THE EPITOME OF GRACE AND BEAUTY

Last night I attended the Women's Health Fair where Elizabeth Smart was the keynote speaker. It was truly an inspiring evening as I listened to her tell her story. I cried as she told of the night she was kidnapped and the horrible experience that she had to endure that night. One of the things that was the most inspiring to me was, as she told of the feelings and thoughts that came to her after that evil man stole her innocence, she laid there alone feeling dirty, impure, and almost in despair thinking that no one would even like her anymore because of what had taken place. She remembered her mother once saying to her that there would ALWAYS be two people in the world that loved her no matter what she did. The first was God. Her mother had told her that God would ALWAYS love her. The second was her, her mother. Her mom told her that whatever happened to her in life and no matted what choices she made (and this was clearly NOT a choice that Elizabeth made) that she would love her always. At that moment Elizabeth was filled with hope. She thought, "If God loves me and my mom loves me than surely my dad would still love me and my brothers and sisters would still love me as well. That hope spurred into determination and she thought to herself, "I will survive this." And she did.

I am amazed at the power of love. It can bring the lowliest person from the depths of despair. It can bring wayward children back into the light. It can change the hardest of hearts. It is what has saved us from the fall. As I got to meet and talk briefly visit with Elizabeth after her presentation I told her that she is the epitome of grace and beauty. And she really is.