Greetings from Darien!!!
Hello All! I have relocated on my journey of life for a while. My goodness, my gracious, a lot has happened in this past week of my life. A lot of bad, but a hundredfold of good. To let you in on some of it, I will give you some key pointers.
--First off, I was "let off" from my job in Harrison, NY.
--My mom was the one to call me, not my boss.
--Prayers were answered almost immediately.
--Saturday morning, I ran away with the aide of David, Emily, and a white mustang convertible. The great escape was planned out well.
Last week was brutal. It was hard and awkward. It was so worth it for this end result.
I am extremely blessed.
I am now living with the most amazing family in this entire universe in Darien, Connecticut. They have recently moved from the city (on Saturday, to be exact) and I have been helping Chrysula with her kids while the moving process is going on. We were both an answer to each other's prayers.
Emily works with Warren, the patriarch of the family. After I was fired, she had some chitchat time with both Warren and Chrysula. They were talking about how they were moving in that weekend to CT and how they were stressed with how they were going to move in, handle the kids, etc., etc. Well, I had just been let go literally hours before this. Emily told them about me, she told me about them, and we agreed that I would come to help them on Saturday. Jeannie wanted me to stay until the fifth for her "convenience", but I was a fired woman and she had no control. So I moved in with this new family.
Wow.
What.
A.
Difference.
There is so much love in this home. The spirit is so strong. For the first time in six months, I have actually felt like I matter to people. The Holy Ghost is a constant companion and feels the home with love and warmth. The kids are great. We have Ceci, who is six, Gigi who is five, Garret who is two and a half, and little Hugh who is five and a half months. It is great. These kids know so much and love so much. I see the light of Christ in all of them. They are so smart and make me feel so loved. Yes, at times it gets hectic. The craziness of this household is so different though. There is purpose in it. There is strong understanding of each other and it is a family, not a business. These kids are my number one priority, which surprised them. They are amazing and true angels in my eyes.
Chrysula is a saint above saints. I have never felt so much love geared towards me before. She is so generous and so thoughtful. She is the mom that I want to be. She truly cares about her kids and shows great love and affection towards each of them. She has taken care of me so well and always says kind, genuine things to me. I haven't heard so many positive things pointed at me for six months, I don't know what to do with myself. I often break down in tears daily, being so grateful for all the blessings in my life. I am truly blessed. Her and Warren have taken so much time in making sure I feel comfortable and at peace. They are truly disciples of Christ. I could never thank them enough for all that they have been doing for me. I honestly cannot describe in words how grateful I am. Thank you to both of them. I love them more then they will ever know.
My friend is taking the discussions right now. She came to church with me on Sunday and agreed to meet with the missionaries on Tuesday. The lesson went extremely well. She seems interested enough and I hope and pray that she felt the spirit. The gospel has brought me so much joy into my life; I hope that she will see that and let that joy encompass hers as well.
I really don't know what I did to deserve such fantastic treatment at the moment. I am a shell of myself right now. The last six months of my life have been brutal. My confidence has been tested and my self-image has been distorted. I truly felt like I lost who I once was. As Ether promises though, through God, weak things are made strong. It's interesting to think of that, because Tommy wrote me something very interesting on that subject with missionary work. He told me that the Lord breaks you down into the lowest of lows then builds you back up to what He wants you to be. I see that with myself right now. I suffered a lot, but I now see His hand even more in my life. Unfortunately this has made me an emotional wreck though crying at little things like people saying I am a help in their lives, to hearing my sister's voice for the first time in weeks.
I am blessed.
These past six months have been a monumental blessing in my life. I would never take back this experience. I have grown in ways unimaginable before and have learned so much about myself. I have learned to trust and rely on my Lord on an hour-by-hour basis and seeing his tender mercies in the depths of personal hell. I know that He has never left my side throughout this time and I am eternally grateful and endowed to Him. What a blessing it is to have the knowledge of the gospel in my life. I really would not have been able to make it through without it here. My testimony is so much stronger because of it and my life has been personally shaped for it. I love the Lord with all my being; he truly is my Savior. Look at all He has given me. He has given me times to draw closer to Him, to my family and friends. I have been made a servant to Him and I bestow all to His cause. I know He lives. I see His life in my everyday chores. He knows who I am and He truly cares for me and loves me for who I am. I am so grateful for my amazing parents. My hell, they have done the most amazing job at raising my siblings and myself. I would never trade my family in for anything. My mom and dad have never left my side. They truly are the most treasured people in my life.
I am so grateful for Dave and Ang. I have never had a better relationship with both of them before this time. To think that I didn't call them my best friends before this time breaks my heart. Dave is one of the most caring people. He really is just a softee under his "New Yorker" hide. He loves freely and works hard in life. Ang is an angel on earth. I have always been able to tell her everything and she is so selfless to me. Her letters always came at the right time in my life. I have the best family in the world!
I am so excited and grateful for Emily, who is joining our family in a little more than two weeks. She truly is what a woman should be: She is graceful, but strong. She is smart, beautiful, witty, and just great. I have loved the opportunity that I have had to spend time with her and build a bond while being out here in New York. She and Dave are Yin and Yang together. They balance each other so well. When I see them together, I see a bright future full of love and hope in their new life.
I am so grateful to have my friend Ashlee in my life. She has seen the darkest moments of my life and the brightest. She is the definition of what a best friend should be. She truly cares for me and for my life and I feel her love and cares for me. She has been here for me every step of the way and I am so grateful for all that she has done for me. God put us in each other's lives for a reason and our paths crossed too many times for it to be just "chance." She has an undying love and trust in God and has been an utmost example to me.
Cami and Chanel have helped me so much also on my path to...maturity I guess. They have been my friends for ten years of my life and I know that they will always be a part of it. Even though we don't talk as much as we have before, we know that we have each others' backs. They have been faithful letter writers. They made me feel loved in the mail system. I am so grateful to have that.
I am grateful for the Hymowitz family and for having the chance of serving them for the past six months. They have three beautiful girls that have bright futures ahead of them. I loved them with all my heart and learned to selflessly serve others, even when they didn't see what was being done. They taught me a lot about myself and what kind of person I want to be. Without them in my life, i would not be the person I am today. I love and miss Maddie. She was my best friend and loved me with so much heart. She is a great girl. I really hope that she will be able to rise above the earth. I want those girls to have what the world has to offer. They are good girls and I love and miss them.
My heart is full at this time. I cannot believe all that I have in my life. How many people can truly say that they know that they are a child of God, are loved by their family and friends, and has had a good life? I am so grateful for the chance that I have had to come out here. It truly has been amazing. God has blessed me much in my life. Words will never be able to express how I truly feel.
That is, until I write my book.
Life is good. Remember that. I love you all and hope all is going well.
Cheers.
Ch.Wa.