Tomorrow is
the ninth anniversary of my car accident. It's SO hard to believe that it's
been nine years! The time has gone so quickly, but at the same time when I
think back to life "pre-accident" it seems like SO LONG ago and
it's hard to remember what it was ever like to be "normal." It's mind-boggling that I've
lived more than a third of my life paralyzed!
On the morning news program I watch they occasionally have a segment
called "note to self" where they have people who are older people write
notes to their younger selves, or they have people who have been through difficult
things write notes to themselves as the person they were before facing adversity.
It's always very interesting, so I thought I would write a note to myself before my accident.
Dear Heather,
Tomorrow you will be in
a car accident; one that you will not walk away from. You will be changed in
drastic ways for the worse and the
better. Your accident will be the worst thing to happen to you physically, but
the absolute best thing to happen to you in every other way.
Your accident will fill
your life with many challenges and things will not be easy, especially at first.
But eventually things will get easier and you will have a quality life that fulfills you. All of your hopes, dreams and priorities will change, but you will experience
immeasurable joy. You'll face disappointments, especially when it comes to the deepest
desires of your heart, but any discouragement you experience will be far
outweighed by the joy you’ll feel each and every day.
You will not be alone.
The Lord loves you and knows of your situation and will walk beside
you throughout your journey. Your faith, appreciation and love for the
Lord will grow immensely as you learn to lean on Him and as you rely on His comfort to
get you through difficult times. Becoming paralyzed is part of the Lord's plan
for you and was no accident. You have an earthly mission to help others
experience lives of joy. Becoming paralyzed is the only way for you to accomplish this to the
magnitude that the Lord is intending. The Lord has
confidence in you!
You've always known that
there’s life after death and that one day everyone will be resurrected, but heaven
and the resurrection will take on a whole new meaning after your accident.
Earthly life may seem long as you experience the frustrations of daily life,
but life will pass faster than you can comprehend. If you live well and make good
choices you will have an eternity of joy!
Just remember to "keep your
eye on the prize." In the end you will be free and you will experience all
of the things that you've always hoped and dreamed of, including all of the things your accident deprived you of. Stay joyful!
~ Your future self
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I love this quote from Thomas S Monson: "…our promised
blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the
rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our
Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to
our hearts. … There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us. … Be of
good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."
13 comments:
Lovely post Heather.
Beautiful (the letter and you). You are such an inspiration. Thanks for sharing1
You remind me there truly is "joy in every journey" no matter what the circumstances. I also believe the Lord will grant you all your righteous desires. Keep blogging... You are awesome!
Beautifully stated! You are truly an awesome woman!
You are amazing! That is really the only word to describe you. I wish I could be 1/10 as strong and spiritual as you are. Thank you so much for sharing this.
You are incredible. Period. I am so amazed and blown away with your strength, grace, and love for life. I think about you every time I pass by your accident site. I think about you every time I relive our first year of nursing school. You are just a remarkable young woman, and i miss you so much. I love reading your blog very much. Please don' t ever stop writing.
I cannot even express how AWESOME you are!! You make me appreciate everything in such a different and beautiful way. So grateful to know you!! Thanks for the happy tears :)
Thank you for being such an inspiration to so many of us, Heather Feather! I love the "Note to Self" -- your present self is wise beyond her years! ;)
Hi Heather,
Oh-beautiful post. I never thought or even considered acknowledging my younger self....really poignant and thought provoking. What would all of us tell our younger selves?
Kathy
Thanks for being such a great example!
Heather,
As you know I'm C0.
Because of your blog, inspired me to start a blog.
If you don't mind, I would like to borrow your idea on my anniversary 5/16/08. It will be 5 years.
you're such an inspiration. I think you're absolutly beautiful.
Melissa
ps The only way to truly get through all of this; is the hope of Jesus' very soon return.
Dearest Heather,
You continue to lift me in so many ways. I feel guilty about complaining when I see your situation and the joy you find in life. You teach me so much!!!
Love Your Utah Friend,
Tina
God bless you Heather. God certainly is using you in my own life to show me the picture of a modern day saint. I only pray I can obtain the same sort of joy that you have. :)
I was wondering--someone above said they pass your accident site and think of you. Do you often go by that same spot when you are traveling in the car? Or do you purposely avoid that spot because of the memories. Does the accident come to your mind and bring back all the memories if/when you do pass it?
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