Reflection

Over the past week I have been thinking about the people who have come and gone from my life and the impact (however short or long) they have had on my life. People I have met whether it be through work, church, acquaintances, or just randomly striking up a conversation with someone.

The digital age allows us to stay in better contact with people, as well as find people from our forlorn past. Just today I was clicking on some blogs to see what I have missed out on since the last time I did it.

As I looked at the blog of a college friend, I thought back to how I met this person. I had just come home from my mission and I wanted to get back in to WSU Student Government, I wanted to run for an office. But the sad news came that I could not run because I hadn't been enrolled the previous semester. So, I was introduced to the current student body president and he let me know who was going to run, so I could get involved in a campaign.

I was going to go to each of the meetings and then decide what my best option was going to be. But when I walked into Ryan's home and had a chance to meet all the people there, I knew that was where I wanted to be. Besides, I had worked with his brother the year before my mission and he was a stand-up guy. I knew that in their family the apples didn't fall very far from a well grounded tree.

I worked on his campaign for PR and marketing. During election week we got in the paper a few times and it was great. In the end he won and I had the opportunity to work with him for the next year as the Marketing Director. What a wonderful turn of events that allowed me to get to know such a wonderful family.

Another beautiful person I have been able to get to know is Stephanie. We were doing baptisms for the dead at the Jordan River Temple and she came in with our group. I randomly struck up a conversation with her and we had such a beautiful conversation.

She has allowed me to see the beauty of God and how much he loves each of his children. Had I never opened my heart that day, I wouldn't have been able to see what I saw. It would have been just another trip to the temple with the ward.

On the other end of the spectrum, Elle and I became friends because she chose to open her heart to me one day. She said hello to me and invited me to her house for game night. She eventually served as my councilor in the Relief Society presidency and has brought so many blessings to my life.

Someone else who opened their heart to me is now one of my best friends. I was on assignment covering a story in Ogden. I asked him a question and when he couldn't help me I went to walk away and talk to someone else. Thankfully, Trevor kept pushing to converse and now, almost 2.5 years later, he has been a great blessing in my life teaching me so many things.

You never know who you will get to know in life if you don't open your heart. Perceptions can be dangerous to what we learn if we don't let our walls down and say hello to that random person. God puts people in our path for a reason and it is up to us what we will do with that opportunity.