An Influence For Good

Written By: Ben

I swear that every single time I get around to writing in this Blog I always end up saying something like "Sorry it has been forever, but I am going to start writing more frequently...". Clearly I have not held up my end of the bargain, so sadly you will just have to wait and see if I actually get better at writing in the blog. 

It doesn't necessarily make sense, but a lot and yet very little has happened since I last wrote. One of the big things that happened was the fact that I turned 25! My sweet Mother wrote about it so I won't include much. February 9th was the big day, and it is weird to think that pretty much a month has passed since then. I had a low key birthday, Mom and I went out to eat and went to the movies where we watched "The Upside" which I loved and related to in different ways. I was also able to go out with two very good friends of mine from here in Cleveland. These two love the Cheesecake Factory, so we went there, since I generally do not eat much, and of course the cheesecake was indeed delicious. Overall it was a very good birthday, even if I did turn a quarter of a century.

I have had the amazing opportunity to get to know many amazing people out here in Cleveland. It would take me far too long to talk about all of them, but I will say that they are each individually amazing people that have done so many things to make this whole experience a continual joy. I try and get out as often as my health permits me, which sometimes means only once a week and on other occasions it means multiple times a day. I have noticed that I do not talk about my health in much detail on the blog, I am not sure why that is, but whatever. Since the weather has been rather chilly, I have not gotten outside near as much as I would like, and I can easily say that it has affected me in ways that I don't really enjoy. So I am going to have to find a way to bundle up nice and tight so I can brave the frigid cold with a little more excitement. I am a firm believer in the phrase "The body and the spirit are the soul of a man" and when I don't get my outdoor fix my spirit takes a dip and respectively so does my physical health. Generally this shows in the subtleties of my mood and life, but it still has a seeping effect into the many facets of my life.

Overall I would gladly proclaim that I live a very blessed and fortunate life. 

I guess I should probably talk a little bit more about my health... Overall things are holding steady, but I guess a moment of brutal honesty is in order, some days it really takes a toll on me. I guess this is a reason I have been reluctant to write in the blog. I have felt very inadequate and weak, even though we all have days and moments like this, I have a hard time being open about it, especially when it is for anyone and everyone to read. I am sure many if not all of you can relate in one way or another, but nobody likes to show weakness especially when it comes to those we love or that we feel look up to us in some way (not to mention the ladies).  I think it is a universal feeling of wanting to put forth our strengths and best selves for all to see, and there is nothing wrong with that, but with this blog I guess I am trying to be very open and honest. Some days when all I can do is lay there and watch TV trying to control my pain or distention I feel pretty useless. Luckily I learned and continue to learn that if we can just do our best to play with whatever cards we are dealt, you usually come out a winner in many more ways than one. So yea life has a way of kicking us all while we are down, but it also has a way of making the simplest things impact us in far deeper ways than we could ever imagine. I cannot count the times a sunset or a star filled sky has touched the very depths of my heart, perhaps letting me know that even in the most trying of circumstances, life is still filled with many marvelous and spectacular miracles.    

This leads me to the pictures below:

 My Mother and I have been extremely fortunate to have had the blessing that is each and every one of these incredible Sister Missionaries. I couldn't swarm this blog post with pictures of all of the sisters we have gotten to know, but here are a few of them. 

It is funny, because on my mission I sometimes thought the sisters were spoiled and a tad full of themselves. (I of course was completely and utterly wrong). Each sister has been such an amazing blessing in our lives, and if I ever find out that some dirt bag hurts one of these beautiful daughters of God my cousin and I will throw them off the tallest cliff we can find. (I swear I am a very gentle human being). 

This last picture comes with a story. These two Sisters (Sister Hickenlooper on the left and Sister Lund on the right) were the first ones to give me and my Mother a tour at the Kirtland Historic Sights. During the tour my Mom chatted with Sister Hickenlooper and I had the amazing opportunity to talk a lot with Sister Lund in particular, and for me it was very special. I had been in Ohio less than a month when we took the tour. As I chatted with Sister Lund, and listened to her testify of the Savior it filled me with peace and calm during a very stressful and desperately hard time in my life. I was also able to share a story that is very close to my heart that I have only shared a handful of times in my life. I sadly never had the opportunity to tell Sister Lund how much she helped me, although I most certainly will remember the experience. She helped me to feel somehow accepted in a land that was foreign to me; she smiled at me like I wasn't there as a very broken and scared young man, but as an earnest seeker of the joys of life. I am sure she and the other Sisters have touched countless lives, but I will always be indebted to her for how she helped me in a very pivotal part of my life. Indeed she may never know just how much she did for me.  

I am confident that each Sister we have met has impacted and influenced many people in more ways than they could possibly realize. For they have all been a light in the life of my Mother and I. 

The Sisters are an astounding testimony to the simple truth that we often do not know the incredible amount of good we each can do in this crazy world.