I just finished reading "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson- she was burned more than 80% of her body and went through so much pain and heartache. Being on the brink of death made her realize what really mattered in life and changed the way she looked at life. It seemed she had it all in her earlier life-beauty, great husband, 4 kids, job as a yoga instructor, nice home etc. Then everything changed. Due to a plane crash the fire burned away so much of her skin and tissues that it not only caused pain, discomfort, and disability, but it also drastically changed the way she looks. One of the most heart wrenching parts of this book was when after several months of avoiding mirrors, she had to look at herself and accept the way she looks. I balled my eyes out. It would be so hard to go through so much pain and trauma, to also have your looks completely changed, and to see people staring at you for the rest of your life. I'm sure Stephanie didn't feel that she fit the criteria for "beautiful". However, as I read her book, I was so inspired by her courage and faith that I knew she was one of the world's most beautiful women. Her perspective changed the way I look at beauty. I have definitely found myself complaining about a zit, moaning that I'm so white (as the members in Ukraine said "white like sour cream)," or feeling "fat" every now and then. But after reading this book I realized how silly that is. I'm lucky I have skin! I'm lucky to have a body that is healthy and strong- that can run and exercise and perform daily tasks. Wanting to look or be perfect is dumb. It's not possible and it's not important. What's important is to love myself and others in the most Christ-like sense I can and to appreciate all of the millions of blessings that God has given me. ANYWAY- life changing book! I definitely recommend it. Probably my new favorite!
Here is a short clip about her story-
She is known for her blog, nieniedialogues.com and looking through it has inspired me to start a blog. I love the idea of keeping a journal but a digital one (like a blog) with pictures seems much more fun and doable. Plus- since we live far, far, away in Irish land I thought it'd be fun to update family/friends about what we're up to out here. I love the idea that one day Ryan and I can look back on our life and have this "book of remembrance" if you will. So, here's to starting a blog and hopefully keeping up with it!
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