EUDAIMONIA!! :)

Okay so I have been blessed with some awesome Sister In-laws! I have two of them.  One of my sister in laws, Aubrey, is a very educated woman who has a strong desire to follow the gospel and help women also to do that.  She has started this mentoring program entitled "Women of Wisdom". On Thursday she had a free presentation to kick off her quest to help women, in Greek words, Eudaimonia.  I learned this word in one of my classes this last semester and it has inspired me since. Eudaimonia is, in Aristotle's words, "Know thyself, be thyself, and share thyself." Her mentoring helps women realize their purpose and potential.

Anyway, so because I already understood this concept of finding who we are, I wasn't all too excited to go, sorry Aubrey! I have just been really overwhelmed with life, school, calling and my internship. But I went because I love my sister in law and she asked me to video her presentation, which is a way to get me to go  to ANYTHING (although I don't think that was her intentions :D ), and I LOVE any reason to use my camera! There was something that really stood out to me, that I am trying to apply, which is an attitude of gratitude. I am a pretty grateful person I would say, except maybe being grateful for my sister passing away (Sorry she is being talked about, but this is good, I promise!!!). After hearing her talk, I decided that I needed to add in my prayers what blessings I have seen because of my sister passing. I have been praying for blessings that came because of my sisters passing BUT I never showed that connection in my prayers, if that makes any sense at all.

I began doing that and I had a really cool experience about praying.

Steven and I pray every night together and we switch off every other night.  Last night, Friday, was my turn to say the prayer.  I was going to apply the gratitude card AND it was going to correlate with my sisters passing and I would acknowledge that in my prayer.

So here I was praying for all the blessings that I have been and while doing this, I don't know how the brain does this, but I began to multi-task in my head. One task was praying over the blessings and the other task was thinking how can I pray over these things because of  my sister's passing.  I mean I felt kind of guilty that I was being thankful, in a sense, for my sister passing away.  Not like hooray kind of thankful, but like a wow look where I have come because of this trial.  As I thought about this concept, (and still saying what I was thankful for out loud) I began to think of the grand scheme of things.  How this life on Earth is a VERY small moment, and although it might feel like eternity not having my sister with me, it's really just a second in God's time and in the time we will have together after this life. And that second without having Michelle will make the WORLD of a difference of what is going to happen after this life.  (I hope you are still following me). I began to be thankful for this life on Earth. That God has given me this opportunity on Earth to make my Eternal life, in Heaven, the greatest and most happiest experience, that no one on Earth can comprehend.  And I know that my life after this Earth life, will be with my sister and the many of the other people I love dearly.

THEN my thought turned to, OH MY!!!!! because I just realized, THIS LIFE ON EARTH AND THE DECISIONS I MAKE HERE ARE SO CRUCIAL!!! I suddenly was like I need to start making even better choice and being a better follower of Christ so that I can have that eternal happiness.  This life is such a short time and I need to make this life on Earth the best for me. By best I mean, becoming who my Father in Heaven wants me to be, and EXACTLY who he want me to be AND applying that word, Eudaimonia in my life.

I was wanting everyone to know, that I know that Christ lives and that he loves us.  I know that through His sacrifice ALL things will be made fair and that we can have Eternal Joy with our Father in Heaven.  I know that I will see my sister again and this short separation will make me become EXACTLY who God wants me to be.