Saturday, September 6, 2008

Hands of Heaven


Last night the creator of this video above and one of her friends upon whom the movie is based came to our ward enrichment to present this video to our Relief Society. I asked them to show the video as a thank you to my ward sisters. 

The video is a representation of the true stories of four friends who help each other through some very trying times in their lives. These trials bring these friends together as they serve each other. I saw the video for the first time about 2 years ago in California. I left thinking "Who has friends like that?"

Over the last three months I have discovered that I have lots and lots of friends like that. These are the types of friendships forged in the furnace of the Refiner's fire. They are deep meaningful and filled with charity. I have found those friendships with neighbors, old friends, new friends, and many many strangers. I have found these friendships do not depend on age, marital status, or life stage. They are only founded on love and service. 

I am so grateful for all the sisters in my ward and neighborhood who have loved and supported and prayed for us. Especially since so few of them even knew me before this happened. I am equally grateful for so many incredible friends from my past who do know me well and resurfaced to lend love and support through this low time. 

I hope all of you know, whether you were there last night or not, that I love and appreciate you. Even those of you I don't know very well. I have felt the support of your prayers and love. 

If you get a chance to see Hands of Heaven, you should. It is available to purchase HERE. Thank you to Kathryn Turley for creating it. It gave me a reference point to cling to as I have traveled down this thorny path of loss. May we all find deep, meaningful relationships through service of and with other women in our lives.