Heaven Is Here_An Incredible Story of Hope, Triumph, and Everyday Joy by Stephanie Nielson

Author:Stephanie Nielson [Nielson, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography, Inspirational, Religion, Adult
ISBN: 9781401341794
Amazon: 1401341985
Goodreads: 11922297
Publisher: Hachette Books
Published: 2012-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

My siblings were all gathered at my parents’ house for Sunday dinner and were eager to talk to me. Christian held the phone for me while everyone in Provo gathered around the speakerphone. Hearing them together like that felt so warm and familiar. Like I was there—almost.

“Hi, everyone,” I said in my hoarse whisper.

“Steph, it doesn’t sound like you. Is this really our Baboon? We don’t believe it. You’ll have to prove it,” Matt teased.

I whistled a little tune I’d always whistled as a little girl.

The phone vibrated with their explosive laughter. I had surprised them. Ever the eager little sister, I was so proud to make them laugh.

They passed the phone around, and I talked to everyone. I could see them in my parents’ living room, spread out on the couches and the floor. Some people would be in the kitchen, cleaning up or serving dessert. I could hear the children running around, shouts and muffled laughter. I could imagine the conversations that were unfolding, my brothers’ deep voices consumed in a recap of the last BYU football game. I heard my sister-in-law Lisa say something that made everyone laugh.

Oh how I loved and missed this great big mass of Clarks. These were people who knew everything about me, and I couldn’t hold back the tears as they each told me how much they loved me, how hard they prayed for me, how certain they were that I would get better. Talking to them was difficult, because it reminded me again of how far removed I was from that normal life they were all living, but I was so grateful for their support.

My brother Matt and his wife, Katy, came down to visit just two days later. They were cheerful and brightened my day with stories of driving the Mini Cooper that Lindsay Jones’s husband, Spencer, had lent them, and visiting Trader Joe’s, which I had raved about. Matt had also driven to St. Johns to see the site of the crash, hoping for his own understanding of what had happened.

Katy looked at me with tears in her eyes. “Stephanie, I know you can do this,” she said. “I know there will be hard times ahead, but I believe in you. Stephanie, you are so strong.” We both cried, and she repeated it. “We’ll get you home to Utah and you’re going to get stronger and stronger. I know you can do this.”

Katy’s father had passed away when she was young, and that challenge seemed to give her a perspective and determination that made her the family cheerleader, always upbeat and hopeful. I’d heard her give pep talks to family members before, but I’d never heard her speak so forcefully to me. Because she believed in me so completely, her words fueled me to believe in myself. Katy’s pep talk gave me a boost of encouragement I relished.

There was no question that I wanted to go to Utah. On some level I continued to believe that things would automatically be easier there, as though the altitude would miraculously heal my broken body.

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