Finding hope in broken dreams.

I watched a video on Hope Works this week that touched me deeply.  In my service as a mission nurse, I often see missionaries, ward members, or friends whose lives do not go as planned or dreamed.  Life can seem broken and messy.  Liz Wiseman was featured on the video titled: Finding Hope in Broken Dreams.

Liz mentions some of these instances I mention here.   I observe people who want to be married or to have a marriage that lasts, a missionary who wants to serve only to have to end a mission early because of health issues, a person who wants a college education but can’t afford to go to school, a couple who wants to have children but remains childless, a couple who plans retirement and a mission but a spouse dies, and the list goes on. I am sure you know someone in your life, and maybe even you, who has had a dream dashed.  I know that I have experienced some of these dreams that have gone unfulfilled or have been broken.

Liz shared a story from her “messy” life.  One afternoon she sat in her room reading and soaking in the peace and quiet.  Her two sons, 12 and 7 were playing together and not fighting or yelling for once.  Suddenly she heard glass breaking.  Not the sound of a glass falling from a table to the kitchen floor but loud crashing/breaking like glass from a large window.

She ran down the stairs expecting to see severed limbs and blood everywhere to find her two sons standing in the living room in front of a curio cabinet.  All of the shelves except one and the contents of the cabinet were lying in a heap in broken bits on the floor.  The seven year old looked terrified and the twelve year old who usually was the trouble maker had a smug look on his face as he pointed to his little brother.

On top of the pile of china/glass was her husband’s cherished Lladro figurine broken into pieces.  Her husband had served his mission in Japan.  His brother has served in Spain where Lladro was made.  The brother had had a figurine made for her husband of a Japanese mother and her daughter in beautiful kimono robes.  The twelve year old was kneeling searching for all of the Lladro pieces and explaining to his mother that he could fix it so his father wouldn’t be sad.

Liz assured her seven year old that he was more important and valuable than any china cabinet and contents and while the younger boy went about cleaning up the mess, the mother and older boy sat at the table.  Mother tried to explain that it was impossible to put things back together but her son insisted that if he took super glue, he could fix it for his father.

Together they pieced and glued the figurine back together.  It actually went better than expected but a small piece of porcelain in the back of the figurine couldn’t be found.  They discussed things they might do to fix it but decided to leave it incomplete.

Liz called her husband to warn him of the disaster so he was prepared to lovingly thank his son for repairing the cherished item.  Even with all of the cracks and imperfections, the figurine became more dear and precious to them.

Liz goes on to explain that great beauty can come from broken things.  So how do we learn to appreciate all of cracks in our lives?  She enumerates three things we can do to find more joy amid the mess.  How we can find hope:

1. Eschew perfectionism.

Liz refers to a talk given by Jeffery R Holland in October 2017 titled Be Ye Therefore Perfect – Eventually in which he cautions to strive for steady improvement without obsessing over toxic perfectionism. I would invite you to read this talk.

2. Let our own cracks show. 

Sometimes when we post on FB or other social media, for example, we want our lives to appear to be models of perfection.   It doesn’t hurt for us to be vulnerable and to show the realities of life.  Asking for help fosters learning for everyone.  Admitting mistakes creates a climate for forgiveness.

3. Look to the right source for healing.

Psalms 147 says: “He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds.”  True healing comes from our relationship with God.  It comes from our Savior Jesus Christ.  When we come in humility, weak things can become strong.  That which has been broken can be made whole.

Life is messy.  Things break.  We break.   The world offers self-help elixirs to heal our wounds.  Retail therapy is offered to help us live “the dream”.  But these are little more that cheap band aids that will inevitably bleed through.

Voices from the dark will tell us all is lost.

The Gospel teaches us that things can be fixed and healing is found in Jesus Christ.  Even if we’ve had a hope dashed, we don’t have to lose hope. We can find growth in failure.   We can find joy in the mess. And when we become truly broken hearted, this is when we find strength.  His strength.  A strength that truly endures.

Because there is no written script for the video, I have tried to quote or share the thoughts Liz presented.  I hope that you will watch this Hope Works video.  I know that it is through our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we can find peace, happiness, hope and strength to endure to the end.

I spent 5 days in the hospital with a missionary this week, went to urgent care twice, and spent quite a bit of time on the phone.  The life of a mission nurse and I LOVE it!

My view from the hospital room

I missed 4 days of walking on the beach so I got a little low on my vitamin sea.  There really are health benefits from going to the beach. According to an article from the University of New Hampshire, there are at least 5 benefits.  You may read about it here.

I just had to get a dose of the beach, so Sister Lucas joined me in a 5:00 A.M. walk on Friday morning so I could get to the hospital before the doctors made their rounds.  Sister Lucas was prepared with a flash light which we needed in order to see because it was so dark.

Friday morning pics of the beach.  

By the time we walked full length of the beach and back,
the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon.

Saturday morning we walked at our usual 7:00 A.M.  I was rather exhausted so I went grocery shopping on Saturday but really did nothing more than necessary.  I needed the rest.

Sunday we walked after church.  There must have been a reunion or meeting of the French bulldog society.  I even got to hug a cute little dude.

From Wikipedia:  The French Bulldog is a breed of domestic dog. They are the result of a cross between Toy Bulldogs imported from England and local ratters in Paris, France, in the 1800s. French Bulldogs were bred to be companion dogs. They are stocky compact dogs with a friendly mild-mannered temperament.  

The breed is popular as a pet; in 2019, they were the second most popular registered dog in the United Kingdom, and in the U.S., the fourth-most popular AKC-registered dog breed. They were rated the third-most popular dog in Australia in 2017.

Monday I want to the office to go over some items that I needed to take care of.  We have four missionaries returning to Samoa so I needed to arrange COVID testing and medical exams that are required before they can board the flight home and enter the country.  I will meet them at the clinic Tuesday morning to complete the task.

I love serving in this mission.  I love the missionaries.

I love you my family and friends.

I love my Savior.

Another lovely gnarly tree.

Remember that I asked the missionaries to eat a healthy diet and that they should eat a rainbow of colors
to get the best nutrition.  Received these pics from a group of “health” conscious missionaries.

I wish I could bottle up or somehow share some of the benefits of the beach with you but all I can do is send another little video clip.  Close your eyes as you listen.   I hope you can feel the breeze on your face, smell the salt air, and hear the sound of the waves lulling you into peaceful rest.