fully blessed.

I don't know how my friend, Kelly will feel about my blogging about her, but she is probably the most amazing woman I have ever met. And I've met some quite amazing women. (Sheri Dew, for one. You can read about her here: http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/people/sheri_dew.html)
Kelly and her husband, Dennis, moved to our quaint little neighborhood about five months ago from New York, with nothing but the clothes on their backs, their two children and what they could fit into their little car. Acting on nothing but faith in a god they knew little about, they ended up here, joining our congregation and being paragons of faith, at least to me. Today at church, she said "the strength of your faith and the depths of your kindness will never be known to how dear you all are to us"
. I think she has it backwards. The strength of her faith that she has just mastered in such a short time and the depth of her kindness to me in her genuine, loving words has been a huge bolster in my life and in my heart.
She showed up at my house Wednesday afternoon with a loaf of home-baked bread. She made it. It was amazing. Wow! Was it amazing! and I love her for that.

Sometimes, I feel kind of like Lois Wilkerson, (Malcom in the Middle) and Marge Simpson. These two women, albeit fictional, feel like they have to prove everything to everybody, and it is obvious to the viewers that they don't have many friends. Lois is quite the authoritarian and Marge is a naggy, well-meaning-but-I-have-to-please-everybody kind of person. Why can't I just be who my heart tells me to be? Instead of trying to be everybody else? But you know what? Knowing Kelly has made me realize that I am not so much like these women. Oh yes, I know some who are, but not me. I am truly blessed.
I am the most blessed person in the world because I know Kelly. Her spirit has touched me deeply and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for putting her in my life.