Adversity

Today in church one of our friends, who I'll call Sarah, spoke on adversity.

Sarah is married to a good man and they have four darling kids.  This is one of those families who could be on the cover of The Ensign or Family Circle.

When Sarah was young, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34.  It had spread to her lymph nodes and the doctors wanted to begin radiation immediately...but there was a problem.

She was pregnant with her sixth child.

The doctors encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy so treatment could be done.  After much prayer, fasting, heartache, tears, and sorrow, she and her husband decided to carry the baby full term.

18 months after the child was born, Sarah's mother died.  She was 36.

Her young husband was left to care for six children.  Oldest: 9.  Youngest: 18 months.

Sarah says her dad did okay for a little while.  He met another woman, who also had kids, and they got married.

Sarah and her siblings were so excited to have a "normal" family again.  They couldn't wait for summer vacations, fun parties, and good times.

Instead, things went downhill.  The house was chaotic.  There was abuse.  There was anger.  Sarah and her siblings would come home from school and, as quietly as they could, tie-toe to their bedroom and hide for hours.

Her dad had a mental breakdown, lost his job, and refused to get out of bed.  

Home was horrible.

At this point, Sarah was a senior in high school.  



She knew two things:

1.  She had to help her younger brothers and sisters.
2.  She had to leave.

The day after she graduated high school, she moved out.  It was heartbreaking to leave her siblings behind...knowing how bad things were.  But in order to help them, she had to help herself.

Sarah moved to Provo and began school at BYU.  Looking around "Happy Valley USA" she thought, "Everyone here has had such a good life.  No one has endured anything like what I've been through.  They are so lucky."

But, as time went on, Sarah quickly learned she was wrong.  Everyone...no matter who they were...had gone through some sort of trial.  Everyone had struggled.  Everyone had suffered.

Every.  Single.  Person. 

Sarah has used her story to remind people that we all go through trials and hard times.  Unfortunately, we will all suffer.

But...we will make it through.  Just look at Sarah.

She has a wonderful family, she's strong in her faith, and she's a strong, quiet example of conquering adversity.

"When bad things happen, do not say God is not keeping his promises to me.  Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain. He is resource in event of pain, and when that pain comes, rejoice that you have resource to deal with your pain." 

Carlfred Broderick

Daisy Award

The other day I got a message from my cousin Amy.  It said:

"Congratulations. I just gave you the 'Daisy Award.'"

Huh?  The Daisy Award?  She told me to visit her blog to find out what she meant.

I did...and found that I need to share seven unusual or weird things about myself.  

The "rules" say I need to link this back to the giver (Amy) and pass it on to three other bloggers.

I usually don't participate in forwards or surveys...but because it's Amy, here I go.

1.  I take two showers a day.  I've done this ever since high school.  It was vital on my mission in humid Australia...and it's neccessary now in humid Virginia. 

2.  I am a clean freak.  I hate clutter, my desk is organized, I like to do the dishes, and I don't mind cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming.  

My desk

  

3.  I don't like cake...which is a little weird because I have a huge sweet tooth.  I would rather eat french fries, a donut, a piece of pie, or a candy bar than have a piece of cake.  There is one expection: Ukrop's yellow cake with chocolate icing. 

4.  When I was young, I begged my parents for a dog.  For years I asked for a dog.  I also asked them to go camping.  Now I can't stand dogs and hate camping.

5.  My favorite TV show of all time is "I Love Lucy."  As a kid, I watched it every summer afternoon at 1.00 on channel 13.

6.  When I was a sophomore at BYU-Idaho, I studied 70 of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talks and wrote a one page paper on each.  It changed my life.  Years later, I met him and told him about the project.  He said, "Oh, you poor soul.  You deserve a week at the beach after that torture."


7.  I wish I could go bare foot or wear flip flops everywhere.  I hate wearing shoes.  One day, when I was about 13, I went on a long run without with my cousin Amy...and didn't have any shoes on.  My feet were black!  In Australia, I was barefoot or wore flip flops every single day.  It was awesome.  I also think shorts and T-shirts should be acceptable business attire.

So....now that you know seven random things about me, I pass "The Daisy Award" to....  

Chelsea - my crafty, fun sister-in-law.
Elaina - our Jamba Juice, "Let's Make a Deal" friend.
Allison - my New York, kick-ball-playin' cousin.  


Congratulations!

Ann Romney

Yesterday Mitt Romney's campaign called our newsroom and asked if Nate Eaton was available to do an interview with Ann Romney.

Uh...yes. 

I then learned that while Erica and I were in Australia (more on that in a later post), the campaign called and asked if I wanted a one-on-one with Mitt Romney AND Paul Ryan. 

Seriously.

I have no idea how they knew who I was or why they asked for me.  I often meet politicians and other workers from both the Republican and Democrat parties...so maybe someone put in a good word for me?  Who knows.

Now...I want to make it clear that I am NOT making a political endorsement here.  If I was offered a chance to talk with President Obama, Michelle Obama, or Joe Biden, I would jump at the chance.  Any reporter would...and I've requested interviews with of all them.

But today was about Ann Romney.

She held a rally in Northern Virginia and we met her at a hotel before she flew to New Hampshire to meet Mitt.

We arrived an hour early and Secret Service swept our stuff.  Three other channels from Washington DC were there...but we were the only station from Richmond.

We were each given five minutes - not a second longer.  The interview was done in a Marriott conference room.  The man who set up the lighting is the same person Steven Spielberg uses to light his movies!  

I was the last reporter to talk with Ann and, as we were setting up, I asked her if she remembered my sister, Emily, and her husband.  They were in the Romney's LDS Church ward in Boston.  

Ann immediately knew who I was talking about and I thanked her for hiring Ben after he lost his job a few years ago.

There were about 10 people in the room with us - including Ann's hair and make-up person, several members of her staff, and at least two Secret Service officers.

Our conversation began and at exactly five minutes, Ann's aide stood up and said, "Thank you very much, Nate."  

My photographer Dustin and I had photos taken with Mrs. Romney and her team left to board a plane!

I had two pages of questions prepared for Ann but only got to ask four or five.  I could tell she was pretty tired and, as she was leaving, I asked about her health.  She responded that she was exhausted and the campaign was taking a toll on her - she doesn't get a day off until November!  I can't imagine having that schedule.

If you haven't seen it, check out my interview below and let me know what you think.