It all started 7 years ago...

No, I did not get married seven years ago. I didn't even know Cliff seven years ago. What I DID do seven years ago this January was get started on the track that would take me to Cliff and to the Temple. In January of 2003 I began a journey that would change my life forever. I began a total 100% makeover physically, emotionally, and most importantly spiritually. Did I decide to do this out of the blue? On a whim? No! Quite the contrary. I wasn't really interested in changing at all at the time. Thankfully, a loving God had other plans for me and a crazy bunch of kids on hand to see them carried out. It's a riveting story. Want to hear it? No? Too bad.
That January marked a turning point in my life. I was halfway through my freshman year in college and hadn't been to church in a good 4 or 5 years. I was a bit of a wild child... or maybe just a typical college student. I had lots of friends and I had lots of fun. I went to class enough to keep a "B" average, but certainly not more than was necessary. Things were going ok I guess until a good friend of mine turned on me and a few weeks later the rest of my buddies got arrested for underage drinking at a party I had been at. (The police showed up 30 minutes after I left and to this day my mom feels like that was divine intervention.) Needless to say I was pretty shocked and later pretty bummed. All of my good friends were busy with community service over the next few weeks and I was lonely. I began to evaluate my life and what had kept me from being arrested. The answer? Not much. What was the most disappointing to me, though, was that the friends that did get caught didn't seem to care that much and were back at the booze a few weeks later. What I saw as a wake- up call for me, they saw as a speed bump on their highway to more fun. This isn't to say that I dropped everything I was doing at this point "cold turkey" and never looked back. It was more of an opportunity for me to evaluate my life and where I was headed. I started to be more careful and a little more studious. Around mid-January I got a call from my mom who had run into or gotten a call from an old church friend of mine asking about me. Normal 18yr old Jill would have run for the hills at any mention of church or church related people, but given recent events I gave the girl a chance and even agreed to go to a party that she invited me to. This "party" ended up changing my life. I know that sounds pretty cliche or maybe even melodramatic, but it really did. I didn't have that great of a time and honestly I thought a lot of the kids there were pretty goofy but I stuck around. I met a few people, had a few conversations, and was ready to bounce when I was asked by two guys if I could give them a ride home. Now this really says something about my upbringing in the Mormon church and the stereotypes therein. Halfway through the ride home they commented on how trusting I was. "That is pretty trusting of you to let two guys that you have never met before ride home with you." I hadn't even given it a thought! I guess in today's world that probably is pretty trusting, but c'mon! I knew they were LDS and I guess that was enough for me even as far removed from the church as I was at that time. Those two guys, Ben and Seth, (and later Katie and Scott,) ended up becoming some of the best friends I would ever have. They wouldn't let me shake them off after that fateful party. They invited me to EVERYTHING. I went to my first YSA FHE a few weeks later. I went to sports events with them. I went bowling with them. Eventually I even went to CHURCH with them. AND I DIDN'T HATE IT! A few months later I went on a Spring Break trip with Katie, Alex, Greg, Clay, Seth, and Scott and I think that pretty much solidified the friendships. These kids came out of nowhere for me and stayed by my side. They were genuine friends from the start and they saw me through reactivation. They never judged me. They never asked why I had been away from church for so long. They just wanted to be my friend. They have remained some of my closest friends and I am so grateful to them. Scott and Seth actually introduced me to Cliff and Katie is more of a sister to me now. She has seen me at my very best and my very worst.















I guess I have been thinking a lot about friendships at the start of this new year and what it really means to be a friend. I taught a lesson in Young Women's a week or so ago about the Savior and how He is the best friend you could ever hope for and in order to emulate Him, to be more like Him - we need to be better friends. I am eternally indebted to my friends, but what have I done for anyone? Am I quick to forgive? Do I love unconditionally? Am I loyal and trustworthy? Not always. I have a lot to work on. Some of my most treasured memories are with the people in the photographs above. They showed me the way back to Christ and they introduced me to lasting comfort and peace. Have I passed this gift along? I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions... I actually think they are a little silly, but I really do want to make a commitment right now to be a better friend. I don't really know why I am blogging about this except that I have been thinking about it for a long time now and I was really touched by a testimony given at our district conference this past Sunday. Being a friend to someone can change their life. REALLY change their life. I know this. I am evidence of this fact. I need to get to it.