Naturally, we talked about gifts. Not tangible things, but other more spiritual gifts. One of the gifts we mentioned, was actually something I never considered a spiritual gift, (yeah I know, I'm saying that word waay too much.) it was the gift of miracles. Recognizing them and accepting them in our lives. I began to think of miracles in my life, that at the time, I didn't really consider them miracles, since they weren't grand scale occurrences. Or, at least at the time, they didn't seem so.
When I was a child, just about to turn 8, my head had a run in with a hard floor. As a result of this.... sudden meeting, I had a concussion. My memory is probably much more dramatic than my parents' memory was, because lets face it. Kids are all drama queens- it's not just me! I remember going to school every day feeling fine and coming home very sick. I had no energy to do anything. I would just lie in bed and sleep. I remember my mother waking me up from time to time. Since I am LDS, I had made the decision to get baptized when I turned 8, which just so happened to be very soon. A day or so before my baptism, my mother took all of us kids to the airport to pick grandma up. I was so sick that she had to put me in a stroller and wheel me through the airport. I must have looked so retarded. I was so weak that I could not walk. The night of my baptism came and I could not get out of bed. I had no strength... and then I received a blessing from my father and a few other men. I remember getting up out of bed on my own, getting to the car and making it to my baptism. I did not feel sick at all during this time. I was able to go down into the waters of baptism without any trouble and when I was taken back into the changing room, I once again became very ill. I know my Heavenly Father blessed me that night and kept me strong for as long as I needed to be strong. I will never forget my baptism and how special it was to me.
I'll try to keep these others short. Not long ago, my sister was in a head on collision going about 30-40 mph. I did not witness the aftermath of the accident, but my parents did. They explained to me that the two cars were smashed together like accordions. She came home from the hospital a day after the accident with only a broken nose and severely cut up lip. Which, was still devastating to see, but it could have been so much worse. It was a miracle that she only sustained minor injuries. As well as only a minor injury to the other driver.
This last year, my dad was rushed to the ICU in septic shock. He almost died a few times before they stabilized him. He was put into a coma for I think about a week, he was hooked up to chest tubes, he was given a feeding tube and had multiple surgeries performed on him. It was a miracle that good people were able to take over his practice, while he recovered. It was a miracle that even during the middle of my semester I was able to fly home. It was a miracle that he survived. It was and is a miracle that my dad is not angry or bitter about his current condition.
I have a testimony of the gift of miracles. I have a testimony that our Lord and Savior has an active hand in our lives. We just have to open our eyes and allow ourselves to see it. I have a testimony that there is no event out there that is too small, to be considered a miracle.
Recently, a beloved building to the LDS church and the Provo community burned down.
The image of Christ, spared from the flames.
I know my Savior lives. And I know he loves each and every one of us. He has an active hand in our lives. We just need to open our arms and let him him.
