Scars

This post is a little out of order, but it doesn't really matter because the message is the same no matter what. I think at one point I had said that I was concerned about what Aili scar would look like. Out of all I could be worried about with her going in to surgery that was one of my worries (with a lot of others). I didn't want her to be self conscious of her scar. I wanted her to be proud of it and not worry about it.

My birthday was just a couple days before we left to go to California, I asked for a Kindle, so I could read while we were there in the hospital. I got my Kindle. The first book I bought was "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson from the blog Nie Nie Dialogues. Most of you are probably familiar with her and her blog. She was in a plane crash and was burned severely. This book is about her story of getting through that experience. It's amazing, I highly recommend it. I read it within the first couple days of being in California, before Aili had her surgery.

There was one passage in the book that really stood out to me. It's exactly what I needed to hear/read. Stephanie met with Elder Holland (a general authority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). She wrote about a conversation they had:

"As we talked he told me to be proud of my scars. 'We look for Christ's scars because they are evidence of what He did for us. They'll be the first things He shows us when we see Him again. Your scars tell a story too. Although they may not make you feel attractive, they are a witness of a miracle, that God blessed you to live, and that you have accomplished very difficult things.'"

How true is that for Stephanie, but also for everyone who has scars, like my sweet, beautiful baby. That quote brought me such peace, because that is exactly what that her scar is, witness of a miracle, an AMAZING miracle, and it totally shows the really hard things she has/will accomplish at such a young age. God blessed her to live! What a wonderful blessing!

My baby is amazing, when she is old enough I will share that quote with her, and I will always teach her to be proud of her scar, and I hope she is. She is truly the most beautiful baby girl in the whole world, and because of her I'm becoming a stronger, and better person.

Thank you Stephanie Nielson for sharing your story to inspire others.