, Christ like person could have chosen to approach, she approached me. She blesses a lot of people, even though this year has brought some of the most difficult trials of her life. But I am learning so much from her about how to face those, and especially about how to have a close relationship with the Lord. She stays close to Him and is able to see purpose and beauty and love in her own life, in her experiences, and in others. She really is an angel in every sense of the word. I often feel undeserving of such an incredible blessing in my life, and all I can do is try to be a better friend every day, thank Heavenly Father, and look for ways to pay it forward.
I have a roommate who is an incredible example to me of what being a balanced, healthy, happy person looks like. I would go to her for advice about anything and know that she would give me her sincere, and very wise advice. She speaks positively of others and if she struggles to love someone she recognizes it as her own weakness and something she must work on. She knows who she is and somehow bypasses the world's standards of beauty, knowing the source of true beauty. She is one of the most beautiful people I know.
Someone I went on a couple of dates with and started to get to know, who recently moved away, became a close friend almost overnight. I sensed from the first time I met him that he had a depth and sincerity and goodness that made me want to become good friends with him. It wasn't until he moved that I got to know him better. He surpassed my already high expectation and foresight of his character. He has also been through some very difficult trials and has chosen to allow the Lord to consecrate them for his benefit. His example inspires me.
I have a friend who is a former roommate. I knew the day I moved in that we would become close friends. I didn't know then that I would go through some of the most difficult times of my life while living there, and that she would be heaven sent and become one of my closest friends. Not only has she taught me through her example, but because she lives her life in a way that allows her to be close to the Spirit, she has been able to give me advice and tell me things I know the Lord wanted me to hear. She is one of the best listeners I know. And we have the BEST dance parties together:)
Another roommate during that same time played a similar role. Her example of service and love not just to me, but to every person she encounters truly helped me (and continues to help me- but especially during that time) be a better person.
I went to get a pedicure with a former roommate (from a separate house from the previous two) and I was reminded of how precious the time was that Heavenly Father gave me with the girls in that house. This particular roommate is one who radiates light and sweetness. When I decided to move out, it was probably hardest to say goodbye to her. And I'm pretty sure that it's becuase of her that I've become better at keeping in touch with old roommates and friends when I move on.
I have a friend who is on a mission. I would say she is one of the closest friends I have ever had. I can talk with her about anything, laugh until my stomach hurts, dance with iPods in a one room apartment in NY and have a blast, and know that she loves and cares about me even with all my imperfections as a friend. Not only is she one of my favorite people to be with, she is an example to me in many of the areas in which I need to improve. I feel like I knew her, along with many of my other close friends, before I came to earth.
I have a friend who has been a friend of many of my friends for a while, but only recently did I get to know her better. She has a presence that brings peace and calm to ANY person or situation. I can be stressed or anxious or whatever other unsettling emotion, and just being in her presence- going for a walk, sitting on her porch swing, or just having her arm around me during Relief Society... and I feel the same way I feel after an hour of yoga (COMPLETELY relaxed and peaceful with new perspective). She has the gift of healing.
Back at BYU, after I had given a talk in Stake Conference on the healing power of the Atonement, a girl in my Relief Society who I didn't know that well came to me and asked me 'but how? Can you teach me how to do that?'. She was so sincere and I could tell she needed and wanted the answer to these questions so much in her life a that time. I prayed I would have the words and the capacity to help her. I didn't know she would end up teaching me abou tthose very things, and that in the process she would become my closest friend. She is one of the most beautiful, faithful people I know. When my parents came to visit, we all spent the day together. Murr.
Back when I was in the Young Women's program a girl moved into the ward from Huntington Beach. She didn't seem to 'fit in' with the other girls in YW or really particularly want to. But for some reason she allowed me to be her friend. She was patient with me as a friend, and as we have both gone in very different directions (location wise as well as life paths) she has kept in touch and been the friend that I try to be. While she searches for truth and her own purpose, she is solid in her goodness and in doing what she knows to be right. For this reason, I can see how the Lord has blessed her. She has blessed me so much. I have seen the Lord work through her to bless me, and I hope I have been able to do the same for her. She has never pushed me away when I have encouraged her in the direction I think is best for her, even when she feels differently. I love her example of humility.
One of my sisters is in a similar place in her life. We have different beliefs and have definitely chosen different paths, but I am more and more amazed as we get older with her ability to love and to make peace wherever she is and with whomever she may be with. I remember when I was 10 years old and she was 5 and we fought constantly. I finally told my mom that the only way I could live in the same house as her was if I pretended like she didn't exist. My mom suggested I talk to our home teacher about my problem. So Brother Davis invited me to pray about it. I did, and that was when I gained a testimony of the miracle of prayer. She and I became best friends and she has remained one of my best friends since. We would play together, laugh late into the night, decided to share a room, and as we got older, turned to each other with whatever was going on in our lives. When I returned from my mission I was ecstatic to find out she would come live with me while I attended BYU. She went to another college and although that semester was a difficult time for both of us, she was so giving and unselfish. She had recently graduated from a very rough high school experience, and was trying to find her place and her beliefs and herself essentially. I had a new job teaching at the MTC, was dealing with a recent breakup, and was trying to juggle the transition. And during such a difficult time for her, she made her focus serving me and the girls around her. She continues to be an example of unselfishness and unconditional love.
One of my older sisters has been someone who has given me guidance and direction throughout my life. She started out being the extrememely cool, untouchable older sister I would do anything to be like. Then as she left for college and I literally cried every day for a month, she became closer and someone I could talk to. I remember having a serious conversation with her about moving into her college dorm with her. She told me she would look into getting an apartment so I could move in. I'm sure she knew how unlikely that would be, but she cared enough about me to show me how much she loved and cared about me. When I have had health problems or friend or boy issues, she has always pointed me in the right direction- I truly believe Heavenly Father inspired her to know how to help me. While I was studying abroad and during my mission, she was my closest friend and I was always so excited to get emails from her. She has a beautiful family. Her children and home are a reflection of the choices she has made in her life, and especially of the person she has chosen to become through her experiences. I know Heavenly Father put her before me in the order of our family so I could learn from her and have an example.
Mom and Dad are the only people I will name here. They become more and more celestial to me as I get older. Mom is an example of sacrifice and what a mother should look like in every way. She is forgiving, patient (at least with her kids:), unselfish to the maximum, completely separated from the world, and she finds beauty in the finest things in life. She spends her retired days practicing the piano, participating in book club, going for walks with our sweet neighbor Norma, writing in her journal, doing things for her children and grandchildren, and serving wherever she is needed in the ward. Her laugh is infectious. I love her. Dad loves his girls and would sacrifice anything for us. I have never doubted his love for me, nor how proud he is of me, nor his support of and complete trust in me. He has always encouraged me to be the best I can, to take advantage of every opportunity, and even when I don't choose what he would have chosen for me, he encourages me in whatever path I choose. I love how much he loves people and how interested he is in them. He can make just about anyone smile. My parents give me happiness and security in my life. They make each other better people in many ways.
