"VULNERABILITY IS NOT WEAKNESS;

 IT'S OUR GREATEST MEASURE OF COURAGE."

(Brene Brown)

Sea, sand and a splash of sunset

 

MY BOOK!!!!!!

 

Blessed in Weakness

―How a Mother Found Hope, Healing and Divine Purpose Raising a Disabled Child 

As the mother of a disabled child, I've been the recipient of many gifts. Some of the greatest of these gifts have been spiritual. My mind has been enlightened with increased understanding and my soul has been expanded with greater faith, as I've searched to understand God's purpose for my son, David's, disability. Blessed in Weakness  is a compilation of the spiritual experiences I've had and the truths I've learned raising a disabled child.

Although there are still many things I do not know or understand, I can say with surety: 

• I know disability is a part of God's plan, and this is a plan of happiness.
• I know each disabled person has a unique mission to fulfill on earth and is capable of growth.
• I know Christ overcame death and we will all be resurrected. I know David will be resurrected with a body free of disability and will live with God again. 
• I know my Savior, Jesus Christ, has borne my griefs and carried my sorrows. He stands with open arms waiting to comfort me. His love and grace give me the strength to carry on. 
• I know Jesus loves David and is aware of his needs. Christ has suffered the pains of David's disability and knows how to succor him.
• Above all, I know David's body houses a strong, mature spirit. He is among the noblest of spirits--clean and pure, righteous and obedient. 

I've tried to imagine the scene in the pre-earth life when I was called to be David's mother. How honored and humbled I must have felt knowing I'd be given this special calling. 

It is a privilege.

Foreword by Carmen B. Pingree

Eugénie C. Stoll

"Uplifting and edifying"

"Unique and important"

"Outstanding and perceptive"

"This inspiring story epitomizes the paradoxes of raising a severely disabled child: unanswered questions and remarkable insights, painful rejections and startling acts of service, agonizing losses and compensatory blessings, unfulfilled dreams and unexpected miracles. Parents, neighbors, teachers and strangers will be affirmed in hope, compassion and the meaning of life and love."

WENDY ULRICH, PhD

 Available at AMAZON.COM in paperback and ebook

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=blessed+in+weakness+book&crid=CAY19QDH8C0V&sprefix=blessed+in+weakness+book%2Caps%2C109&ref=nb_sb_noss

 We will be judged not so much by what we say, 

but how we treat the vulnerable and disadvantaged.

(Dale G. Renlund)

Remembering Trisha

I scrolled down my feed a little further to make sure of what I was reading.

Trisha passed away? That can't be right. She's only 2 years younger than me and the mother of three. 

As I continued to read, the reality of the shocking news set in. She really was gone! Taken unexpectedly and without warning. 

As the reverberating echoes of WHY resounded through my head, a rush of warm, happy memories came to life. Remembrances of Trisha's smile and wicked sense of humor, her vivacious personality and infectious energy. Her warmth, kindness and generosity. 

I was blessed to serve as Trisha's mission companion for a few months in East London (Cape Town, South Africa Mission). She brought laughter, love and joy to all she did. My heart aches for her family and today I fondly honor the memory of our time together.

To know Trisha was to love her! 

(I'm on the left, Miss Samoa is on the right)

                                    (Trisha's smile could light a thousand stars)

Trisha and I were invited by the branch mission leader to sing for a missionary fireside. We politely declined, but he persisted, thinking we were just being humble or modest. He had a hard time believing us when we told him we were not good singers. As he continued to put the pressure on, we finally explained to him we had been blessed with good looks and not singing voices (This was not entirely untrue. Sister Hunt was a real life beauty queen and the AP's had crowned me with the title of, Worst Singing Voice of all the Sisters in the Mission).

After hearing of where our talents lay, the mission leader quickly abandoned the idea that we were modest or humble. At the start of the fireside he announced to the congregation that he had invited the sisters to sing, but they declined because "they thought they were too good looking to sing". Trisha and I just rolled our eyes. . . 

If there was a theme to our companionship, it was hard work and chocolate. Trisha was discovering the world beyond Hershey's and we formed an instant bond over Nestle and Cadbury's. Trisha wasn't afraid to work hard and wanted to give it her all. She asked me to take up the challenge of working a 70 hour week. We spent many hours pounding the streets of East London and knocking on doors.  When we were out tracting, Trisha loved to talk about her wedding plans. She told me about who her bridesmaids would be, what color they'd wear and how she'd name her first girl Hannah. All the while denying my prediction that she would marry Elder Ryan Paddock.    

(I'm standing with the future Mr and Mrs Paddock)

   (I think Ryan is proposing to Trisha)

Trisha and I heard a lot about the Sister Peggy Dinner Appointment from the elders. We were especially tired of hearing about how the sisters had never been invited to her house. Trisha and I decided we needed to do something about that! I pulled out my hand-me-down recipe for brownies and Trisha got to work making them. It turns out Sister Peggy loved chocolate just us as much as we did. Needless, to stay she insisted on having us over for dinner.

(Sister Peggy and a game of rummy)

Trisha's beautiful smile will live in my heart forever! There's something special about the friendships I made while on my mission. The time we spent together was relatively short, but the depth of love I have for these people is real. The Spirit cemented these bonds with an extra measure of love. 

There's also something special about the strong women who choose to serve missions. And Trisha was no exception. She quickly became a leader in her community and a pillar of strength and kindness to many. 

Thank you for the happy time we spent together. When I see you on the other side, I'll sing if you'll make the brownies!

The Power of a Mother's Love

 "You rejoice in a baby's first smile and you listen with eager ear to a child's first day at school. . .You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms. . .

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the sleeping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?"

(Maxwell, Neal, A. "The Women of God," April 1978)

A God Who Weeps

 "There in the midst of a grand vision of humankind which heaven opened up to his view, Enoch, observing both the blessings and challenges of mortality, turns his gaze toward the Father and is stunned to see Him weeping. He says in wonder and amazement to this most powerful being in the universe: "How is it that thou canst weep?" 

 . . . Looking out on the events of almost any day God replies, "Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of my hands . . . they are without affection and they hate their own blood . . . Wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?" (Moses 7)

"That single riveting scene does more to teach the true nature of God than any theological treatise could ever convey. 

" . . . What an indelible image of God's engagement in our lives! What anguish in a parent when His children do not choose Him nor "the gospel of God" He sent. How easy to love someone who so singularly loves us.

"I bear witness this day of a personal, living God, who knows our names, hears and answers prayers, and cherishes us eternally as children of His spirit. I testify that amidst the wondrously complex tasks inherent in the universe, He seeks our individual happiness and safety above all other godly concerns."

(Elder Jeffrey, R. Holland. "The Grandeur of God.")