The Actions of Others

I had the priviledge of speaking with a wonderful woman who is a married mom of six boys. We hadn't spoken since we were both teens and it was wonderful to feel that connection come back so quickly. As we talked she felt much more free to let me into some of the secrets of her life. I felt so priveleged to be able to hear her out and let her talk about things that were such trials in her life. Her husband had betrayed her 7 years ago and had been excommunicated from the church. They made the decision to stay together and work out their marriage. She is so full of faith and forgiveness. I don't know how she does it. It would have killed me! She described to me the feelings she and her husband had shared as they were sealed; a physical, life changing feeling that holds her and him up to this day. Not only that she has 3 sons who are mentally disabled and has to homeschool them because the school can't provide the programs they need. Yet almost all that she talked about was the love she had for all the men in her life. That included a brother who had cut himself off 20yrs ago, a husband who loses job after job and cheated on her, a father who was much less than he should have been and her wonderful boys. She kept talking about how she wanted to be a better model for them; to show them how forgiveness works. I looked at how she had reacted to all of these difficulties in her life and how she chose to react to them. She was able to put aside all the hurts that had been piled on her by others and see past them. Yet what I saw was the pile of actions against her. How much she had done to her and how it could have changed her for the worse but hadn't. Her heart was as pure as a newborn child. If only I could be like her!!!