This week has gone by pretty fast and I don't really know why. I feel like the hours go by slow but the days just fly by.... (does that make ANY sense at all?...) I had to work Monday and Tuesday, maybe that's why the hours seemed to go by so dang slowly. However, I was very happy to finally be home, nothing beats the feeling of sleeping in your own bed. I made dinner Monday night, thanks to Leandra Stromberg's casserole recipe it's one of the few casseroles I actually really enjoy..
Tuesday I went on a date to Nickle City with Abner and some of his friends. We had a lot of fun trying to get enough tickets to get fake moustaches, those came in handy Wednesday after Tina's incredible choir concert at Orem Junior...
I am quite impressed as to how far they have come from the beginning of the school year. Way to go OJH! Being inside that school brings back so many memories, both good at bad. And apparently it makes me act just like I used to in Jr. High... I was a bit of a snot to the janitor that asked Natalie and I to head back to the commons.. Oh man, I was so embarrassed afterwards... I need to stop going there.. After we got all moustached up, we stopped by the Borders to take ice cream orders, then made a quick run to Farr's for ice cream-- in our "Banditos" outfits... Haha. Get ready cause these pictures are Epic.
Natalie didn't have to work on Thursday so we took advantage of that and went out for a morning run. We decided to meet half way at a park here in PG. I have never had so much fun running in the rain, my dog however, was not as happy. Poor Lady got cold on the way back so I had to carry her. Oh, and my shoes hated me... I had fun though, can't wait to run again! My lungs seem to be getting stronger so I will definitely be taking advantage of that and keep working out outdoors instead of at the gym.
**A little shout-out to my aunt Liliana Thompson, happy birthday! They say you shouldn't have favorites when it comes to family... but I say that's bologna, we all have favorites no matter what. This is a great example :) My aunt has been through so much, she is a great example and a wonderful mother. I love youuu!**
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Yesterday, after picking my sister up from school we got home, turned on the T.V. and Oprah was on. I can honestly say I have never watched a single episode, ever. Something about this particular one caught my attention though. As many people probably know, next Wednesday is her last episode ever. Apparently she's been doing her show for 25 years and has had like a billion people on it (who knew? Not me..). She was going over some of her most memorable reunions and favorite guests on the show, so I left it on for a while just to see who it was... I had no idea I would be crying the whole hour..
The first story was of two sister who miraculously survived the genocide in Rwanda. In 100 days 800,000 men, women and children were killed by machetes... Claire and her younger sister of 6, Clementine, hid in a banana tree while their home burnt down with their grandparents inside... They thought their whole family had died. They spent the next six years in refugee camps, hoping to catch a glimpse of a surviving family member. After a time, an American church brought the girls over to be adopted by foster parents. Years later, Clementine was on the show because of an essay she had written about the book titled "Night" by Elie Wiesel that tells his story of surviving the Holocaust, she wrote about the similarities in her life... Oprah called the sisters up on stage to hand them a letter from their parents... before they could read it, she had another surprise for them... The doors opened and out came the two sisters' parents and siblings... As the sisters rushed to their family after 12 years of separation, I couldn't help but cry. The pure joy and gratitude on their faces was something that cannot be described. They talked about the girl's lives today. Claire is attending Yale University and doing really well despite her initial complications learning the language... She doesn't know exactly what she wants to do with her life when she graduates in 2013, but she knows she wants to help others, help people share their stories of tribulation and how they surpassed their challenges...
The second, and by far the most uplifting story, was of a woman named Erin Kramp. At 36 years old, Erin was dying of breast cancer. She had one daughter, Peyton, only six years old. Whenever Erin had a moment to herself, she would pick up the video camera and record messages for her daughter. She recorded advice from picking out makeup, to how to pick a husband and everywhere in between. She had no idea how long she had left, she still had so many things to teach and tell her daughter. They showed bits and pieces of Erin's recordings, one of them was definitely my favorite. She says:
" I have been up for three hours, in the middle of the night, just thinking about
how much I love you, I couldn't stand it. I couldn't sleep. So finally I decided, I'm just
going to get up and record how much I love Peyton!
Mooore than infinity!"
(she says with arms stretched out)
Six months later, Erin lost her life. She left behind hours and hours of messages for every milestone of her daughter's life.
John, her husband has now remarried and has two kids of his own. Peyton is now at Duke University. Although Peyton only spent six short years with her mother, she knows what kind of mom she had. She knows how hard her mother fought, she knows how much she was loved...
These two stories were uplifting in their own way, however, they both taught me to be grateful. Although we all have challenges, some definitely have it harder than we do. I look at my family and realize how lucky I am to have a mother who not only supports us in all we do, but provides for us above and beyond. The second story help my love and appreciation grow for my mother. Without her, I have no idea where we would be. She is the source of strength in our family. I know I don't show my love for her enough, I can only hope that she knows how much she is loved.
Thank you mom for all you do, you are a great example. I love you.
Through this I realize how important the Plan of Salvation really is. Without it, many people leave this earth and have no idea that they will see their loved ones again. I am thankful to have this knowledge. Erin taught people to live life to the fullest, to not fear death, to embrace it. Oprah said it best:
".... to dying, letting go, and leaving love behind.."
-Oprah
