From Lyssa Zimmerman’s book “50 things that really matter to Latter-day Saints”
My immediate family could be described as “dramatic” or “over the top”. I never consciously knew this until my husband pointed it out to me. He, growing up in a dull, modest home, was quite overwhelmed the frist time he met them. As I contemplated this, I realized then that I was from a fast paced family. The fourth of six children, I was always caught up in the middle of everything.
As I got older, I started to exclude myself from all the drama, becoming more independent. I became distant, cold and uncaring towards those whom I loved the most. I didn’t want to drag anyone into my problems, I kept them inside and dealt with them in my own time.
That was until four and a half years ago when I received news that my sister and her husband had been in a terrible accident. My sister was life-flighted to the hospital in very critical condition. She lived but lost the use of her legs. From then on, life for my family wasn’t the same. This calamity for our family challenged us. At times, I thought it would tear us apart. Yet four and a half years later, we are getting back on our feet. Many things have changed. Like myself.
This experience pulled me away from me. I became dependent on my family again. I realized that we are here to learn from one another and to love. I no longer wanted to be distant and alone, but savored family togetherness. I didn’t care if I was vulnerable or not. I wasn’t going to miss out on anything else that happened in my family.
Everyone else felt the same way. We have all grown and are much stronger than before. And we have become more dependent on each other, which has caused us to grow closer to one another, trust each other, and love one another. It couldn’t have come by any other way than through Heavenly Father. Looking back, He knew what He was doing when He gave our family this trial. He wanted us to be closer as a family and closer to Him as well. I am grateful that he allowed our family to learn this lesson.
I now live in Texas, far away from family, but I long to be where I was before, right in the middle of things. I miss the drama and fights. I miss the movie nights with my siblings. But I know we will always be close and love each other through anything. Our family isn’t perfect, and life isn’t easy, but we now understand that we are strong and have faith that we will get through this life together. That way, in the next life, we will be together still. ~by Lyssa Zimmerman, 50 things that really matter to Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Leatherwood Press LLC books are available exclusively through Deseret Books Distributors. 801-534-1515, 2007) 51-54
