It's likely you were there. I was there, too. As were at least a couple thousand more. I was one of the lucky ones to get a seat as we patiently waited through almost 30 minutes of technical difficulties. I met three very nice young women. We found (not surprisingly) that we all loved Stephanie Nielson and her blog. One smart young lady told me I looked too young to be the mother of five. I thanked her and reassured her that I wasn't.
The most humorous part of the evening was some 19-year-old coed shouting (I kid you not) at us to give up our saved seats THIS MINUTE. Luckily, I wasn't saving any seats.
And then came Stephanie. She said that she wasn't a good speaker. Not true. And I love that she bawled all the way through her own speech, because I did, too. And so did the woman in front of me. And there was actually a rather lot of sniffing and eye wiping going on. And I loved that Stephanie's husband, Christian, kept popping up and grabbing Stephanie's soiled tissues and stuffing them in his pocket.
I brought my journal and took three pages of notes.
Some things I jotted down...
Stephanie told us that we need to turn away from physical preoccupation and the superwoman complex.
We need to be women of Christ.
Our beauty is a gift given by God and can never be taken away.
Stephanie said, "In a way, I feel honored to carry this burden."
In that plane crash, all of what the world would tell us is of value about Stephanie's body burned. Her flawless skin, her nose, her lips, her bust. All gone. And all that was left is who Stephanie really is. A beautiful daughter of God.
In her Mormon Messages she says, "I am Stephanie Nielson. And I am not my body."
It was one of the most well-spent hours of my life. And I learned, or was reminded, that I am beautiful. My beauty has nothing to do with my figure, gray hair or age spots. I am beautiful because I am a daughter of God. And so are you. You are beautiful, too.
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