#54: "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson.

A couple of years ago, the Church produced a "Mormon Messages" video on YouTube titled "My New Life" about the amazing story of Stephanie Clark Nielson. Stephanie is a Mormon blogger, mother of five children (her baby Charlotte was born last week), and survivor of a horrible airplane crash. As a result of the crash, Stephanie and her husband Christian suffered severe burns all over their bodies. However, they remain faithful, optimistic, and courageous despite the consequences of their accident. Diane and I were very touched after watching "My New Life", and we started following Stephanie's blog "NieNie Dialogues". With humor, inspiration, and creativity, Stephanie uses her blog to share experiences from her life as a mother, Mormon, and accident survivor.

Recently, Stephanie released her autobiography/memoir titled "Heaven is Here", which I would highly encourage you to buy and read (currently only $13.61 on Amazon.com!). Diane and I have been reading it together every night for the last week, and we are excited to finish the book soon. My favorite aspects of Stephanie's story are (1) the unconditional love that she (and Christian) have for each other and their children no matter what trials they have to face in life and (2) their unwavering faith in Jesus Christ. Stephanie's example gives me perspective on hard days and reminds me that I can handle any trial with patience and cheerfulness. Stephanie's body may be covered in burns, but Diane and I think she is beautiful both inside and out.